Sometimes, It's Okay to Say, "I Don't Know!"

Years ago while I was working as a reservations agent for the Frequent Flyer Department of Trans World Airlines, I received a call from a woman asking me a question about her accumulated miles. I do not remember exactly what the question was she had, but I do know I did not know the answer at the time, and so I told her, “I don’t know, ma’am. But I’ll be happy to find out for you. Please hold.” But before I placed her on hold the woman responded, “Wait a minute. Is this new policy or something?” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “Every other time I’ve called and asked an agent a question he or she didn’t know, they ended up telling me something wrong, and I ended up making several more calls before I finally found out what was true. It was all very frustrating. So it was nice hearing someone actually say, “I don’t know” instead of lying to me. Thanks!” I said, “You’re very welcome! Let me see what I can find out for you. I’ll be right back, so please hold!”

God’s word tells us that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 [RSV]). We also are told, 16. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17. that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:16-17 [RSV]) Additionally, the Apostle Peter admonishes us to “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15 [RSV]). I believe that many well-meaning Christian men and women read these passages and erroneously conclude that a disciple of Christ can never respond to a Biblical question from another by saying, “I don’t know.” That, however, is simply not true. Not only is it okay to say, “I don’t know,” sometimes that is the BEST thing to say to someone asking you a question. We must never let our own self-pride get in the way, for we may end up harming someone in the process, even ourselves. Take, for example, the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” and the eunuch responded with, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:30-31) Had the eunuch said to Philip, “Yes, I know!” the eunuch may very well have lost out on his salvation in Christ. Or look at the example of Chloe and her people (1 Corinthians 1:11). What would have happened to the church at Corinth if they had not asked for help from the Apostle Paul concerning the many problems the church was facing? Most likely they would have kept going down a road of apostasy, and we would never have benefited from Paul’s writing First and Second Corinthians. Although it is okay to say, “I don’t know,” we should never let this become a crutch and continue to remain in willful ignorance. We are also told, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 [RSV]). This will only come through our prayerfully and diligently studying of God’s holy word.

Glory as of the Only Begotten Son from the Father

Throughout the ensuing centuries lighthouses have been used to guide and protect ships at sea from foundering upon the rocks. One of my favorite passages in all of Scripture comes from Psalm 119:105 [RSV], which says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” When Jesus was on the Earth during His ministry, He did not utter one single, solitary world by accident. He always had a purpose for all that He said and did. When He stated in John 14:6 [RSV], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me,” He was fulfilling the prophetic message of this Psalm. When Jesus said He was “the way,” He was stating He was the one and only pathway to God. There are not many paths to God, as many falsely teach. There is only one way, and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God Who came to the Earth to dwell among men, which is exactly what John tells us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in John 1:1 [RSV] and John 1:14 [RSV]: 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

When John tells us “we have beheld His glory” he was referencing the time he was one of the three privileged individuals, one of the three closest friends of our Lord, who were there to witness the transfiguration of Jesus Christ before their stunned eyes in Matthew 17:1-2. When Jesus was transfigured these men saw Him as a shadow of how He truly is in all of His majestic, resplendent glory He so richly deserves, “glory as of the only Son from the Father.” Listen to how Matthew describes this wondrous event: “And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light” (Matthew 17:2 [RSV]). When Jesus came to this lowly plain of pain, sorrow and suffering to be the Living Word, the Apostle Paul tells us He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7 [RSV]). I believe this emptying of Himself of which Paul speaks is how God our Savior went from being of the invisible, pure eternal energy and Spirit to that of the visible world. And when Peter, James and John witnessed this wondrous transfiguration they caught a glimpse of how the Lord truly is. Yes, they had a glimpse that day of the “glory as of the only begotten Son from the Father,” but even John himself who was there that day knew that something even greater awaits those who remain “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10 [RSV]). It is they who will see Him in all of His glory. And years later John wrote, “Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2 [RSV]) And this will occur when Jesus returns to gather His saints to take them home to be with Him forever and the last enemy, Death, is destroyed forever, cast into the Lake of Fire: 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the Archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; 17. then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 [RSV]) 22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. 24. Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26. The last enemy to be destroyed is Death. (1 Corinthians 15:22-25 [RSV]) 13. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. 14. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire; 15. and if any one's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:13-15 [RSV]) 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18 [RSV])

Our God of Comfort

Recently, a young man, still a boy, really, collapsed and died immediately following his throwing a touchdown pass in a high school football game. Whenever a young person dies it is extremely difficult to understand how this could happen. But the fact of the matter is that we do not get to choose when we will die or how we will die. But we can choose how we will live our lives. And how we live can make all the difference when we die and where we will live eternally. The Hebrews writer states, “And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 [RSV]).

We, as Christians who have been immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) and clothed with the garments of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27) need fear no man. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 [RSV], "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in Hell." Before He left His disciples Jesus promised that He would not leave them as orphans, but instead He would send them the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort them: 16. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, 17. even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you. 26. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:16-17 [RSV]; John 14:26 [RSV])

So what awaits those who are in Christ when death calls or the Lord returns to gather His saints with Him? Indescribable joy! 15. “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night within His Temple; and He Who sits upon the throne will shelter them with His presence. 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 3. and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them; 4. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 7:15-17 [RSV]; Revelation 21:3-4 [RSV])

Because our God is such a great God of comfort we, too, can join with David of old in declaring, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 [RSV]).

Adam's Culpability in the Fall and Expulsion from the Garden

I saw these questions posted on a Bible discussion group, “List, is this statement wrong? 'Sin entered the world via Satan and Eve's seduction?' I have often puzzled over Adam being charged with it as if she and the devil had nothing to do with it.”

This is a very good question that I imagine has puzzled many throughout the centuries.

This may help to explain your question as to why Adam is held responsible for what Eve and Satan did. In a nutshell, I believe it all goes back to how God always wanted men to be the spiritual leaders in the home.

It is clear from Scripture that Eve transgressed first. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Timothy 2:12-15 [ESV]) But it is equally clear from Scripture that it was because of Adam that sin and death entered the world, NOT Eve. 0 (Romans 5:12-14 [ESV]) 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 [ESV])

I believe Adam is held responsible for sin and death entering the world because Adam failed in being the spiritual leader of his home. He failed to put God first. He knew fully well that it was wrong for him to eat that fruit, whereas Eve was deceived into eating it. Remember, it was not good that the man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). Adam had experienced loneliness already. He did not want to be lonely again. He also knew that God had said they would die if they ate of that fruit (Genesis 2:17). God had told Adam this BEFORE He had created Eve. We do not have record of God telling this directly to Eve, but we know she had learned of it somehow (Genesis 3:3). I have often wondered if this might be the first recorded case of people adding to God's word. Adam is told by God in Genesis 2:17 that to eat of the fruit will cause death, and when Eve is confronted by the Serpent we see the words added, "Neither shall you touch it" (Genesis 3:3 [ESV]) which are not found in the original command. This makes me believe that this is another reason why Eve is not held as culpable as Adam is. I see a scenario developing in which Adam told Eve what God had commanded. I could see her then responding innocently with, “You mean we really can't eat of THAT tree or we will die?” and Adam responding in his anxiety with, “NO, Woman! Absolutely not! Don't even touch it or you will die!” So now when Eve is approached by the Serpent to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and when she reaches out and touches it for the first time and nothing bad happened, it becomes even more understandable why she would then go ahead and take a bite. So far, what she had been told was NOT true. Maybe this Serpent creature was on to something. Maybe he was the one who was telling her the truth! Maybe she could be like a god after all if she ate it (Genesis 3:5)! So Eve, although deceived, took a bite out of that fruit. And as the saying goes, “All Hell broke loose,” although literally in this case.

We know what happens next. Eve takes some of the Forbidden Fruit back to her husband, Adam, and Adam eats of it (Genesis 3:6). It was not, however, until Adam ate of that fruit that the eyes of BOTH of them were opened (Genesis 3:7), once again demonstrating the culpability of Adam's actions, not Eve's, into bringing sin and death into the world.

There are some interesting points I would like to make here, and the first is that in Genesis chapter one we are not given the names of Adam and Eve. These names do not both appear together in the same verse until chapter four. What else is quite interesting is that the name “Eve” does not appear until Genesis 3:20. Up to this point she is only known as “Woman.” She does not become "Eve" until after the Fall. The Hebrew word translated “Eve” is very similar to the word for “alive” or “living.” After God’s pronouncements of punishment for their sins are made, Moses writes, “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20 [KJV]). Considering that Adam believed they would die when they ate of the Forbidden Fruit since he was not deceived (1 Timothy 2:14), it is almost as if he is making an exclamation of surprise that Woman was not only still alive, but that she would be the source for the One to come Who would be the Redeemer, the Seed, Who would be able to defeat the Serpent, and bring them back to life from their separation (death) from the Lord (Genesis 3:15). Therefore, although our tradition teaches that this means Eve was the mother of all those physically alive, it is not unreasonable to conclude that the “mother of all living” in this verse is in reference to those who are spiritually alive in Christ, her Seed Who would bruise the head of the Serpent. We must never forget that Jesus Christ is the central theme running throughout the entirety of Scripture. This interpretation places the focus on Jesus Christ where it rightfully belongs.

In a sense, this is the greatest and most tragic of all human love stories. Adam willingly sacrificed himself in order to be with Eve since he felt she was going to die. To me, the first sin committed by Adam was not in the eating of the Forbidden Fruit. No, the first sin he committed was in his not trusting in the lovingkindness and grace of God. Adam willingly sacrificed himself in order that he would not be alone, so there was selfishness about his sacrifice, too. Jesus, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), willingly sacrificed Himself in order to become the most lonely person ever, even to the point of being separated from the Father (Matthew 27:46) as He bore the sins of mankind on the Cross of Calvary, and as He was separated from all of mankind, suspended on that cruel Cross. His was the ultimate act of selflessness ever performed throughout all of history.

So men please do not abscond in performing your God-given responsibilities to be the spiritual leaders of your homes. Your wife and children are depending on you. And even more importantly, your Father has commanded you!

So this is my explanation to the questions above as to why Adam is held accountable for what transpired with Eve and the Serpent. But I concede I could be wrong.

Falling Away When Persecuted

In His explanation for the meaning of His Parable of the Sower, Jesus said the following: 18. "Hear then the Parable of the Sower. 19. When any one hears the word of the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21. yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:18-23 [RSV])

There is much that could be said about this parable, but I would like to focus on one particular aspect of it, and that being the rocky ground individuals. It seems rather ironic that with these individuals it is the arising of tribulations and persecutions that causes these people to fall away. Why is that? It certainly was no secret that disciples of Jesus were going to suffer persecution because Jesus told them openly in His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:10 [RSV]). This was so important for His followers to know that of all the Beatitudes spoken in this chapter, this final one is the only one in which Jesus offered further elaboration, saying in verses 11 and 12 [RSV], 11. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. 12. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you."

We know the Apostle took these words seriously because as we read in Acts 5:41 [RSV], the Apostles were found “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” after they were beaten by the religious leaders of the Jews for declaring Jesus to be the resurrected Savior. Later following his own conversion, the Apostle Paul wrote of his own persecutions, saying, “Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17 [RSV]). For a further disclosure of the suffering, tribulation and persecution Paul underwent for the cause of Christ please read 2 Corinthians 11.

“Blessed,” or happy, are those who will be persecuted for the sake of Jesus. So stated Jesus incontrovertibly. Why? Because as He tells us, their reward in Heaven will be great for all those who remain “faithful unto death.” It is they who will receive “the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

The Gospel Message in the Gifts of the Magi

As virtually any young child in a Sunday school Bible class could tell you, when the Magi, the Wise Men from the East, followed the star to Bethlehem in order to worship the new King, they brought with them royal gifts of frankincense, myrrh and gold to present to the Savior, the King of the Jews. Although these are kingly bequests, indeed, I believe there is a deeper meaning behind the presentation of these gifts to our Lord and Savior. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul informs us that the gospel message in a nutshell is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in these three gifts the gospel message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was portended and proclaimed.

Frankincense: Frankincense represents the death of Jesus. In Biblical times, incense was burned as it was believed that it carried prayers to Heaven, the sweet aroma that was pleasing to God (Leviticus 2:2). Frankincense was burned on the cakes during the meal or grain offering, once again as a sweet-smelling savor before God. Paul tells us that when Jesus died for us it was “an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:2 [NAS]), signifying the connection between the death of Jesus and frankincense. It was sometimes used as a substitute for sacrificial offerings burnt on an altar, which reminds us of Jesus being the vicarious sacrifice for our sins. When frankincense crystals are burned they glow with a bright, white flame, signifying the purity and light of Jesus Christ.

Myrrh: Myrrh represents the burial of Jesus. In a Messianic psalm, God’s word tells us, 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. 7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows. 8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia (Psalm 45:6-8 [NAS]). We see from the Gospel of John that the body of Jesus was anointed with myrrh for His burial, fulfilling this aspect of the aforementioned prophecy: 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. (John 19:39-30 [NAS])

Finally, we have Gold: Gold represents the resurrection of Jesus as He stands risen and alive walking among the churches founded upon His shed blood. 12 Then I turned to see the Voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands One like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. (Revelation 1:12-13 [ESV]) Just as gold neither rusts nor does it show any signs of aging, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 [NAS]). Hence, gold represents His glorious resurrection, a resurrection in which we will share and partake on some great and resplendent day ourselves!

The True Peacemakers

In His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:9 (NAS), Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” As is the case with much of God’s word, this verse is sorely taken out of context to mean what it was never meant to be. Basically, and in essence, many twist it into teaching we are saved by good works. When we seek to vindicate ourselves by holding up our own good works, instead of acknowledging that our justification can only be achieved because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the One and only Son of the Living God, our righteousness appears as a filthy rag waving in front of the face of God:

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 [NAS])

Our righteousness will never and can never earn us salvation, for as the Apostle Paul states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 [NAS]). And when we sin, we become separated from God, and our reward is death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 [NAS])

Take, for example, Mahatma Gandhi. He was a man who dedicated his life towards achieving peace. In fact, he pioneered satyagraha, which is the resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy which was founded upon ahimsa, or total non-violence. He was very successful and instrumental in achieving independence for India from the British Empire. By any definition of the word, Mahatma Gandhi was a peacemaker. One would be hard pressed to find an individual who was more of a peacemaker than was Gandhi. But unless he accepted the Lord’s invitation to come to Him in obedient, saving faith (and by all accounts he never did follow the gospel plan of salvation), then no amount of peaceful intentions by Gandhi made him a son of God. Only those who come to the Lord on His terms will be called His children. When we are baptized into Christ we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And it is only those who are led by His Spirit who are the sons of God: 14. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17. and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:14-17 [NAS]) So what Jesus meant is that those who make peace with God will be privileged and blessed to be called His children. And peace will only be achieved through Jesus: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6 [NAS]).

Rest From Our Labors

This past week I ran across an interesting tale regarding Aesop of Aesop’s Fables fame. According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens was a man one day who noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. This man who was observing Aesop began to laugh and jeer at Aesop, asking him why he was wasting his time in what the man considered to be such frivolous activity. Aesop did not get angry but instead chose to respond by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. He then looked at the critical Athenian and said to him, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.” Incredulously, the man looked at the unstrung bow lying on the ground for several moments, but try as he may, he had no idea what point the renowned fabler Aesop was trying to make. Finally, Aesop explained the message behind the unstrung bow. “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.”

Just like the bow, people are also like that. That is why we all need to take time to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Tomorrow our nation will be honoring those men and women who labor in the work force by giving them an extra day off from their toils. Work is honorable and it is blessed by God, but our Heavenly Father also knows His people and His creation need rest in order to better serve Him as well as others. God told Moses in Exodus 31:15-17 [CEV], 15 Keep the Sabbath holy. You have six days to do your work, but the Sabbath is Mine, and it must remain a day of rest. If you work on the Sabbath, you will no longer be part of My people, and you will be put to death. 16 Every generation of Israelites must respect the Sabbath. 17 This day will always serve as a reminder, both to Me and to the Israelites, that I made the heavens and the Earth in six days, then on the seventh day I rested and relaxed. The Israelites were not the only ones God wanted to keep the Sabbath to rest from their labors. He also intended it for all those servants and animals living amongst the Israelites: “Work the first six days of the week, but rest and relax on the seventh day. This law is not only for you, but for your oxen, donkeys, and slaves, as well as for any foreigners among you.” (Exodus 23:12 [CEV]) As I stated earlier, God also wanted His creation to relax and renew itself from its toil: 10 Plant and harvest your crops for six years, 11 but let the land rest during the seventh year. The poor are to eat what they want from your fields, vineyards, and olive trees during that year, and when they have all they want from your fields, leave the rest for wild animals. (Exodus 23:10-11 [CEV])

So enjoy this day of rest the Lord has given you and your family!