A Need to Know Basis

We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s on a need to know basis,” when speaking of certain facts that may be unknown to some people. Only those who have a “need to know” are kept informed about certain sensitive or private information. For example, a military commander may give orders to his troops who need to know their objective, but don’t need to know all the reasoning that went into selecting that objective. It’s become a cliched phrase used so often in movies, that I find myself using it with Karen; she asks me what I want for dinner and I respond with, “That’s on a need to know basis.” To which she replies, “Well, if you want anything to eat, then I need to know . . .” After which, of course, I promptly tell her!

In my last blog, I tested my readers with a series of True/False statements about things that might have happened to me. Checking with some of you, I learned that most did pretty well in ascertaining what was “Fake News” and what was true. However, when it comes to information about me, there is no real, “need to know” basis. You could have gotten those statements all right or all wrong, and it would not affect your life in the least. What’s true about me and my life is hardly important in the grand scheme of things.

That’s also true about much of what we use to fill our minds. The latest Dow Jones average, the stats of the team that won the NCAA basketball tournament, the dilemmas faced by our favorite soap opera character, whom The Bachelor picks, or what the ratings were for the Oscars; all these are transient, ephemeral details that will be replaced and soon forgotten with little permanent impact (except maybe on the stars who experienced them).

Now, that doesn’t mean there is nothing worth knowing; there certainly is! Your anniversary, where you put that winning lottery ticket, the old cheese in the back of the refrigerator, that book report on Tolstoy’s War and Peace that’s due tomorrow, the Easter egg that the kids didn’t find, and your ATM PIN number, are just a few examples. But there’s something that’s much more important to know than any of these: God’s Word as written in the Holy Bible.

Certainly, most Christians know about the Bible, and many are familiar with some of what it says, thanks to hearing sermons in church or to their own personal reading and study. I’m sure that anyone who reads this blog has more than the average level of Bible knowledge (and that’s before you started reading these articles; hopefully reading them hasn’t caused your Bible knowledge to diminish!) But just to test you a bit about how well you know your Bible, I offer the following short quiz. So, here goes: True or False?

1. The first person to translate the Bible into English was King James of England.
2. The Bible consist of 66 books, 36 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
3. Moses took two animals of each kind onto the Ark (and 7 pairs of each clean animal).
4. The Bible teaches, “God helps those who help themselves.”
5. The Bible claims that two men never died, but went straight to heaven.
6. The wise men took gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the stable in Bethlehem.
7. The Bible says that a donkey actually spoke to a prophet.
8. The Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil.
9. The oldest person in the Bible lived to be 969 years old.
10. Jesus never actually claimed to be God. It was the disciples and Paul who said he was.

The answers are at the end of this blog. See how well you did, after you finish this article!

Knowledge of the Bible itself is incredibly important. Knowing what God said (and what he didn’t say) is necessary for us to be in a right relationship with him. Are we saved by what we do, who we are, or by what we believe? Who was Jesus – just a teacher, a prophet, a model citizen, a social revolutionary, an example to follow – or Son of God and son of man, our Savior? What does Jesus’ crucifixion mean – the end of a promising ministry or its fulfillment? Who are we, who created us, and what responsibility do we have to the earth, our neighbors, and our Creator?

Knowing Scripture is also vital to counter the attacks and false claims by those who are antagonistic to Christ. A lot of nonsense and false charges are made against the Bible; knowing what it says can correct false impressions and slanders against it. One such false claim is that Jesus never claimed to be God; see the answer to Question #10 below for some of the answers to that charge.

Sharing the faith with others also requires some knowledge of what the true faith is, and it is God’s written Word that teaches us the true faith. As 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “always be[ing] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;” When others see our reverence for God’s Word and how it affects our lives, they will realize that the Bible is not just any book, but rather has power to transform lives – including theirs. Remember, too, that when you quote Scripture, it is not just the sound and meaning of your words that changes lives, but the Holy Spirit who accompanies God’s Word. For “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Knowing the Bible – or at least some of what Jesus called the “weightier” parts of it – by heart can also help us when we are suddenly thrust into critical situations and dire straits. The Bible calls it “laying up,” “letting the word dwell in you,” “storing up in your heart,” etc. as a way to guard our steps and guide the multiple decisions we face every day. The Holy Spirit brings these words to our active remembrance, helping us face challenges and opportunities before us. I like what Proverbs 6:21-22 says: “Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.”

And finally, one more advantage of learning Scripture: it can help you win trivia contests; but that benefit is, well, trivial. (Unless you’re a pastor being challenged by Confirmation students at a “Stump the Pastors” party!)

Let’s face it: the Bible is on a “need to know basis.” But everyone “needs to know” what it says and what it teaches. There is no excuse for a Christian to be ignorant of the Bible unless they came to faith a few minutes ago – and even then the desire to know more about one’s God and Savior should be unrelenting and all-absorbing. Like falling in love with someone and wanting to know more and more about them, reading and re-reading their love letters time and again, seeking to find every hint and shade of meaning in every word, a Christian has the privilege of having and reading the greatest love letter of all: God’s written Word. It is something we all need to know!

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Psalm 1 and all the Scriptures referenced in the answers below

Answers to the quiz:

1. False. The first full English translation was handwritten by John Wycliffe in the 1380s, although parts had been translated into Old and Middle English as early as the 700s. King James didn’t do any translating, but commissioned it, which was finished in 1611.
2. True, although there are 73 books in the official Roman Catholic Bible. They add books from what we call the Apocrypha, ancient writings that we do not consider to be true Scripture.
3. False. Moses didn’t take any animals onto the Ark; Noah did!
4. False. That saying or teaching is not in the Bible.
5. True. The men were Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11).
6. False. The wise men took their gifts to Jesus in a house in Bethlehem.
7. True. The prophet was Balaam, and it says that God opened the donkey’s mouth to chastise Balaam for beating it after it saved his life. (Numbers 22:28-30).
8. False. 1 Timothy 6:10 teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil (or all kinds of evil).
9. True. That person was Methuselah (Genesis 5:27). By the way, he fathered one son when he was 187 years old!
10. False. Jesus asserted his divinity multiple times in many ways, by words and signs. One of his clearest statements was, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Another was, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And again, when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” at which point the Jews picked up stones to stone him for blasphemy, since “I AM” is God’s name and they recognized what Jesus was claiming (John 8:57-59). See also Matthew 26:57-68, for how the Jewish Council condemned Jesus for blasphemy in claiming to be God.