----- Original Message
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From: Warren
To: Craig
Subject: Giving an answer
Should a Christian always be ready to give an answers
concerning the complied Scriptures that we know today as the bible?
Thanks,
Warren
Hi Warren,
Thanks for asking your question.
It is my understanding that the Scripture, both Old Testament and New
Testament are meant to be the basis of truth by which a believer grows and matures
with respect to his or her individual relationship with both God and with
man. A newborn Christian obviously has
less knowledge of Scripture than one who has walked in the truth for many
years, which is why elders as overseers in the church are admonished not be
‘new converts.’
1 Timothy 3:1,6-7 It is a
trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a
fine work he desires to do…. 6 he
must not be a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the
condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good
reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into
reproach and the snare of the devil.
New American Standard Bible
The reason for new converts not being overseers ties directly to your question
because it illustrates the differences between one mature believer who is
knowledgeable in Scriptures and able to teach others, and contrasts him with
the novice who has yet to learn thru study the Scripture and make application
of the truthful precepts of Scripture in his or her life.
I do not think you will find any direct commandments that require a
Christian to always be ready to respond to answers directly from the Bible,
even though I personally wished that were the case. For one thing, prior to the writing of the New Testament
Scriptures, there was not a completed canon, and the ‘compiled’ the books that
embody today’s Old and New Testament took considerable number of years, leaving
a gap of undetermined period in which the Christians living in that age would
not be privy to the same canon as do you and myself.
In the New Testament, all references to the ‘Scriptures’ in a plural
sense are done so by the writer as dialogue concerning those contained in the
Law and the Prophets. This is the case
beginning with John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, and carried on thru the
apostles/disciple’s inspired writing.
Below are some examples:
Matthew
21:42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The
stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this
came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?” NASB
Matthew
22:29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not
understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God. NASB
Matthew
26:54 "How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen
this way?" NASB
Mark
12:24 Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that
you do not understand the Scriptures, or the power of God? NASB
Matthew
26:56 "But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets
may be fulfilled." Then all the
disciples left Him and fled. NASB
Mark
14:49 "Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not
seize Me; but this has happened that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled." NASB
Luke
24:27 And beginning with Moses and
with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in
all the Scriptures. NASB
Luke
24:32 And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within
us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the
Scriptures to us?" NASB
Luke
24:45 Then He opened their minds to
understand the Scriptures, NASB
Acts
17:2 And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths
reasoned with them from the Scriptures, NASB
Acts
17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they
received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see
whether these things were so. NASB
Acts
18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent
man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. NASB
Acts
18:28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures
that Jesus was the Christ. NASB
Romans
1:2
which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, NASB
Romans
15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our
instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope. NASB
Romans
16:26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according
to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations,
leading to obedience of faith; NASB
1
Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, NASB
1
Corinthians 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, NASB
2
Peter 3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which
are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as
they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. New American
Standard Bible
Jesus rebuked the legalistic Jewish leaders, the Pharisee, because
though they were knowledgeable in Scriptures, they refused to come to him as
their Messiah, of whom the Scriptures testify!
John
5:37-40 "And the Father who sent me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither
heard His voice at
any time, nor seen His form. 38 And you
do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He
sent. 39 You search the Scriptures , because you
think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have
life.” New American Standard Bible
Hearing
the voice of the Father thru His expressions of love, truth, justice, and mercy
is much more salient to building the kingdom of heaven than having on hand a
ready answer from the Scriptures. As a
believer in God thru Jesus Christ you are admonished to study the Scriptures to
show yourself approved as an unashamed workman before God (2 Timothy 2:15),
and as a consequence, base all that you do in word and deed on truth-based
precepts that align with Scripture.
At
the same time, remember, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies, and though a man
have all knowledge, and does not have love, his knowledge of Scripture makes
him nothing (Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-4).
In
fact, not everyone in the church is called to ‘give an answer’ from Scriptures
to any/all unbelievers, because doing so in such manner makes a person able to
teach, and we know from the epistle of James that not all are called to be
‘teachers.’
James 3:1 Not many of you
should become teachers; self-constituted censors and reprovers of
others, my brethren, for you know that we teachers
will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity than other people;
thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation. Amplified Bible
In
Paul’s letters to young Timothy, he exhorts him to continue his studies in
Scripture, because all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and profitable
for reproof, teaching, etc.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 You, however, continue in
the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have
learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred
writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work. New American Standard Bible
1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16 Until I come, give
attention to the public reading of Scripture , to exhortation and
teaching. 15 Take pains with
these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all.
16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in
these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself
and for those who hear you. New
American Standard Bible
Assuming
that an individual Christian must always be ready to give, an answer to the
unbeliever from the Scriptures presupposes that every time an unbeliever asks
for said answers, he or she is willingly receptive to hear and respond
affirmatively or obediently. This
simply goes against the grain of all tenor of Scripture because it presupposes
the motive on either side as being “always…ready” to hearken and obey, which is
not usually the case. Narrow is the
way, and few it be that find it.
In
closing, what is most important and fulfills the intent for all Scripture given
is summed up once again in the Book of James:
James 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal
law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing well. New
American Standard Bible
God bless you Warren,
and may He use you to reach those in need of God love and truth~
The
Bible Answer Stand Ministry
1 Peter 3:15 Always
be ready to give reasonable justification to anyone who asks you for an
explanation of the hope that is within you,
but do it considerately and courteously.
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