Almost everyone, especially in the US, has some knowledge of God and the Christian faith. Preconceived ideas and beliefs based on what they have been told and witnessed throughout their life. Some of these are of course completely biblical but in many cases, the ideas people have of God are completely inaccurate. All in all, when coming to Christ it is best to forget everything you think you know and simply start fresh.
When God came to the earth in the form of a Jesus Christ he did not curate a group of current religious leaders to assist Him. Instead, He put together a hodgepodge group of simple fishermen. Men referred to in various places in the Bible as unlearned.
Acts 4:13 (ESV)
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Doing this seems strange to us today but makes sense when you step back and look at the issues. The religious leaders of the time already thought they had everything figured out. They believed they already knew all there was to know.
They were not willing to forget and put aside what they thought they knew and accept Jesus’s fulfillment of scripture. Which made it impossible for Jesus to teach or even use them in His ministry. Many of them never believed in Him as the Messiah and were the very ones who cried “CRUCIFY!” Which resulted in Jesus’s death on the cross.
Mark 15:11–13 (ESV)
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”
This was not the case for the simple men Jesus selected to follow Him. They had no formal learning of the law and had not been influenced by man-made religious ideas. Jesus was able to teach these men and open their eyes to who he was because they did not have preconceived notions that they were not willing to give up. They were able to start from a fresh place and learn about God and His plan from God Himself. Which lead them to true revelation and the understanding of who Jesus was.
Matthew 16:16–17 (ESV)
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Many of us today do not have the option of starting from nothing. But that does not mean we have to be like the Pharisees and cling to our preconceived notions. We have the option to forget what we know. To put aside all that we have gathered and start fresh with the scripture.
Paul is a great example of someone who started with beliefs about God but chose to forget them. He was a religious leader and even thought he was serving God by persecuting the early church. But he encountered Christ one day and forgot everything he thought he knew to serve Him. He would even continue to forget everything but the message of Christ throughout his ministry.
1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV)
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
It’s so important that we do not come to the scripture with our beliefs already formed but that we forget all we think we know. Allowing God’s inspired word to build and shape our faith. Being a Christian is not about what we personally believe or think is right but about submitting ourselves to the teaching of God alone.
I am fully aware of how it sounds when I tell you to forget all that you know about God. But you must see that doing so can bring about two very important results. Either confirming what you already believe is true. Or you will discover that what you believed does not align with the message of scripture and you can address any issue before it’s too late.
At times I truly do wish I could start with the blank slate that many have throughout history did. Not knowing anything about God or Jesus allowing only the scripture to shape my beliefs. Sadly that is not the option we have today. Our only real option is to make the decision to put aside our beliefs and try to forget everything we know. So that scripture can teach us everything we need to know.
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