How can I know that the info you have on this site is truth without researching every item individually by myself? How can you prove your credibility?
Maralee
What a WONDERFUL question! The truth is that you CAN’T know that what I’ve written is true without researching every item, individually, by yourself. Now, I could certainly give you reasons that others might find me credible.
Let’s see… I’m a minister. That’s enough for some people. Of course, the world is chock full of ministers who preach and teach things that I find questionable… so that’s probably not enough, by itself.
Hmm… I’ve been a Christian since 1973. That’s a long time! Unfortunately, I know a whole bunch of people who’ve been Christians for longer than that, and some of them are pretty ignorant about what’s in the Bible.
Well… I studied religion and philosophy at a Christian college. How’s that? Of course, a lot of the students I went to school with are kinda weird, and some have actually walked away from God.
Nope. I can’t think of any good reasons for you to find me credible.
That’s a good thing, I think. The Bible says something I find very, very important:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:11
You see, even the apostle Paul (who wrote a lot of the New Testament) had people double-checking what he taught… and those double-checkers were commended for it! You shouldn’t take my word for anything at all, Maralee. You should examine the Scriptures (every day!) to see if what others say is true. Now, people can develop a “track record” of reliability, and might be trusted more than people without that track record… but that track record doesn’t appear all by itself. It must be earned, and each person must do their own homework. A good track record can also be lost pretty quickly.
Here’s my advice… it’s what I do when confronted with ideas I’m not sure about:
- Read the Bible verses that are mentioned. If there aren’t any, don’t be afraid to ask for some. Any Bible student worth listening to will be able to back up their claims with Scripture. If they can’t, you should stop listening to them.
- Talk with trusted Christian friends… you know, people with their own ‘track record’ of reliability. Certainly there will be some disagreements about what Scripture means but, the more you talk about it with mature believers, the more you’ll see both sides of an issue.
- Pray for guidance. The Holy Spirit will help you understand what you need to know.
- Remember that getting to Heaven isn’t dependent on being right about every point of doctrine. Our goal is to be like Christ, not to be like an encyclopedia. We should know what we believe and why, but the Christian life is much more than that.
- Keep an open mind. As you grow, you’ll see the same Bible verses in a slightly different light than before. You may come to believe differently than you once did, as you see the evidence with a different perspective.
If there’s anything I can do to help you, please let me know. I’m happy to answer specific questions on almost any topic. I’m not afraid to say that I don’t know something, and I’m not afraid of finding out that I’m wrong. If you need a hand looking into a doctrinal issue or Bible verse, I’m all ears.
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LOVE your response to Maralee! AMEN!
Tony, I really appreciate your site and your commitment to sola Scriptura. I am also grateful for your humility and humor which come out often in your writing. I do feel compelled, however, in the interest of accuracy, to ask for an edit to this page. You say, “You see, even the apostle Paul (who wrote most of the New Testament) had people double-checking what he taught…” Without knowing your position on who authored Hebrews, I can assert that >50% of the words/pages of the NT were authored by “not Paul.” (Where “not Paul” includes Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Jude). I think that Luke actually has more text than Paul (if Hebrews was not written by Paul)…a point I relish as a physician with several Christian lawyer friends.
So if I may suggest an edit, “…even the Apostle Paul (who wrote a lot of the New Testament)…”
Carlan:
Thanks for writing. After around 25 years, I’m not sure I’ve had anyone from Burundi leave a comment, so… WELCOME! You make a good point. My comment was definitely not accurate, no matter how we count. Here are some statistics that emphasize your accuracy:
Total Number of Books:
Luke: 2
Paul: 13
Total Number of Words (in the Greek):
Luke: 37,932
Paul: 32,408
Total Contribution by Percentage (in the Greek):
Luke: 27.5%
Paul: 23.5%
Even if we add Hebrews to Paul’s total, that only brings his word count up to 37,361… still fewer than Luke. I’ve changed “most” to, by your suggestion, “a lot.” I appreciate your attention to detail as well as your kindness!