Just Axing Questions!
When one deals with questions that are not really questions I always recall Pilate. Pilate showed his true colors with his final response to Jesus. When Jesus affirmed that His mission was to testify to the truth and that everyone on the side of truth listened to Him, he apparently pushed the Roman Governor’s hot button. Pilate abruptly cut off the meeting, asked, “What is truth?” and walked out. Like so many today, Pilate could tolerate any religious discussion except “truth talk.”
In 1 Peter 3 Peter uses the word “answer”—“be prepared to give an answer.”
Peter’s term for “answer” is the word from which we get “apologetics.” It described a reasoned and appropriate defense of what we believe. A good “answer” requires truly hearing the question and then responding with the truth.
This process always shows the exploded view–it explains the relationship of the parts. Those that just want to cite “Will I go to hell for _________? (you can fill in the blank with the deluge of such questions)” , do not want to hear the principles involved with such a question–they are really seeking only justification. Such questions are usually asked (or really stated) as an argument FOR an error—for justification.
Some people are only interested in “raising questions.” When is a question not a question? When one is not interested in attempting a solution–they don’t want to solve them they only desire to cause more questions by their questions–and thereby never obtaining an answer. There may be “no dumb questions” but there certainly are some “deaf questions!” Their questions are not so much to be an asking as they are to be axing–cutting down rather than discovery of truth.
Questions can help to clarify a complex subject by causing focus on smaller aspects of the whole. Questions also may have the opposite effect of obscuring the whole by demanding a focus on an aspect without consideration of the whole.
Take for example, an exploded view of a bicycle – to understand each part in the exploded view it is imperative that one see each part in relation to every other part. The exploded view shows each part in a standalone detail BUT also shows its relationship to all the other parts. If someone with scissors cuts out a single component, thereby dismissing it from it relationship to the whole, that component may no longer make sense without the whole.
There is a deluge of scissor-nippers amongst us in these days that seek justification of error and sin by “just-a-citation.” They think they have run aground the principles of holiness by trying to blind others to the whole picture by separating and focusing on a point while dismissing the “exploded view.”
True Biblical holiness is built not only on externals but on internal principles as well. If someone dismisses an external from its principle they cease to see rightly. The “questions for questions sake” people seek justification by this sad process. Explanation of principles is imperative to each “part” of holiness of spirit, mind, emotion and lifestyle. And this “explanation” is NOT what the self-justifiers are seeking.
Perhaps we should read again, 1Ti 6:4, “He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.”
— jlg —