Being Faithful to God’s Word
Being Faithful to God’s Word
I once heard a pastor say that if we read something in the Bible, then it’s true, and we should believe it—no questions asked. He went on to state that it doesn’t matter if what we’re reading doesn’t seem right or make sense. He said that, if it’s in God’s Word, then we should live by it. Period.
The problem with what that pastor said is that, we can read something in the Bible out of context, or lacking discernment and understanding (because we didn’t ask any questions), and if we’re not careful, we might walk away with a false doctrine.
Just because something is in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s biblical.
For example, Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4:1-8)…
King Saul sought out a medium to summon the late prophet Samuel, because God wasn’t answering Saul’s questions (1 Samuel 28:1-15)…
Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-19)…
David frequently prayed for God to pour out His wrath on his human enemies (e.g., Psalm 55; Psalm 59; Psalm 109)…
All of these things are recorded in the Bible, but they most certainly are not “biblical.”
Okay, okay—those examples were a bit obvious, so let me offer another example that’s less obvious:
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus didn’t say, “Put your faith in Me.” Instead, Jesus gave him a to-do list (Mark 10:17-22).
If we read that passage as a stand-alone, and take Jesus’ words to heart—no questions asked—then it sounds a whole lot like Jesus was teaching salvation by works.
It’s in the Bible... and, it came directly from Jesus… so it’s biblical, right?
Wrong! See, this is where context (not just from the surrounding verses and passages, but from Scripture as a whole), as well as critical thinking and prayerful questioning come into play. (Jesus couldn’t have meant that, so what did He really mean?)
Sure, that one passage on its own seems to suggest that we can earn salvation on our own; but the entire rest of the Gospel tells us something different (e.g., Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:15-16; Ephesians 2:8-10). And any time one verse in the Bible stands in stark contrast to the rest of the Bible, that’s a good indicator that we’re probably missing something. That’s a good time to ask questions.
So rather than saying, “It’s in the Bible, so it’s true, and I’m going to believe it—no questions asked,” that’s a good time for us to humbly respond with something like, “I don’t understand how this fits in yet. God, give me ears to hear and eyes to see. And in the meantime, help me to be okay with not having all the answers.”
Then, we can dig deeper into Scripture, search for context, consider explanations others might be able to offer, prayerfully mull it all over, and patiently wait for God to give us clarity and understanding.
Going back to the example of what Jesus said to the rich young ruler, if you and I were to read through the rest of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we’d see a pattern: When Jesus spoke, His answers were rarely straightforward. His messages were often puzzles to be worked out over time. Hard foods to be chewed, over and over and over again, before they could be swallowed and digested.
The God-man loved His parables and metaphors! And He must’ve known that our hard hearts and stubborn minds would need them, because often, we’re not ready to accept His truths in the moment—let alone, understand them. We need time to sit with His words and mull them over, first. We need some wearing down of our arrogance, our certainty, our dogmatism. We need to be left with unanswered questions, so that we will ask questions. So that we’ll ask Him questions, and so that we’ll seek His answers. (And often, those answers won’t be found in that specific verse or passage we’re asking about. Good thing God knows where those answers can be found, though.)
It’s easy to read the Bible and form doctrines on every little thing we read, and call that “being faithful to God’s Word.”
It’s a whole lot harder to read the Bible and really consider what’s being said, and what was meant by it, and to wrestle through the texts with the God who breathed Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But you and I have been called to become people who wrestle with God. That’s the literal meaning of the name God gave His chosen people (Genesis 32:28).
If we want to be faithful to God’s Word—a Word that is living and active, equipped to draw the line between what feels true to us and what really is Truth (Hebrews 4:12)—we have to be ready to grapple with God over the texts. Again…
Just because something is in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s biblical.
So while I believe that pastor meant well, I also believe he was wrong in what he said.
If you and I want to be faithful to God’s Word, we have to ask questions…
We have to approach Scripture like we don’t have all the answers yet…
We have to dig into the Holy Texts like we need God’s help to figure them out...
Because we do need His help! We need His Spirit to help us understand (John 16:13)… or else, we never will. We’ll just form a bunch of doctrines to live by, without ever fully experiencing the abundant life to be found in God’s life-giving Words. (That kind of sounds like what the Pharisees did, doesn’t it? Hmmm…)
Asking questions doesn’t mean lacking faith. On the contrary, I believe genuine faith comes with questions; but it also comes with knowing Who holds the answers to our questions.
So, read the Bible for yourself. And when something doesn’t make sense, don’t be afraid to ask questions! And don’t feel pressure to settle on an answer quickly.
This is a faithful approach to studying God’s Word; and when we approach God’s Word with a heart that says, “Teach me, Lord, I want to understand what You want me to understand,” God will always be faithful to help us grow in our understanding of Truth!
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