Subject: I am confussed on what to believe. |
Bible Note: Dear Confuzzled: Your concern over why Christians -- at least some Christians, those who know much about the faith -- spend a great deal of time on points of doctrine, doctrine being simply another word for teaching and, in the context of what I'm talking about, it means searching the Scriptures diligently in order to learn what they teach about matters of faith and practice as they pertain to the Christian's calling and mission in the world. ...... Examples often make excellent didactic tools, so I'm going to cite for your consideration two examples, one from our Lord and one from the medical profession. ....... Jesus lived some 33 years on this earth, give or take a little. But how many years did He spend in His public ministry? It was 3 or so according to the best reckonings. Now Jesus spent about 30 years in preparation for 3 years of public ministry -- a ratio of approximately 10 to 1. We don't know much detail about how Jesus spent his first 30 years, but we do know that He knew the Law, so is it any stretch to surmise that He studied diligently? All the while He was at home in Nazareth, people were being exposed to false teachers and led astray, people were sick and dying, people were lost and knew not God. Should Jesus have begun His ministry a decade or so before He did? Have you ever heard anyone suggest that Jesus wasted the first 30 years of His life, and that He should have been out there teaching and healing and raising the dead long before He actually appeared on the public scene? I haven't. And who are we anyway to question Jesus' timetable? ..... Now let's consider physicians. The typical medical doctor will spend 20 or 25 year in study and preparation for his chosen profession from the time he enters school as a child until he begins his medical practice. All the while he's in school, there are people out there dying every day of some illness that he might be able to treat successfully. Should he abandon his studies along about the eighth grade and start operating on people's hearts or brains? Would you trust an eighth grade lad with the care of your body? ...... Why, then, would you trust the words of anyone who would propose to teach you the truth of Scripture who was himself ignorant of it, one who had never bothered to learn what Scripture teaches, one who had not applied himself to the task? And it is a task, friend. It never comes easily or by waving a magic wand. The Bible says, "Be diligent..." Let's stop right there for a moment and look at that word 'diligent.' What does it mean? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary says it means, "characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic application and effort." Does that sound like a lot of work? You bet your bippy it does! So, the Bible says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Do Christians who know how to read have any reason to be ashamed if they don't know much about Scripture? I believe that 2 Timothy 2:15 answers that question. ...... I taught adult Sunday school for a quarter century. People would come to me and say something like this: "I can't understand the Bible. It's way over my head." I liked to tell them to move the Bible from over their heads down to eye level and start reading it! --Hank |