Unquestioned Answers

Years ago, in Russia, a czar came upon a lonely sentry standing at attention in a secluded corner of the palace garden. “What are you guarding?” asked the czar. 
“I don't know.... the captain ordered me to this post,” the sentry replied.

The czar questioned the captain.  His answer: “Written regulations specify a guard was to be assigned to that area.” The czar ordered a search to find out why. The archives finally yielded the reason. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a rose bush in that corner. She ordered a sentry to protect it for that evening.

One hundred years later, sentries were STILL guarding the now barren spot!

This is a classic case of "unquestioned answers." It is a problem that continues today!  In my judgment, unanswered questions are NOT nearly as dangerous as unquestioned answers!  I am convinced that MANY have grown lazy and content with someone else doing their thinking for them, especially in relation to what they believe about God and His will for their lives.  Some are SATISFIED that they have 
ALL the answers without even bothering to test them. Some just ACCEPT what they are taught without studying for themselves, while others REJECT essential truth 
without giving ANY thought to the consequences.

Can you imagine... an adult man literally being spoon-fed by his wife because he’s too lazy to pick up a fork and feed himself?  Yet, how many grown ADULTS allow their parents, their preachers, their peers, their teachers, and even the media to dictate to them THEIR beliefs about God and salvation?

There is only ONE infallible source to which we may turn to KNOW who God is and
to identify His will for our lives: the Bible.  Instead of allowing others to define OUR beliefs through THEIR understanding of Scripture or even the rejection of it, let us be more like those noble Bereans who “were fair-minded in that they received the word [the Gospel] with all readiness, AND searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

Through the study of the Scriptures we learn that God desires to have a relationship with each one of us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is in this relationship that we have abundant lives now and eternal life to come (John 10:10; Romans 6:23). This
life is made possible because Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).  THOSE who believe in Jesus (Hebrews 11:6), repent of their sins (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confess Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38), AND continue to live faithfully to the Lord for 
their rest of their lives (Revelation 2:10) will receive the crown of life.

But don’t take MY word for it!   Check it out for yourself!

Let’s be SURE that we haven’t been guilty of accepting answers to life’s most important matters, without questioning.  May we ALL have the DESIRE to be better students of the Bible, AND may God help us to have the COURAGE to follow our studied convictions!

God bless you.

Steve Higginbotham / David A. Sargent 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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