Christian Know-It-All

You can be honest. You think I’m a bumbling idiot don’t you? C’mon. Well, I did just write a post about how none are truly wise. So what I’m saying is, I’m dumber than most. It’s ok. I can handle it. Every so often I come across people who will quiz me for my theological knowledge. After all, I write and speak a bit, so if you can prove yourself to be superior to me, it lifts you up a notch right?

I had a friend who would sometimes call me up after learning some tidbit in scripture. I forget what bits of practical knowledge that he would quiz me on. It would be about this time on a Sunday night and the phone would ring. I’d get up from my desk and pick up the phone to questions
like this,

“Hey Kev! I bet you don’t know the difference between the cherubim and seraphim. Do you? Do you know the difference?”
There was a time when I thought I knew the difference, but those days had long passed. So I had to reply, “No Ed. I really don’t know the difference between cherubim and seraphim. I suppose you are going to tell me. Did you just read about them tonight?”

The funny thing was, Ed would never quiz me on something that he knew nothing about. It wasn’t just me. Whenever Ed found a precious morsel he’d say, ‘You know, most Christians don’t know this. As a matter of fact, very few pastors teach their people about these things.’
As I would have those conversations, the voice in my head would say, ‘Yes Ed. You are so smart. Those other Christians who don’t know those things aren’t nearly as saved as you are.

But come on. Some things are simple right? Some things, all believers just have to grasp. Don’t you think? How about these things?

“Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so called gods, both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and trough whom we have been given eternal life.” 1Corintians 8:4-6

Those things are pretty basic right? There is only on God, the Father. He created everything and we’re supposed to live for Him. Jesus is Lord and through Him we have eternal life. You all have that right? What if someone doesn’t really know all of that? I mean, these are very basic foundational truths of the Christian faith. So if someone doesn’t know or agree on at least these simple things, they must not be right with God.

Paul is speaking within the context of eating foods that might have been offered to idols, and he goes on to say, “However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real” 1Corinthians 8:7

These are some simple truths that Paul is sharing with the people of Corinth. They are basic truths of the faith, yet Paul states that not all believers know these truths. Don’t you find that odd? If you met someone who didn’t know that there is only one God – the Father, and one Lord – Jesus, wouldn’t you question their faith? In verse 4, Paul says, ‘we all know’, then he goes on to say that not all believers know. So. Not all believers know everything that all believers know. Got it.
All of that to say this;

“Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.” 1Corinthians 8:2