Hidden In Him
Well-Known Member
This is a question about scriptural debate, and all you can usually discern with much certainty is that you are closer to the truth on the issue than your opponent is. You know this when they cannot answer your questions. We see Jesus encountering this several times in the altercations He had with the Pharisees.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word (Matthew 22:45-46)
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. (Luke 14:3-6)
21 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? 24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. 25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. 26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. (Luke 20:21-26)
27 Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, 28 Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 29 There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. 31 And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. 34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. 37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. 39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. 40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. (Luke 20:27-40)
Now you cannot guarantee you're 100% correct just because those you are debating cannot raise a viable argument against it. But if you yourself can answer the questions they cannot, it at least demonstrates that your theology is more well thought-out than theirs is.
But here's the problem with modern Christianity in comparison with the religion practiced by the scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees: Today many, especially on forums, will "answer" you with an answer that is actually not an answer at all, but only an evasion tactic used to make it appear they have one, and there are numerous evasion tactics that are used. It has boiled my blood, and taken me some time to learn how to deal with it more maturely, because unlike with the opponents Jesus faced, these are people who do not take God's word seriously enough to not play games with it. They take saving face as a matter of far greater importance, so they use any trick in the book they can to "win" the argument. But such will answer to God for what they did with His holy word, whether they realize it or not. This is sometimes a warning I will give to those I see doing it.
In the end, you cannot guarantee you are 100% correct. You can only be assured that you are closer to the truth than those who cannot give you viable answers to the lines of questioning you present. And in the judgment, God will reward those who taught His word accurately, whether they were recognized for it in this life or not (Matthew 5:19).
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