Faith & Reflection
Last Christmas, one of the gifts we gave our granddaughters was a Bible story DVD. They are actively involved in church and Sunday School, but we thought this might supplement their Bible knowledge.
Apparently it’s working because last week my five-year-old granddaughter called me on the phone and told me that she and her younger sister had been watching the DVD…and she had a question.
She asked, “Grandpa, what is the Holy Spirit?” My initial thought was, “I wish she had asked me about angels or Moses!” My initial answer was, “That is a good question!”
And I spent the next few minutes explaining to an inquisitive five-year-old, the third person of the Trinity. She was very gracious and following my brief, oversimplified response she said, “OK! Thanks, grandpa.” And we moved on to other subject matter.
My pleasant encounter with my granddaughter reminded me of some things I’ve been reading lately. Christian leaders are saying that as a nation and as a Christian church, we are increasingly biblically illiterate and unable to answer questions about our beliefs. Polls and surveys indicate this may be true. Of those polled, 60 per cent can’t name half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels. Some 80 per cent believe that the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves” is a direct quote from the Bible. George Barna reports that a majority of Christians don’t believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit even exist. And though the Bible is specific about the sinless nature of Christ, 22 per cent believe that He sinned. Thankfully biblical illiteracy is curable. However, like any other discipline, time and effort is required. First, the scriptures must be read and obeyed.
Joshua 1:8 says believers should, “Never stop reading the Book of the Law; day and night you must think about what it says…” and “…obey it completely…” 2 Timothy 2:15 teaches that every believer should study and explain the teachings of the scripture carefully.
But Christian ministers receive the heaviest responsibility. They are commanded to, “…preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, encourage them to do right; all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word” (2 Timothy 4:2).
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church.