Wrong or Right

By guest contributor Todd Hansen

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?”  Mark 12:24

In this passage, also recorded in Matthew and Luke, Jesus is answering the Sadducees as they challenge him on the subject of the resurrection.  I picture him patiently explaining what the Scriptures say, perhaps with a knowing smile – he would be rising from the dead in just over a week. Beyond the intended audience, there is a broader application to this statement. How does this apply to men here and now?

It’s a simple converse truth:  If we desire to be right, we need to know both the Scriptures and the power of God.

This is not “being right” for the sake of possessing more knowledge or for winning arguments.  This is not a self-satisfied rightness that is obtained to impress others.  Instead, as Paul explains to Timothy, there is wisdom in the Scriptures that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus (2 Tim 3:15).  And, as he had already written to the church at Rome, the power of God is found in this same gospel and is exercised for the salvation of all who believe it (Rom 1:16).  So the Scriptures are the key that unlocks the power of God, and the power of God – the power that raised Jesus from the dead – is at work in us who believe (Eph 1:19-20), so that we might participate with him in the grand and glorious work of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19)!

Men, set aside things of lesser importance this year, and – wherever you are in the knowledge of the Scriptures – resolve to know more: More of the power of God and more of the love of Jesus.  Resolve to fill your heart with the precious promises of God (2 Pet 1:4) so that everything you say flows out of this fullness (Matt 12:34), for the sake of those who have yet to believe, and for your joy, and for the glory of God.

DO THIS TODAY: Talk about the Bible with someone else.