Paul was a learned man not merely because he had a reapected teacher but because he was diligent to live the life he thought he had discovered from his study of the Torah. We know how that ended. There never was any expectation that the righteousness that was cherished by David, Abraham or Moses would descend on all the sons of Israel. Neither does the Holy Spirit descend on and live in everyone who confesses Christ as Saviour while rejecting the effectiveness of faith. I listen carefully in most circumstances and my curiosity has a long line of questions which a precious few translations can satisfy. All the trends of education and right standing point to the stark opposites of stagnant practices and a waste of time and money.
Diligence (studying) to appear as genuine for many is pure mediocrity. Can you imagine my surprise that it was a Seventh-day Adventist minister who began floating the idea in a book (WIKI article) that the King James version of the Bible is the original and genuine resource for gathering the details of God’s will?
If the guests at the table know that best drinks come out first then we are not drinking grape juice and calling it wine.
Eden is not our destination, the Hebrew Bible is old wine when compared to the Greek New Testament, and all the prophets take a back seat when God’s Son unveils the salvation of the world. Diligence means going beyond the ordinary and popular to access the treasures of spolen and written language. To be specific, the modern Hebrew, French, Vietnamese, or Italian translations are not to be compared to what Yeshua’s witnesses wrote. Diligence is not studying or merely reading.
One might conclude that everyone needs to be apt to teach but that would ignore the fact that not many actually are equipped to teach. The wisdom of God has put all believers as learners (disciples are learners, mathete’s, from mantha’no, μανθανω, I learn), and few believers dedicate their resources towards advancing to be teachers who are not covered with shameful ideas. We are in good company when we ask “What does the text mean?” instead of repeating “The Bible says”. The large number of commentaries with opposing opinions need a second look so that believers are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine. Good teachers know what the Bible writers mean and make no attempt to impose their views on believers.
The name of a popular figure attached to a comment does not guarantee that the comment is consistent with apostolic intent. A humble approach to spiritual nourishment includes enjoying what one has and refraining from teaching when one knows that one does not know. One can step out of the mediocre line by spending money and time to learn to digest the words of life in their original setting. There is no substitute.
Life is Fun, But Not a Joke 