And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
Summary: Paul’s claim of being a herald, apostle, and teacher requires that we decide whether or not to believe him.
How do we know what Paul is saying is true? He says he is telling the truth! He even tells us, “I am not lying…” Are you convinced?
There are a couple of ways to approach this question. One is blind faith. Blind faith shuts the door on any and all questions that might be crowding into a person’s mind. If those questions continue, blind faith bolts the door and puts his fingers in his ears.
The other way is the Berean way.
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
The Berean Jews understood the importance of Paul’s claims. The idea that Jesus Christ was the Son of God was wildly significant. The consequences of Paul’s teachings being true were beyond imagination.
The Bereans needed to know — Was Paul right?
The answer to that question is found in the Tanach. The Tanach, what Christians call the Old Testament, includes the Law (the first five books of the Bible), the writings of the prophets, wisdom literature, and other writings.
If God is unchanging (Hebrews 6:17), then his message will be consistent from the beginning of the Bible to the end.
Is it?
If you want to take my word for it, yes, the Bible is internally consistent — incredibly so. If you want to find out for yourself, you need to read the Bible — a lot.
Understanding God’s Word requires something else, too. We have to be willing to look at the Bible from God’s point of view. He is the Author (2 Timothy 3:16) . He is the real brain behind the book. Trying to force the Bible to fit our perspective or intellectual framework doesn’t work.
To properly understand the Bible, we have to adopt the same attitude and posture as Mary, when she sat at the feet of Jesus and listened (Luke 10:38–42). When we come to the Word and listen, the truth of the Gospel sings out loud and clear. With it comes the affirmation that yes, Paul was right.
Application: Read the Bible as if you were sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Food for Thought: The Bible is a big book. How can we hope to understand everything that is in there?
The book of Proverbs constantly tells us to dig for wisdom as if digging for gold. God’s word is a treasure, and we want to dig deep to take in as much of this wisdom and truth as we can. So that means we need to apply ourselves with honesty and diligence. The more we read, the more we will understand. And as we do, if we are followers of Christ we have the Holy Spirit illuminating the truth of God’s word. His word is not like every other book, it has transformative power. So let us dig deep and have hearts and minds renewed by its truth.
Proverbs 2: 1 – 6: My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Hebrews 4: 12: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Thank you, Rich!
That is beautifully said and very true!
I think you should have those words engraved in a brass plaque and mounted in a prominent place in the church! 🙂
I think the key word there is “understand.” I believe our understanding of the Word deepens as our relationship with the Lord grows. So the intent of the Bible is not for us to just understand what is written down, but to apply it to our lives and allow the Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Thank you, Chris!
I like the personal application! The better we know God’s Word the more we understand. 🙂