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Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? On the Fox
network there is a show called, “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” They
take an adult and ask questions that can be terribly hard. If they cannot answer
the question, the contestant has the option of asking a fifth grader to help
them. At times the fifth grader knows the answer and at times they do not. Most of the
questions are on the “ridiculous side of hard” and a lot of the time the
fifth grader knows the answer. Can we do
this in the area of religion? For instance take an adult and ask them where man
came from? Or, Who is the Son of God? Or, Who were the first man and woman on
earth? Most of our
young people here could tell you, but many adults in the world would not be able
to answer those questions. What if we
ask them to read Matthew 1.21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His
name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins"; and ask
the adults how man can be saved? I know the children will get the answer, but
what about the adults? How about
John 3.16? If I ask our young people who sent His Son to die on the cross, and
what we must do in order to be saved? they would answer, God sent His Son and we
must believe. A lot of adults do not believe John 3.16. How about
Matt 28:18? And Jesus came and spoke
to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age." How many adults do you know read this passage and
then say, I don’t believe we have to be baptized to be saved? I would almost
bet you my house that the average fifth grader would tell you that a person must
to be baptized in order to be saved. Later on they will learn something
different, but at that age they know what the Bible says. A fifth
grader has an advantage over an adult for a two of reasons. First, the fifth
grader will remember what they had just learned. Basic algebra, history,
English, is often forgotten as the years go by. The same is true in religion.
Our young people each Sunday spend time studying the books of the Bible, God,
Jesus, the apostles, and so on. Those that do not continually study the Bible
will eventually forget some very basic lessons. Lessons such as; God is in
charge -- not us, right and wrong is determined by God --not man, and the only
way to heaven is through Jesus, John 14.1-6. The second reason is as adults we
learn things we should forget. As I heard a preacher say, “we learn a lot of
things that are not so.” People have learned the Bible by itself is not
sufficient to reveal the will of God. They say we must have a creed book
developed by a convention to know the will of God. They have learned that man is
saved by faith only, although the only time that phrase is used in the Bible is
James 2.24 and there it says we are not
saved by faith only. Men teach the doctrine of perseverance of the saints which
means once saved always saved. However, the Bible teaches us to take care less
we receive the grace of God in vain, 2 Corinthians 6.1. There are numerous
passages directed at Christians warning them of falling from grace. People
believe we need modern day prophets to reveal new things to us yet the Bible
says God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, 2 Peter
1.3. Also, man is not saved by faith only, James 2.24. To believe a
person must hear the gospel, believe Jesus is the Son of God, repent of their
sins, confess Jesus, and be baptized in order to be saved, we simply have to
read, Mark 16.16, Acts 2.38; Acts 8.37-38, and the other cases of
conversion in the Book of Acts. For an adult to believe those things they may
have to forget: predestination, sinful nature, praying through, the Holy Spirit
coming into your heart and all good people will go to heaven.
Depending on the translation used the Bible reading level is at or a
little above the fifth grade. Are
you as smart as a fifth grader? What must you do to be saved? The answer is
simple; obey the words of Jesus. – Dennis Tucker |