Friends in the Lord,
In seventh grade, I had a teacher whose technique was to have us read a section of the textbook, and then fill out a worksheet. I absolutely despised that class. It was boring, tedious, and wearisome. If I learned anything in the class that year, it was in spite of that teacher, not because of him.
It took me awhile to realize what a missed opportunity this was. Not for me, I enjoy learning, but my teacher lost a chance to create curiosity in my classmates. More than that, he actually quashed any curiosity they might have had.
Asking questions, and being asked questions, is a very powerful tool for learning. It spurs the imagination, it stimulates the exchange of ideas, it builds community among those participating. And it can help us to avoid traveling down false paths of heretical doctrines.
Take for example this quote from The Epitome of the Book of Concord: “We believe, teach, and confess that the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged.”
There is a lot in this brief statement about our faith. Why do we call them “prophetic and apostolic writings?” Why those 66 books, and not 68 or 55? Why the Old and New Testaments and not the Book of Mormon or the Koran or any other faith? What do we mean by doctrines? Does that include how we worship? Or the role of men and women in the church? Or why some can commune, and others can’t?
Are we allowed to ask questions about Scripture? Should we simply accept a pastor’s “interpretation” as he preaches? Well, no. In fact, God invites us to seek Him out in order to increase our understanding: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)
Questioning God is not a sin. Humans are frail and need help in many ways. Placing our trust in God allows us to ask questions. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had questions. How could she be pregnant when she had not had relations? How could she be giving birth to the Savior? The book of Psalms shares the thoughts and words of David and other writers. And often, they ask questions: “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 NIV) As Christians, we know He will answer in His way and in His timing.
There are no dumb questions when it comes to God. No one knows about Him without His revelation. As pastor, one of my tasks is to help you find the answers. Like a doctor who answers questions about health, or a lawyer about the law, a pastor is there to help you discover the answer to the questions you have about our shared faith.
Does that mean I’ll always have an answer? No. I don’t know everything, only God does. When I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you. And when I do know, my goal is to lead you through the Scriptures so that you can discover for yourself what God says.
Just remember, knowing everything isn’t the goal. In this lifetime, our knowledge will never be complete, but that doesn’t mean we stop learning. Our goal, as Children of God, is to strive after Jesus, running the race, He won. The more we question, the more answers we seek, the more we learn what Jesus knows and the more we will be like Him.
Pastor Michael
Immanuel Lutheran Church 