Check the Diploma!
A man found himself sitting alone on the exam room table, awaiting the knock on the door that announced the arrival of the physician. We all have been there. Sitting. Waiting. Sitting. Waiting.
Looking around the room for something to pass the time, the patient read the eye chart. He read the advertisements for all the latest medications. A second look at the eye chart. Still no knock.
What is left? Ahh, the beautifully framed diplomas!
“Always a good idea to check the educational credits,” the patient said to himself.
“What’s this? ‘Last in class of 500 graduates!!!‘
“This can’t be good” he thought. Then a second frame caught his eye.
“Worst attendance award” And the fine print beneath: “Showed up for one of every three classes”
Now this was a development of no small concern.
“How can I trust the care of my physical health to this man? He apparently doesn’t know what he is doing. How can he practice medicine?”
As you may have already guessed, our friend beat a hasty retreat from that doctor’s office! And we would be wise to do the same when faced with unqualified care.
Sadly, many today entrust the care of their spiritual health to others without a thorough investigation of credentials. “What are the facts behind this teaching? What is the book, chapter, and verse?” We often seem to spend more time reading the contents of our breakfast cereal, than investigating the things commonly taught concerning matters of salvation.
This is a practice entirely contrary to that which we find throughout inspired scripture. In a familar passage, the inspired historian Luke commends the Bible students of Berea for their thorough investigation of the Old Testament scriptures. The Bereans sought to verify the things taught by the apostle Paul were true and faithful to the Word:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11
Unlike medical doctors, there is no printed license to display as credential indicating sound Biblical teaching. The fact is, many that profess to know God’s word have study habits very similiar to our negligent physician. There is but one “seal of authenticity”.
How is it then that we may be assured of truth? The answer of course is quite simple – we follow the example of the Berean church and open our Bibles!
Writing to Timothy, brother Paul defines sound doctrine as that which is “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”
1 Timothy 1:11
It is said that those from Missouri hail from the “Show-Me State”. While stories behind the origins of this slogan vary, they all mean the same basic thing. “I’m from Missouri. You have to show me the proof before I will believe it!”
Let us be as the Bereans and know our Bibles. Let us be as the Missourians and never hesitate to ask “Excuse me, could you show me that doctrine in my Bible?”
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Authors, Gregg Alexander
on July 26th, 2008
Over on the mydailypause.org site I posted a news link in this post: http://mydailypause.org/2008/07/religion-in-the-media/ where one of our congress persons quoted “scripture” that didn’t exist! Those who don’t study would have never caught it.
Gregg,
Great articles. Tell Teresa I said thanks for putting me on to them. I may use some of the points in my new tract I am putting together entiled “Have You Ever Investigated Your Religion?”