Most Assuredly or Verily Verily
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV)
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15 NKJV)
Assurance
Paul believed in the value of teaching others. But he also believed in them being assured of the things that he had taught. One of the ways Timothy was to be assured, was to have confidence in the teachings of Paul. He had traveled with him and knew his background and that the Lord had spoken directly to him on occasion. But Timothy was also encouraged to believe that he could and should get assurance from the Scriptures. Paul has left us his teaching and we are assured by Peter that what he has written is Scripture or Holy Writings (2 Peter 3:15-16). We also have the rest of the Bible to use in our quest to understand God’s way of salvation and God’s prescriptions for pleasing Him both in a ceremonial sense and in a moral sense.
There are a number of things that I thought I was convinced were true when I first got the salvation that God had provided for me and for all mankind at the cross. I would like to list them here but if I do many of you will quit reading because many of these doctrines are controversial and have divided the church which is His body over the years. All I can say is that through careful study of the Scriptures in their context, I have had to conclude that in many cases I was indoctrinated and not taught.
What is a Good Teacher?
A good teacher doesn’t just tell people what to believe, a good teacher gives people the tools to think properly about a subject. So instead of telling people what to believe, it is imperative today that we teach them how to properly understand the Bible. It is imperative that they are saved when they study the Bible. It is imperative that when they turn to resources for doctrinal help, that they turn to people “that they know” as Timothy knew Paul. These teachers should have a clear testimony as to how they found out they were lost and what convinced them that Christ had died for them. There are unsaved men and women who have done studies on medicine, history, archaeology and other subjects that help us understand the Bible, but they cannot be depended upon to give us the sense of the message of the Holy Writings.
In the last few weeks, I have been given books by a number of people that they want me to read. I have not been told to read them to see if they are good, but I have been asked to read them because they are good. I am afraid that many young converts are being given books telling them what to believe rather than being given books that encourage them in the systematic study of the Bible. We have many people with many doctrines that are claiming to be Christians today and frankly many of them scare me. I don’t think like them and I don’t think the Lord thought like them. So what is wrong? We can all be wrong but we cannot all be right. Could it be that some of them have failed to heed the verily verly’s of Scripture. These verily, verily’s (or truly, truly’s, or most assuredly’s) are all found in the Gospel of John and they are found 25 times. I think we can and should assume that these statements are basic and every person who claims to be a teacher should not only embrace them but they should preach them.
Some of the better known Verily, Verily’s
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NKJV)
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. (John 6:47 NKJV)
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of February 21, 2021