So if you didn't know, I take an 'Interpretations of Religion' course. One day, we were taking notes on Christianity- like on who Paul was & the difference between books in the New Testament. At the time, I thought that I didn't have to take the detailed notes that my prof had up because I know this stuff already. I had a midterm on Tuesday. While studying for it, I skipped the section on Christianity because "I'm a Christian, I've read the Bible before- I got this".
I did not have it.
The one question that I struggled most with on the exam was about John- why did his testimony differ from Matthew/Mark/Luke's?
a.) He had the earliest records of Jesus
b.) He called Jesus 'Christ'
c.) John's gospel was unique from the 'synoptic gospels' (did not take the same common view)
d.) All of the above
I can't remember what answer I put, but that's not the point. The point was how much I hated the doubt I had in my answer. Why had I been so cocky about it? Just because I've read the Bible does not mean I know the Bible. I guess more than anything, this was quite the eye-opener. Am I just reading, or am I studying the Bible? Am I even understanding? There's a difference. It's kind of a funny parallel here. By not studying the Word, I might get a question wrong on my exam. But also, by not studying the Word, I might have the wrong answer for a trial in life. On a smaller scale, that exam reminded me of what life is like. We think we know God & His Word, but do we really? When it comes time to apply it, will we be able to do it? Will we remember His words? You know how if you do a little pre-test thing by yourself and you flunk and then you're all "oh man, I totally need to study more"? I have that feeling right now.
P.S. just ask if you want the answer to that question.
--Sabrina
sab, I am glad that you recognize this point. It is easy to say, o I know this already, don't need to study and just take a lot of things for granted. In school knowledge (like review of HS stuff) and bible knowledge alike, we have to humble ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI value the sunday school classes because they give me insights and knowledge that I lack from just reading the bible. All the external sources and articles are very useful to help us understand the bible better. As I wrote in the UNI blog, that reading the bible is important, but it also important to seek information about the bible passages to understand the whole context of things. :)
insightful.. hm.
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