On the Surface

2 Corinthians 10:7a
7You are looking only on the surface of things.

The apostle Paul had a frank talk with the church in Corinth through his letter.  Paul was being accused of only being bold in letter yet lacking it in person. But he reminded them that he spoke as he did in the letter so that it wouldn't be necessary to do so when he arrived. He reminded them that the church is not to operate according to the standards of the world but to stand out from it.  The apostle Paul also reminded the church in Corinth that the weapons used by the church to battle strongholds are not that of world nor based upon its standards. His point was that in anything he said to them, they only looked at and received it solely based on the surface. The surface is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as 1) the outside of an object or body and 2) the outward aspect or appearance. As believers in Christ, it is for us to look beyond the surface of anything and everything. Just as the apostle Paul was disputing the false teachers that had infiltrated the church then, we deal with the same issue today. So when words are spoken we must look beyond what they appear to be on the surface and discern the true meaning and intent. We are to do this in everything. We must always look beyond the surface for there are many things that "appear" to be what they are not. But if we only see with our natural eyes and hear with our natural ears, then we will miss the ques and therefore we are subject to being led astray. The surface can be dug up and it's below the surface that we see all the cracks and crevices. Everything taught must be held according to the word of God. If it doesn't match the word of God, it must be counted as less than or substandard. Everything must be tested not according to what we think but according to the Holy Spirit. The word of God and the Holy Spirit will coincide not contradict. Do you look only at the surface? Have you taken a sledge hammer and cracked the surface to see what's underneath?