Reflecting on Pastor Paul David Washer's Quote on the Great Commission

Above is a quote by Paul David Washer on the Great Commission. What is the first word that comes into the Christian's head with the words, "Great Commission"? I guess the very first thing that comes into their head is, "It's time to send missionaries to various places." Then when it's time to ask, "What do the missionaries do when they are sent out?" The answer becomes, "Well we are there to send the Gospel truth to the people." Those are indeed all the right answers but it's not enough as one must really know the truths of the Bible to be confident in defending them. 1 Peter 3:15-16 orders that Christians should be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is in them aside from sanctifying the LORD God in their hearts as to give shame to those false accusers who speak ill of them in meekness and in fear. That's why it's also important to equip Christians with the right knowledge to carry out their work for the LORD.

It's only possible to do proper missions with holding fast to the truth of the Scriptures that they are inerrant and sufficient. It is impossible to defend the truth of the Scripture if one does not know the facts to defend it. I remembered the time I read "Why I Believe" by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, one must know why Scripture is inerrant and sufficient, not just because the pastor says so or the Bible says so. The Christian is not asked to just read one book and it's over but with the Bible being made out of sixty six books, Christians are required to do more reading, more critical thinking and more investigation so they can answer any alleged contradictions and defend the claims of the Bible otherwise they are guilty of circular reasoning. It's definitely a poor defense to say, "I know the Bible is the Word of God because the Bible says so." because even truth can get stuck in circular reasoning.

Charles Spurgeon said, "Read many good books but live the Bible." and not "Read no books but the Bible." I remembered the statement made that if you aren't a wide reader it's like always eating high cholesterol food. A person who does not bother to read several other books to find evidence in defense of the Bible or knowing the attacks made against the Bible has a serious mental clog. If the heart gets too clogged up with eating too much high cholesterol food, the brain can get rusty if the person does not read more than one book. Christians are encouraged to study science, math and history because they are part of truth. Having a good knowledge in sciences helps one defend Genesis and debunk evolution. Having a good knowledge of historical facts and current events helps one defend the accuracy of prophecy. Having a good knowledge in math helps one understand the wisdom of God's use of math in the Bible.

As Christians gather their knowledge, they must also heed to this advice by Jonathan Edwards, "Seek not to grow in knowledge for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls." Christians are to seek the knowledge so they will know how to make a stand their case for Christ, not so they can get applause or to dispute with others but only for the glory of God alone. Soli Deo Gloria!