Playing smartass with scriptures will make you look dumb in the sight of knowledgeable people!

Friends,

A few minutes back I saw a Christian playing smartass by quoting the following scriptures, with a sarcastic comment: "Sounds legit".

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

Atheists, detractors of Christian faith, and opponents of Christ find this as a contradiction in the Bible. They presume that the scriptures are to be understood as individual verses, taken out of context. If their presumption and methodology are right, the passages mentioned above appear to contradict each other.

Let us see the immediate context of the above passages. Chapters 8 to 11 of the epistle to Romans is about the salvation of Israelites. With this backdrop, Paul says:

Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Rom 10:13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

The passage is about the absence of distinction between Jews and Greek. The message is: irrespective of whether you are a Jew or a Greek, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Here the talk is about genuine believers and devotees.

Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Mat 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Mat 7:17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

Mat 7:18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Mat 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Mat 7:20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Mat 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

The talk of the passage is about false prophets. Atheists and Christians with half-baked knowledge will have to clarify whether they want false prophets to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Christians with half-baked knowledge are the ones who want to play smartasses as though they have discovered some great discrepancy or contradiction in the Bible!

In Christ,

Tomsan Kattackal