I think – one of the problems in understanding the Bible is that we have been raised to believe that intellectuals know everything – our parents taught us that our teachers knew everything. When reading the Bible we have to have more confidence in our own ability to understand what we are reading – I don’t feel that I am totally conceited – I have always felt I listen to other points of view – but when I read some biblical commentaries – even ones accepted by everybody else, sometimes, I can’t force my mind to see a Biblical topic the way they are trying to portray it.
Hey! Look what I found!
Me and my wife first started noticing about 20 years ago, not in connection with the Bible at all, but watching all the new cable channels, watching respected archeologists plying their trade, explaining to us how they come up with their theories about long dead civilizations – they would find a fragment of an old broken pot and then start pontificating about the things they imagine from this potsherd, as if they were reality! – then the illustrator starts drawing the things they imagined, those drawings are printed in a text book, through which, young children, who don’t know any better, are led to believe that it is a fact. Just because 90% of the archeological community agree that some professors fantasy is a fact – does NOT make it fact. When I listen to these intellectuals orate on their trade, I wonder if they even realize that they are just making this stuff up, oops, I meant to say, that they are just making educated guesses.
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
As sad as it may be to say, it seems that a lot of what is accepted as fact in the theology field is the same way, the things that we think religious intellectuals know for a fact are really just guesses. We have to realize how little is really known about events and notable people or even everyday life 2 to 3000 years ago when the Bible was being written.
Listen to ME!
I think the problem is that when someone gets up to speechify, they feel the need to sound authoritative, so we peons just assume that there must be some knowledge out there and we just aren’t privy to it, I think most people (if they had any interest) would be shocked at how little is know about anything “for a fact”
I will be their God, and they shall be My people
The father has given us his Holy Spirit so that we will understand when we read his word. We have to stop listening to MAN’s commentary and listen to the voice that God put in our hearts
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
(John 14:26 NASB)
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
(1 Corinthians 2:12-13 NASB)
Please remember what I say here — anything I ever say, is just my view. I don’t know anything “for a fact” ;)
Do you?
I wish I did, KNOW things for a fact! The fact that we cant’s is one of my “thorns in the flesh”, I “think” that is why trust in God and the Word He gave us is so vital. I remember having this discussion before, during and after Randy wrote this post. I’m glad I finally took the time to read it! I am very fortunate to have him as my study-buddy!