[431 words]
Curiosity is an exciting aspect of life. Parents love to see their children explore and discover their world. Likewise, teachers enjoy seeing students come to class with curiosity and a hunger for learning. Curiosity about the Bible is expected and natural as well. Who can help but be moved to seek answers to questions about a book that claims to be “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16,17)?
As is the case with curiosity in general, curiosity about the Bible has healthy and unhealthy aspects. Let’s think about those for just a few minutes.
Healthy curiosity about the Bible…
• Can lead us to read the Bible, to seek to know the will and mind of God (Isaiah 55:8, 9; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Philippians 2:5). A person who wants to follow God will first want to know what God is like, and then discover how that desire to follow him can be fulfilled.
• Can lead us to dig deeper, to search the scriptures (John 5:39; Acts 17:11). The misguided Jewish leaders had made a practice of studying the scriptures, but failed to comprehend that the scriptures were properly pointing them to Jesus (John 5:39; Galatians 3:24). By contrast the Jewish people of Berea were stimulated by the preaching of Paul to compare his message with the scriptures they knew and loved (Acts 17:11) and see him as the mediator of a better and new covenant (Hebrews 8:6, 13).
Unhealthy curiosity about the Bible…
• Can lead us to be distracted from the important things God wants us to know. God’s mind is so deep that we cannot know or comprehend him completely (Romans 11:33). He has not revealed everything to us, and we would not be able to handle it if he did. If we obsess over every question and curiosity about things he has not revealed, we may neglect the important things (Matthew 23:3). We may also fail to fulfill the great commission if we are so consumed with questions.
• Can lead to the destruction of our souls. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), but that does not mean we cannot know some things and be assured of them. Some people have become so obsessed with questions, that they have twisted the scriptures and have left God (2 Peter 3:16).
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Lance Cordle
Calvert City Church of Christ
Calvert City, KY