April 9: Why Bother?

We were rounding up our last night of review for Senior Seminar (our exit exams for grad school)when Jim asked a question a lot of us sometimes think about certain doctrines. “I understand why the school believes in its position on End Times prophecy, but what is the use in getting into all of those details? I mean, if we believe that Jesus is coming back and God making everything perfect in the end (i.e., New Heavens and New Earth), why do we need to get into to the rest of it since it causes such division and seems to have little bearing on our daily life?”

Before you read on, write out your own answer to the questions Jim raised: What should be done about a doctrine which serves as the basis for so much disagreement?

My professor, an insightful, old Messianic Jewish man responded in a fantastic way,

“Your point is well-taken. Your point is well-taken. First, I would say this: It’s there, so we have to climb it. We can’t do anything about it being there except recognize that God inspired a tough topic to be in the Bible, but we can try to understand and deal with it.

“Next, all of the times the New Testament mentions End Times, it does so in connection with a practical application, so this should not be a concern.

“Last, sometimes it seems that we can achieve godliness if we stay away from doctrines (like this one), but I think you’ll find that the closer you get into seeking out the truth, the more you’ll find it helping your closeness with God. Jacob didn’t wrestle with God at a distance (but up close) and saw God’s face because of it.”

I would add, too, that truth is a worthy pursuit regardless of its practical application. Also, if unity is something we seek, we should note that people unify AROUND something. If we do not do it around truth, what do we use? Silent agreement that certain topics ought not be discussed? I don’t think that is the sort of unity Jim had in mind when he asked his question.

What I find sometimes in my own study is a tendency to skip over what I don’t know or understand when I’m reading my Bible. My reading may raise a question in my mind, but I keep on, after all, I need to finish my reading for the day. In the process, I do complete my reading goal for the day, but if I never go back to chase some of those questions, I miss out on chances to grow in their investigation.

So, how about you? When’s the last time you studied something you didn’t understand about your faith? When is the next time you will? In your journal, write out a prayer to the Lord. Pray to Him about what you want out of your time in the Bible and ask Him to teach you through it. (this next part is optional) Ask Him to show you something to study which causes you to dig into His Word to find the answer. Write out a few ideas of things to study (if you are not currently chasing down something) and pick a date when you’ll start on one.

Get ready for the chase. It will be good.