If there is one thing that all pregnant women do, it’s look up the old wives tales to figure out either the gender of their baby or why they’re experiencing weird symptoms. I’ve been guilty of both. Initially, I began looking at all the old wives tales about whether we were having a boy or a girl, and since finding out, I’ve been looking at all of the weird things again wondering if maybe one of them would explain how dry my face has been.

It’s funny to me how much stock some people put in these old wives tales, because in reality, they’re just guesses from people who were probably pretty wise, and half the time right. So, people started listening. If you add up all of the old wives tales out there for gender prediction, I think more than half said we would be having a girl, and the other, smaller percentage was actually accurate. So while it’s nice to know what these people thought, I didn’t put much stock in it and I’m glad I didn’t.

Now, what does any of this have to do with anything?

I think we are living in an age where we have so much access to the “old wives tales” that we sometimes forget to go to the true source. You would have told me I was foolish if I had taken the word of the ladies who said I should look at whether the baby is sitting high/low in my stomach instead of taking the word of my ultrasound technician who literally showed me the anatomy of my child. That would be crazy. And yet, how often, in religious circles, are we taking the word of the “old wives” and neglecting what The Word has to say?

Here’s what Scripture says:

 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness (1 Tim. 4:1-7). 

We get into endless debates and arguments over what so-and-so thinks and what he/she said you should do about this or that and never once go to the Word and decide if it is even an issue that ought to be discussed. There are so many doctrines in Scripture that must be held to closely and tightly, while there are also many areas of liberty that we must give each other grace in.

When you run into an issue – who to vote for, if you should vote, what you should eat, how you should teach your children – don’t run to Facebook, run to the Word. Don’t run to our modern-day profane fables, run to truth. Make your own decisions based out of the Scripture, not based off of what so and so says. As you know if you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time, I will never shy away from proclaiming the Word of God. However, I also know that there are tons and tons of areas of personal liberty, and you’re not going to find me giving hard and fast rules about those issues. It ultimately doesn’t matter what I do or what I think you should do. You are to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You must decide what things go against your conscience and what things do not. If we had lived in the first century, it wouldn’t have been permissible for me to try to sway you into eating meats; instead, I was instructed to honor your conscience and leave you alone about it – knowing that salvation isn’t about what we eat.

If voting for a certain candidate is against your conscience, shame on me for telling you that you must vote for them. If you decide to send your children to a public school, shame on me for telling you that you have to school them at home. If you feel like you can wear pants to worship, shame on me for telling you there’s something wrong with you because you aren’t wearing a dress. If there is anything that is a matter of personal liberty, I am not supposed to be campaigning for my side to win out in your life. I am not supposed to judge you for your choice, but to assume the best about you because I love you! In the areas where you are learning toward legalism (like the brothers  in the first century who didn’t eat meat), I am to bear with you and not despise you for not doing things like me (Romans 14:3). In the areas where you are more free in what you do, I am not to judge you for those choices (Romans 14:3). In everything – in every area of personal liberty – “let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).

As with all areas of our lives, we are to do everything in love. We are to assume the best about our brothers and sisters. We are to bear with them, be patient with them, and to be kind. We are to encourage and exhort without being condescending, judgmental, or harsh. We are to base our decisions on scripture – nothing else – and allow others to do the same in regards to their Christian lives. And we we differ (on matters that don’t matter), we are always, always, always to be Christlike about our differences, otherwise it becomes something that matters – we have become false teachers.

Like I said, though, there are many things that are not left up to each individual’s decision. You cannot make the call on whether or not to be baptized – scripture clearly says that you must. You do not get to make the call on whether you should assemble with others for worship or have your own personal worship, whether you can worship with or without instruments, or whether you should take communion every week – those things have already been decided. The good news is – when we will base all decisions on God’s holy and divine word, we will know what areas are commands and what areas are liberties (or, worse, just profane fables leading others astray). Don’t leave it up to someone else to decide for you. Don’t let someone tell you something is a liberty when the Bible says it’s absolutely a command; equally as important, though, is to not let someone tell you something is a command when the Bible says it’s absolutely a liberty. Rightly divide the word of truth and you’ll be just fine. The Bible is plain and easy to understand; deep and complete and more than adequate to guide us in 2019. You can do it. Dig in and find the rich truths that it has to offer; don’t rely on the old wives tales to help you get to heaven. They might just keep you from it.