The Young Disciples

A friend once told an elderly lady that New Testament believers were very young. He then read from Acts 19:7: “And all the men were about twelve.” She didn’t get the joke, and instead pointed out that the “twelve” wasn’t a reference to their age, but to how many men were present at the time.

The incident reminded me of how skeptics read the Bible. They are the true fundamental literalists, who don’t have the wherewithal to interpret Scripture with Scripture. I have heard the same arguments for years about Cain and his wife, about there being two creations in Genesis, or the earth being flat, and about Adam not dying the day God said He would. These, and a million other “mistakes” in the Bible simply need to be read using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

If you and I open the Bible with the presupposition that it is written by men who weren’t inspired by God, then we will find our mistakes. But if we come with the humble thought that this Book is the Word of the Living God, we will have a different attitude. Here’s a lame metaphor. It’s like finding Einstein’s personal notebook on how he conducted his experiments. If we read it with condescending attitude of "Who is this dummy?" we’re not going to figure out what he is saying. Rather, if we want to grow in knowledge, we should take the humble road and say, “This man is more intelligent than I am. I wonder what I can learn from him.” If we have that attitude to the Word of God, it will begin to open its wonderful truths. Until then, it will truly be “dead letter.” Always remember “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Think about that.