2Cor. 2:17 – “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
How much is your attention worth? Sadly, this is the real question that is asked by countless people in our world. Marketing and advertising executives are constantly asking that question. Billions of dollars are spent annually to grab your attention. But it is not just your attention that they want. They didn’t spend their advertising dollars out of the goodness of their hearts. They want a return for their investment – They want your money. And so, your attention is very valuable to them, and they will use any corrupt means necessary to get it. Unfortunately, our text notes that there are “many” who have seized on the opportunity to even go so far as “peddling the word of God” to achieve their ends.
In a lot of ways this appears obvious. Almost every time a politician references the Bible it is to advance their agenda. They want the Christian’s attention, his financial contributions, and his votes. And so they abuse the Word of God as if it is some mere campaign slogan. Rarely do you see the same politician living by that Word, and following through to legislate its principles. The entertainment industry does the same thing when a musical artist, or a movie/television producer, or an author calls themselves Christian and brings in some elements of the Bible into their media. But time usually reveals that most of these misrepresent the Word, serve to advance various heresies, and that they too were merely peddling the Word for profit.
There are, of course, others whose motives are not so apparent. The reward they seek for peddling the Word is not financial. Rather, in seeking your attention they want your mind, your heart, and your allegiance. These people covet acceptability, influence, power, or authority. In essence – They want you! These have become experts at utilizing the Word in such a way to grab hold of you. They will entice you with their presentation of it. It will seem compelling, new, exciting, and even tantalizing. They will present the Word in such a way that you feel no one else has or even can. The end result is you will be moved to give them your further attention and your further devotion. Ultimately, the experience of it all will move you to point others to join with you.
But when the motivation at the start is not “of sincerity” to honestly glorify God and Christ, but it is rather to advance the Peddler’s standing, popularity, and influence you can be sure that the Truth will be the first thing to suffer. Such an environment is where heresies are born and where they grow to thrive. To the Peddler, the Word of God was always just a tool. They will discard that tool when it is no longer useful, or they will exchange it for another, or they will modify that tool to suit their needs. O woe to the one who is so enraptured by the Peddler’s usage of the Word, that they are blinded to how he misapplies, mishandles, and distorts that Word.
The insincere Peddler does not care about the tragic effects their trade has on your soul. They have most likely deceived themselves into thinking they are doing you good. But in the end, those who are sucked in by the Peddler’s wares end up selling them their very souls. O don’t become like some unsuspecting spiritual customer. People will purchase your soul with their talents if you let them. But Christ is not for sale. The Gospel is already glorious and the Word of God needs no glimmering sales pitch to be made palatable. Test the spirits. Find out the true motives of the Peddler. Is their presentation of the Word sincere – And is it accurate to the Truth in the sight of God? Look past the Peddler to the Word of Truth itself. There alone is the only safe place for your attention and your soul.
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