I am in the final weeks of my last semester at Heritage Christian University. I was fortunate enough to hear from a friend that this college transferred the maximum amount of credits I earned in a two-year preaching school towards a B.A. in Biblical Studies. After I enrolled, I knew I wanted to earn this legitimate degree, if only for the sake of achieving a new piece of paper on my office wall. Little did I know I was about to open up an entirely new and interesting phase of my biblical education. For the last 3 years I have done either three or four courses a semester, including doing 4 summer courses each year to maximize my efficacy to earn the degree. Within the next few weeks, I want to explore some of the les- sons that I have learned, at least in a general way, along the way.
I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW
I have been at the Essex Village Church of Christ for 5 years now. It’s funny how that time feels like just yesterday, but also feels like so long ago. When I got here, I was leaving the first church I worked with in Charles Town, West Virginia. I took that role fresh out of preaching school and I can tell you with all shame, I thought I knew almost every- thing about every bible subject. I can now tell you with all humility, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know.
My very first course I took at HCU was one that it called the most challenging for new students called Critical Introduction to the Old Testament.
The reason why “critical” is in the title of the course is it starts to challenge what we “have been told about the Old Testament” versus “what
we actually know about the Old Testament”. This means date, author-
ship, intended recipient, difficult passages that contradict others, etc. are all in view. This class is one that I have a tough time with because the questions and answers that were discussed went against specific things I was taught at the other preaching school. Not to say that what I was taught was necessarily wrong, but it was not as in depth and maybe not even as “honest” as the way I was taught at Heritage. In other words, I was taught how to best ask questions to study and find the answers, instead of just being told what the answers were supposed to be and that was that. Those two schools have different intentions and results, but both were valuable to me in their own way.
When I look back on all the answers I thought I had before this continuing education verses all the new questions I have now, I see I was pridefully ignorant of some very key things in Scripture. Does this mean that my position on how one can be added to the Lord’s church or secure their eternity has changed? No. But now I am better able to understand the “other person’s” side of an argument and show grace and humility to someone who holds different positions than me. And this is such a wonderful thing others have shown me when I thought I knew every- thing about the Bible.
Maybe this article doesn’t resonate with you. This is really just a confession of a humbling les- son I have been given by God, but maybe you can at least empathize with these thoughts and take them to heart. I will continue these thoughts next week, but I just wanted to share this one with you today. May God bless us as He ever does.