Program 271
Deciphering Jewish Idioms

Learn the true meaning of Jewish idioms that believers have incorrectly interpreted literally.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of WLC Radio Ministry, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44] 

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

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Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Every language has its challenges for those trying to learn a new one. For people who use a Roman alphabet—which is pretty much all of the western European languages—it can be challenging to learn the Cyrillic alphabet of the eastern European languages. For languages like Hindi and Sanskrit that use the Devanagari script, it can be hard to learn an abjad writing system that only denotes consonants. That’s the sort used to write Arabic and Farsi. And, of course those who are used to words formed from letters, find the infinite number of characters in the oriental languages very intimidating.

Then there’s grammar. While Spanish may be easy to pronounce, spell, and read, the grammar is more challenging. English grammar is quite easy, but the spelling! It’s been said that English, which has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world, beats up other languages in dark alleys, then rifles through their pockets for loose grammar and spare vocabulary!

And I find I have to agree. All the exceptions-to-the-rules in English can make it challenging to learn.

But to really know a language, to both understand it and sound like a native speaker, you really need to learn its … idioms. Idioms just don’t translate. What is a “sky-scraper” in English, is a “sky-scratcher” in French. But these are easy idioms. Sort of self-explanatory.

Other idioms can be harder to understand, even vaguely threatening. For example, a native English speaker might convey the idea that something was extremely expensive by saying that it “cost an arm and a leg.” A native Thai speaker will say, “One afternoon in your next reincarnation” to mean the same thing a Russian means when he says “Yeah, when a lobster whistles on top of a mountain.” In other words: “It’s never going to happen!”

Idioms can be not only confusing, obscuring the intended meaning, but they also can sound funny to those not familiar with the term.

But if this is your first time joining us, I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to World’s Last Chance Radio where we cover a variety of topics related to Scripture, prophecy, practical piety, Biblical beliefs, and living in constant readiness for the Savior’s unexpected return, whenever that might be.

Hebrew, Aramaic, and biblical Greek also had idioms. The problem is, for most Christians, we’re so used to hearing these biblical phrases that we may not even realize that they’re actually idioms. This is a problem because if you don’t know that something is an idiom, you’re just going to take the phrase literally.

Today, I’ve asked Dave to explain some common idioms that appear in Scripture. These idioms—because we haven’t understood that they’re actually idioms—have frequently been used to support the belief that Yahushua is divine and had a pre-existence prior to being born of Mary.

Well, as we’ve covered in other programs, we now know that Scripture repeatedly asserts that Yahushua was fully human and not divine at all. He had a single nature—human—just like all of us do. Yahuwah is the only true divinity. Other gods are false gods. And Yahuwah, also, has only one nature. He’s not a triune godhead. There’s just Him. So, if not proving the divinity of Yahushua, what do these idioms actually mean?

Later, during our daily mailbag, a listener wants to know how Christians can effectively witness to non-Christians, especially those that are not part of the Abrahamic religions. It’s a good question because a lot of modern Christian witnessing is actually focused on proselytizing. It’s sheep stealing. Getting someone who’s already a Christian to change denominations. But evidence that appeals to a Christian mind doesn’t necessarily appeal to, say, a Hindu or a Buddhist, or Sikh.

Then, Jane Lamb has prepared a promise for anyone who has been afraid of the future or of death. With the promises of Yah, there’s nothing to fear.

Now, circling back to Jewish idioms, Dave? The time is yours.

Dave Wright: Thanks, Miles!

The themes in Scripture are eternal. Paul wrote Timothy that all Scripture is given by inspiration of [Yahuwah], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of [Yah] may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” [2 Timothy 3:16-17] With this being the case, it’s very easy to bring our modern lens of understanding and read Scripture as though it were written in our own language just last week.

But it wasn’t. And we open ourselves up to getting way off, to misunderstanding and even misinterpreting Scripture when we do that. If we truly want to understand the Bible’s message, then we need to view it through the cultural lens of the various people who wrote it.

Miles: Would you go so far as to say that you can’t understand Christianity without properly understanding Judaism?

Dave: Uhhh … hmmm. I think modern Christianity has been shaped by assumptions about Scripture that a first-century Jewish reader never would have assumed. So, in that sense, I will assert that you can’t understand pure apostolic Christianity without properly understanding Judaism.

Miles: Fair enough.

Dave: There are actually quite a lot of idioms in Scripture, just as there are in most languages. Some we’ve looked at before.

Today, I want to focus specifically on three idioms that have been widely understood to support Yahushua having a pre-existence. These idioms are:

• To come into the world
• To say something (or someone) is not of this world
• And, finally, to be sent into the world

Miles: These are idioms? See, I always thought they were to be taken literally.

Dave: That’s the problem when you’re a foreign language speaker and you encounter an idiom. When you don’t know what it’s supposed to mean, you take it literally. Of course you do. So you can see why trinitarians believe these phrases point to a literal pre-existence of Christ.

Let’s look at a few examples before we go on. You know John 3:16.

Miles: Sure! “For [Yahuwah] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Dave: Do you know the next verse? This is where you find the use of one of these idioms.

Miles: I’ve learned it from you! Uhh … “For [Yahuwah] did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved.”

Dave: Good.

We also find it in 1 John 4 verse 9. Would you turn there and read that for us, please?

Miles: “By this the love of [Yahuwah] was manifested in us, that [Yahuwah] has sent His only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him.”

Dave: And 1 Timothy 1:15.

Miles: Uhhh … “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Yahushua came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

Dave: Because the doctrine of a triune godhead teaches that Yahushua is divine, by default he’d have to have pre-existed. This is where you get the idea of Yahushua being the “Word” of Yah spoken of in John 1 where it says, “In the beginning was the Word.” We’ve all assumed—incorrectly—that that passage was referring to Yahushua. But it wasn’t.

By extension, whenever we’ve encountered these idioms, we’ve assumed that when it says Yahushua “came into the world,” it means that he literally, physically, left his abode in Heaven and came to earth.

But now that we know this is actually an idiom, we have to ask ourselves: is this actually what the Bible writers meant? And their first-century Jewish audience, is that what they would have understood?

Miles: Hmm. Good questions. I’m assuming no.

Dave: You’d be right about that.

Before we go on, though, I think it’s important we clarify this idea of pre-existence.

Miles: I’m assuming the Jews didn’t believe in any sort of pre-existence?

Dave: They … did. Kind of. But not in the same way the early Church Fathers defined and taught a pre-existence. The Church Fathers—who were trinitarians—taught that Christ had a literal pre-existence before he was incarnated (took on human flesh) in Mary’s womb.

The Hebrew concept of pre-existence as presented in Scripture is very, very different. To a Jew, the only pre-existence there is, is that which exists in the mind of Yahuwah. It’s His fore-knowledge.

I brought a book that has a quote I’d like you to read. Just … yes, that one there.

Why don’t you read the title.

Miles: Let’s see … it’s called The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma. Huh! Sounds interesting.

Dave: It was written by Kegan A. Chandler. He’s an author and Church historian.

Would you please turn to page 342 and read the paragraph that’s marked?

Miles: Sure, uh …

What we will call the classical Jewish view of pre-existence is much different [from the literal pre-existence of Greek philosophy]. The oldest Hebrew conception was not in the literal and ontological sense of the Greeks; rather, it existed only in the “foreknowledge” or “foreordination” of God. In this sense, significant figures, objects, and symbols first “existed” in heaven with God before being made a reality at their appointed times. These things did not literally and physically dwell in some far-removed dimension but were personally envisioned by God in his eternal plan for the universe.

Dave: Modern Christianity is heavily influenced by pagan philosophy because the Church Fathers were heavily influenced by pagan philosophers like Plato and Heraclitus. Even Philo, who was a Jew, was also heavily influenced by pagan philosophy. That all taught that everything has a pre-existence before they actually exist.

Miles: Even humans?

Dave: Even humans. They taught that humans have immortal souls which pre-exist in Heaven before being incarnated into human bodies.

Miles: You can see that in the idea that babies are little angels in Heaven before they’re born into the world.

Dave: Sure! Pagan ideas and philosophies just permeate modern Christianity. There are greater connections between modern Christianity and ancient paganism, than there is between modern Christianity and apostolic Christianity.

Justin Martyr, one of the apostolic Fathers—

Miles: “Apostolic Fathers?” You mean Church Fathers? I’m not familiar with the term.

Dave: There can be some overlap, but the Apostolic Fathers were earlier. They’re not to be confused with the apostles. The Apostolic Fathers weren’t the apostles, but they knew or were directly influenced by one or more of the apostles. They lived in the first and second centuries. But just because they were influenced by the apostles doesn’t mean that they themselves were always free of error.

Justin Martyr was a second-century Apostolic Father. He was the first of the early Fathers to apply Philo’s teaching of an eternal, non-personal Logos to the idea of a pre-existent Christ. The idea of a Logos actually originated with Plato, so you can see it’s all very infused with paganism and pagan philosophy.

Miles: Yeah, it seems the further you get from apostolic Christianity, the more you see inroads from pagan philosophy.

Dave: That’s exactly what you see. But what we need to understand, is that to the apostolic Christians, the “logos” of Yahuwah wasn’t some Platonic theory, but instead referred to the thoughts, the far-reaching plans of Yahuwah as expressed in words.

Also, this idea that “God” would incarnate himself in the womb of a virgin? Totally contrary to the Hebrew worldview. I have a quote here I’d like you to read. It’s from The Encyclopedia of Ethics and Religions. Would you read that for us, please?

Miles: Sure. It says, “There is in the Old Testament no indication of distinction in the Godhead; it is an anachronism to find either the doctrine of the Incarnation or that of the Trinity in its pages.”

Dave: An anachronism, of course, is something that belongs to a different period. So what he’s saying is that this belief comes from a different period. It doesn’t originate in the Old Testament. It came in much later and we know where it came from: paganism.

Miles: And by the fourth century, by the Council of Nicea, Christianity was completely corrupted.

Dave: And yet it’s Nicea that forms the foundation for modern Christianity.

Do you see that book there? The one called Incarnation and Myth: the Debate Continued? Would you please turn to page 143 and read the underlined words?

Miles: Let’s see, uhhh … “It is the bias of orthodoxy constantly to overlook middle terms. The earliest church [did not view Yahushua] as God the Son, but as the man whom Yahuwah raised up and [assigned] the Holy Spirit to pour out upon the church.”

Dave: So then the question is, how did the first-century Jews and Christians interpret the phrase “came into the world”? What did that mean to them?

Miles: Let’s look at that when we return.

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Idioms don’t translate well. What sounds logical in one language can be confusing, if not outright hilarious, in another language. This becomes especially challenging if the idiom is in Scripture and the meaning has been lost in translation.

One Hebrew idiom is that of an “evil” eye. Christ said that if our eye is evil, we should pluck it out! Now, obviously, he was speaking metaphorically rather than literally, but there’s a lot that can be learned when we understand that an “evil” eye was a Hebrew idiom for being selfish.

Program 150, entitled “An Evil Eye,” explores a number of previously obscure Bible passages that use this idiom. It’s a fascinating study. Join Miles and Dave as they apply this definition to Scripture. Look for “An Evil Eye,” Program 150, on WorldsLastChance.com.

* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: So let’s talk now about what these Hebrew idioms—that I didn’t even know were idioms—actually mean.

To a first-century Israelite what would “come into the world” mean?

Dave: Well, we don’t have an equivalent idiom in our language—I know because I Googled it out of curiosity—but it simply means to be born, to come into existence.

Miles: It doesn’t mean to have an existence off of this world and to be incarnated into a human body.

Dave: Not at all. And, as an idiom, it was used for other things, too, not just as a reference to Christ’s birth.

For example, Yahushua used this idiom to warn his disciples about the extremes of emotions they’d feel after his death and followed by his resurrection. He likened it to the emotions of a mother who’s just given birth.

Turn to John 16 and read verses 21 and 22.

Just before this, in verse 16, Yahushua had said, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” The disciples, naturally, were confused by this, so then he explained what he meant.

Go ahead: John 16:21 and 22.

Miles: “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Yeah … my wife wouldn’t agree with this. Our firstborn was almost our lastborn.

Dave laughs: Well, I see the joy of the baby eventually led to a second child for you.

Paul used this same idiom in writing to Timothy. Would you turn to 1 Timothy 6 verse 7 and read that, please?

Miles: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

Dave: Again, a clear reference to being born, but it’s use here shows that this isn’t used exclusively to describe Yahushua’s birth.

The Savior himself used this idiom in speaking with Pilate. Would you please read John 18 verse 37 for us?

Miles:

Pilate therefore said to him, “Are You a king then?”

Yahushua answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Dave: What Christ is doing here is using “synonymous parallelism.” It’s a literary device that simply means you repeat what you’ve just said, just using different words to convey the thought. He’s repeating himself: For this cause I was born … for this cause I came into the world. This lets us know that “being born” is synonymous with the idiom of coming into the world.

We find this same thought expressed in a conversation Yahushua had with Martha after Lazarus’ death. Let’s read that: John 11 verses 24 to 27.

Miles:

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Yahushua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Dave: I find Martha’s words here interesting because she obviously is not buying into the idea promoted a couple of hundred years into the future by Justin Martyr that Christ had a pre-existence before being incarnated. Instead, she refers to him as the “Christ.” That’s the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word, “Messiah.” She’s saying that she knows he’s Yahuwah’s anointed whose time had come to do his work. That’s why he was born: he was born for such a time—and such a work—as he came to do. She’s not saying he journeyed through space to get to earth.

Same with the 5,000 when Yahushua fed them. They saw in Yahushua the one to whom all the prophecies had pointed, who had been born to fulfill a mission. Read John 6 verses 13 and 14.

Miles:

Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Yahushua did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Dave: He was born to be Messiah; he was not incarnated from a previous existence to be Messiah.

Miles: Is this idiom ever use figuratively? That would be interesting to see if it is.

Dave: That’s a great question. Yes, actually, it is. Read Romans 5 verse 12.

Miles: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—"

Dave: I know that’s kind of an awkward place to stop, right in the middle of a sentence, but Paul writes these paragraph-long sentences. Anyway, you can see how in this context, Paul is saying that “sin” entered the world. It was “born,” it “came into existence” in this world. It didn’t float around in the aether off-world. It entered this world, this paradise that Yahuwah had created through Adam and Eve’s disobedience.

Miles: That’s interesting.

What about the idiom “Not of this world”? Again, that’s one I’ve always taken literally.

Dave: All right. This is kind of similar to “come into this word,” just stated in reverse. Many believers make the incorrect assumption that this phrase supports their belief in Yahushua having a literal pre-existence. But again, this is an idiom. Idioms can’t be taken literally, folks!

Miles: Can we look at where this idiom is used in context?

Dave: Sure! Turn to John chapter 17. This is a passage just before Yahushua’s betrayal in Gethsemane. He’s speaking to the Father and what does he say? Read verses 13 through 16.

Miles: All right, uh …

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Dave: Do you see “Heaven” being referenced anywhere in this passage?

Miles: Uhhh … no, actually.

Dave: It’s not there because that’s not what he’s talking about. He’s not claiming to be of or from Heaven. Instead, his point is that he’s not part of the world’s system; he’s not part of the way things operate here on earth.

Miles: How do you get that?

Dave: Because whenever in this passage Yahushua uses this phrase “not of this world,” he’s also applying it to believers. So you can’t say that this phrase refers to literally, physically not being from this world, because he’s applying it to his followers!

Verse 16: “They are not of this world just as I am not of this world.” You can’t get more clear than that. For this to be a truthful statement, applicable to believers, it cannot mean that Yahushua had a beginning point that was out of this world.

Miles: That’s a good point. We obviously didn’t come from Heaven, so it can’t be taken to mean that Yahushua came from Heaven.

Dave: Exactly.

Now earlier, you read Yahushua’s conversation with Pilate where he tells Pilate that he “came into the world.” That’s John 18 verse 37. But let’s back up a verse to verse 36. What does he say there?

Miles:

Yahushua answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here.”

Dave: A lot of people are going to assume that here, at least, a case can be made for Yahushua’s kingdom. But again, this is an assumption based on a faulty premise. Yahushua’s kingdom is a spiritual one, not a physical one.

As we have learned, he rules from his ascension until his coming. This is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 24 where, in speaking of the Second Coming, Paul writes: “Then comes the end, when he [that’s Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.” In other words, Yahushua returns the kingdom to the Father. That’s why, from the Second Coming on, we refer to Yahuwah’s kingdom rather than Yahushua’s kingdom.”

Miles: Yeah. That makes sense.

Dave: Okay. There’s one more phrase I want to look at because we need to understand this one, too, and that is “sent into the world.”

We’ve packed a lot of assumptions onto this phrase. We’ve assumed that it meant that Yahushua, in a pre-existence in Heaven, came from literally out of this world to come into this world when Yahuwah sent him.

Miles: That’s a lot of assumptions packed onto one little phrase!

Dave: It is! It’s assuming a pre-existence. It’s assuming a pre-existence somewhere else, such as in Heaven. It’s assuming that he then came and incarnated. All from the phrase “sent into the world.”

But that’s not what it actually means. Did Yahuwah send Yahushua? Yes. But not from out of this world down to this world. Not from a pre-incarnate pre-existence into Mary’s womb. This phrase simply means to be sent out geographically to do Yah’s work. That’s it.

Miles: Huh! So, in that sense, it’s not exclusive to Yahushua, is it? After all, believers are sent to do Yahuwah’s will.

Dave: Precisely. That’s exactly what I was going to say next. Believers are sent just as Yahushua was sent. We’re also sent to do Yahuwah’s work. Yahushua himself said so!

Turn to John 17 again. Just a few minutes ago, we read verses 13 to 16 where Yahushua was praying, saying that believers were not of this world, just as he is not of this world.

Now, I want you to drop down a couple of verses. Read verses 18 to 21. What does that say?

Miles:

As You sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word;  that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that You sent me.

Dave: So being “sent” is, basically, being given a job to do. It’s being commissioned to do Yahuwah’s work in the world. When Yahushua prays that he also sent believers into the world, he’s saying that he sent them in the same manner as Yahuwah had sent him. Yahushua was commissioned to do a great work for Yahuwah, and believers are, too.

Miles: That’s literally the Great Commission. Listen to this, it’s, uhhh … Mark 16 … and verses 14 and 15. It says: “Later he appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

He's literally sending them out.

Dave: You’re right. That’s a good illustration. And this idea is repeated in John chapter 20. Would you flip over there and read verses 21 to 23.

Now, this is an important passage because this is the evening after Christ’s resurrection. He’s telling the disciples about the work that they’re to do for him.

Miles:

So Yahushua said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Dave: To really understand what Scripture was saying, we have to go back and ask ourselves, How would a first-century Jewish mind, uneducated in pagan Platonic ideas, have interpreted these phrases? Because that’s who it was written for. The later Church Fathers came along and added their own pagan-influenced interpretation to these passages, but that was later.

When you take these phrases literally, when you try to impose on them a belief in a pre-existent, divine Christ, you’re accepting theology that’s been corrupted by paganism. You’ve got to go back further to when Christianity was brand new. Pure apostolic Christianity did not believe in a literal pre-existent Christ, just as they did not believe in Yahushua being divine. The only so-called “pre-existence” they acknowledged were the plans that existed in the mind of Yahuwah.

Miles: Jeremiah 29 verse 11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares Yahuwah, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Dave: See? That’s beautiful! That is the only sort of “pre-existence” the early Christians believed in.

The other Bible writers support this interpretation. Let’s read what Peter had to say. Would you please turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 and read verses 20 and 21. He’s describing Christ here.

Go ahead once you’ve found it.

Miles: Peter … Peter … Peter.

Dave: Comes right after James.

Miles laughs: You’re so helpful!

Dave: You know, if you’d memorize the books of the Bible, it would be easier to find them.

Miles: Well, I’ve got the Old Testament books memorized, just never got the New Testament ones learned.

Okay. Here we are: 1 Peter 1, verses 20 and 21. It says: “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through him believe in [Yahuwah], who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in [Yahuwah].”

Dave: And one more. This is from a very well-known passage in Paul. Read 1 Timothy 1 verse 15.

Miles: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Dave: In conclusion, I just want to say this is why it’s so important to keep spending time in Yah’s word. Not only do we gain new insights and deeper levels of understanding every time we delve into the word, but look at the meaning of these phrases we always interpreted literally! It influenced—incorrectly, I might add—our theology as trinitarians. But now we know the truth.

Miles: We can’t settle down and get all complacent, assuming we have all the truth necessary to be saved.

Dave: Not at all. We’re not going to know it all before Yahushua returns. We’ll never run out of things to learn and to study, so get digging! There’s more truth to uncover!

Miles: Amen!

Up next in our daily mailbag: How to reach people who do not have a background in Christianity, or even in any of the Abrahamic religions. Stay tuned to find out.

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question is coming from the earth’s original source of diamonds. For a thousand years, it was the only place in the entire world that mined diamonds.

Dave: Uh, uh … South Africa! Or maybe just Africa.

Miles: It is also the wettest inhabited place on earth.

Dave: Oh … I—wettest? I don’t know. I’d think an island, but not if it was the world’s only source of diamonds for a millennium.

I don’t know. I give up. Where is it?

Miles: India!

Dave: Really? Huh! India has such a beautiful and unique culture.

Miles: They’re very smart, too. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus all originated in India.

Dave jokes: So it wasn’t Satan? See, I thought it was the devil that decided to add the alphabet to math.

Miles laughs: He did it just for you, Dave, because he loves you so much!

Anyway, Danush from Puri, India has a fantastic question and it’s got me wondering why I never thought to ask this before. He writes, “Greetings, brothers, in the name of Yahuwah. Here in India is the birthplace of four main religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. There are also a lot of Muslims. My question is: What is the best way to witness to these non-Christian groups? With Islam, we at least have in common the ‘God of Abraham,’ but not with these other religions. Is there a way to approach them without causing offense? Is there any way that should be avoided?”

Dave: Hmmm. That is a fantastic question. It shows a great deal of insight because Danush is right: there are good, effective ways to witness, and there are other ways that can cause offense. So, let’s talk first about how you should not witness first, and then we’ll end with what works, as that’s most important.

I’ve observed that one way believers sometimes try to witness to non-believers is ridicule.

Miles: Seriously?

Dave: Oh, they don’t call it that. But essentially, that’s the technique being used. What they do is they’ll study into a particular religion and then focus on some belief or doctrine held by that religion. Usually, something that—to us—appears ridiculous. They’ll ask questions about it and use it to try and embarrass the person as though by embarrassing him or her, they can compel the person to admit that his or her beliefs are ridiculous.

Miles: I’m guessing that never works.

Dave: Well, would you be open to listening to someone poke fun at your beliefs?

Miles: Of course not.

Dave: This technique should never, ever be used. It causes offense and actually pushes sincere people away from the truth. Christ was always mindful of the dignity of others and treated them accordingly.

Another even more common way to witness is to select a Bible passage that contradicts the other person’s beliefs. This is shared and held up as conclusive “proof” why the Christian’s beliefs are superior, and the other’s beliefs are foolish and wrong.

Miles: Yeah, that’s a really common way to witness.

Dave: But that doesn’t work either! Yes, we believe that Scripture is the inspired word of Yah, but they don’t. Why should they?

Say a Muslim wants to share with you some sura from the Koran. Does that hold any weight at all with you?

Miles: No!

Dave: All right. It’s the same with unbelievers and the Bible. Telling them they’re wrong because the Bible says so isn’t going to be the slightest bit convincing. All they’re going to do is focus on coming up with an argument in response and then the game is on. It’s like Bible tennis or something, with the arguments being tossed back and forth and getting more heated the longer it goes.

Miles: And no one is convincing anyone else!

Dave: No. Not only is it a waste of time, but it actually misrepresents Yahuwah in the spirit that is aroused.

The Bible itself warns against this sort of argument in the guise of “witnessing.” Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2 and read verse 14.

Miles: “Keep reminding [Yahuwah’s] people of these things. Warn them before [Yah] against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.”

Dave: We don’t want to be to blame for the loss of souls, but that’s what arguing over truth does.

Miles: That reminds me of something a lot of Christians say when they disagree with someone else’s choices. They’ll insist, “I love you; I just hate your sin,” as though that makes it all right. But Christ didn’t go around saying such things.

Statements like that always make the person on the receiving end feel judged and condemned. That’s not what Christ did. He accepted people right where they were.

Dave: Denouncing, judging, arguing. These will never draw anyone to Yahuwah. Drop down now and read verses 23 to 26 of that same chapter.

Miles:

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And [Yahuwah’s] servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that [Yahuwah] will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Dave: Paul knew what he was talking about. He himself had fallen into the trap of trying to convince people by sheer force of argument.

Turn to Acts 17 and start with verse 16.

Miles:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. [Acts 17:16-18a]

Dave: So Paul thought he could convince the Greeks by “reasoning” with them. And how did they respond?

Miles: They began to debate with him.

Dave: And Paul, being Paul, debated right back. After all, he was a Pharisee. He knew how to argue! Keep reading.

Miles:

Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Yahushua and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. [Acts 17:18b-23]

Do you want me to keep going?

Dave: No, that’s fine. So Paul reasons with them, he presents all these arguments that, to him, are solidly logical. And what’s the result? Verse 32.

Miles: “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’”

Dave: Yes, there were some who, despite the method of delivery, still accepted the message. But it was not the overwhelming success Paul obviously expected. And what’s interesting is that Scripture never records Paul as ever trying this method of witnessing again.

Miles: So, these are what we are not supposed to do. What works, then? How can we reach non-Christians with the gospel?

Dave: The best way I have found to witness to, well, anyone, really, but especially to non-Christians is to simply ask questions about topics and issues they wish to discuss. Let your questions gently lead them to a point where it becomes obvious that their own beliefs contradict themselves.

Miles: How do you do that?

Dave: Well, it’s going to take some study. You’re going to have to spend some time figuring out precisely what they believe. Remember, as we’ve said, all false religions—and that includes all organized Christian denominations—contain some error just as they contain some truth.

Often a religious doctrine will contradict some organizational doctrine. But it takes commitment on your part to study it out and find it. Let them explain these doctrines to you. You’re simply listening, sort of like a journalist. Let them explain all the implications of each doctrine. Then, when you’ve found a religious doctrine that contradicts one of their organizational doctrines, you simply ask them which one of their own stated doctrines you’re to believe. Because the natural consequences of one belief will always contradict the natural consequences of some other belief.

Miles: So when you can’t believe both at the same time, in order to accept one, you have to reject the other.

Dave: Who can they argue with then? Not with you! You’re simply showing an interest and asking … gentle … questions! Not prying, not superior, not smirking questions. Just gentle, interested questions.

Then who they’re arguing with, who they’re playing verbal tennis with is their own mind, their own spiritual thought leaders.

Miles: Wow, that’s brilliant! Because then, even after you’ve gone, the argument still continues in their own mind. No one likes the cognitive dissonance of self-contradictory beliefs.

Speaking for myself, when I’ve found myself in that situation before, it bugs at me and nags at me until I can study out a resolution.

Dave: And that’s what’s going to happen with them, too. So then—again, very polite; no gloating—you can politely say, “When you get an answer, let me know.”

The answer they arrive at, if it’s any sort of intellectually honest answer, will be one that contradicts their religion or the stance taken by their religion’s thought leaders. They have arrived at this position; you haven’t hit them over the head with it. Once they’re at that point, they’ll be far more open to listen to what you have to share.

Miles: That makes a lot of sense because it’s always easier for someone to examine his or her own beliefs, than new ideas.

Dave: And it’s easier to get the person to affirm a doctrine he or she already believes—because, remember: all religions also have some truth—than it is to persuade the person to believe in and accept doctrines he’s been taught to reject.

Miles: I like how this method really lets the Holy Spirit do the convicting. You’re just planting seed but it’s the Holy Spirit that’ll open their mind to see the truth.

Dave: Do you remember what Yahushua said in the sermon on the mount? He said, “No one can serve to masters, for –?” [Matthew 6:24]

Miles: “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Dave: Now, obviously, he was talking about the obsession so many have with money, but the principle applies to other masters as well. You might start out thinking you can serve two, but for every intellectually honest person, you’ll eventually have to arrive at the point where you must choose, and if those “masters” are actually two conflicting beliefs, say a religious doctrine conflicting with part of the organizational creed, they’ll be forced to choose between their god and their religious leaders.

Miles: It reminds me of that quote you’ve shared by the American president, Abraham Lincoln that goes, “When an honest man discovers he is mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken, or cease to be honest.” Or something like that.

Dave: No, that’s right. You’ve got it. If he rejects the truth, he’s no longer honest, but if he accepts it, he’s no longer mistaken. Either way, you’ll see what his choice is.

This method also has the benefit of being the Biblical method. Turn to Colossians chapter 4 and read verses 5 and 6 for us. This method isn’t arguing, which only arouses negative emotions. It’s polite and respectful and let’s the Holy Spirit do the convicting.

Miles: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Dave: Now turn to 1 Peter 3 verses 15 and 16.

Miles:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Dave: This is how you reach the hearts of others. You show respect and treat them with dignity. You don’t hold them up to ridicule or smirk at their beliefs. And the Holy Spirit gets to do the convicting.

Miles: So much better! Thanks for sharing this technique. It’s amazing.

Up next: Jane Lamb with today’s daily promise. It’s a special one for anyone who’s been afraid of death.

* * *Daily Promise:

Hello! This is Jane Lamb with your daily promise from Yah’s word.

When I was a little girl, I was privileged to know a very special American by the name of Roy Slaybaugh. Uncle Roy, as my brother and I called him, was a bridge to a past that I had only ever encountered in books. He had actually been born while his parents were traveling west in a covered wagon!

He was short and as wide as he was tall. It was the perfect build for a man who, in the 1920s and 1930s, had been a professional wrestler. In fact, Uncle Roy had always been very athletic. One story, that could still make him laugh decades after the fact, happened when he was only 18.

A local farmer had purchased a matched set of bays. These horses were gorgeous animals and extremely fast. The proud new owner liked to boast they were the fastest in the county and a number of races had so far proven his claims to be true.

One day, a young Roy and a friend of his were at the train depot which had been built two miles outside of town. The farmer was there, boasting again about his unbeatable horses. The two teenagers decided he needed to be taken down a peg and challenged him to a race back to town. The horses, being hitched to a very light buggy, seemed like an obvious win and the man gleefully accepted their challenge.

What he didn’t know, and what the boys didn’t tell him, was that they were on the track and field team of the local high school. They were used to running long distances and running them fast. The race started and, at first, the young men ran swiftly beside the buggy. This was insulting to the farmer, who urged his horses to run faster and still faster. About halfway back to town, the young men picked up the pace. They ran faster. The horses ran faster. The teens ran faster still while the farmer urged his horses on.

When they got back to town, it was clear the young men had won the race. I don’t know how far ahead of the horses they were, but enough to be obvious. Roy and his friend jogged down to the high school to clean up and change clothes. By the time they got back to Main Street, everyone they met had already heard the story and was laughingly asking them about it. Apparently, the horses’ owner was livid because his expensive bays were overheated and foaming at the mouth. His unbeatable horses had lost to a pair of teenagers.

That story always brings a smile to my face. Not only is it a great illustration of how pride goes before a fall, but I love remembering how Uncle Roy would laugh every time he told that story. It also reminds me of a promise penned by Paul shortly before his death. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul referred to his impending death. He wasn’t afraid. Instead, he viewed it as the victorious ending to running a race. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, he wrote: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Did you catch that? The promise is not just for Paul, but it’s for you and me, too. It’s for everyone who loves and looks for the Savior’s return. There is a crown of righteousness waiting for all who faithfully finish the race.

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: I want to thank you for tuning in. If you’ve enjoyed today’s broadcast and would like to share it with friends or family, you can find it on our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon, select which language you want from the nine available and scroll down to Program #271 called “Deciphering Jewish Idioms.” That’s Program 271, “Deciphering Jewish Idioms” on WorldsLastChance.com.

We hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

* * *

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage. 

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.