Several years ago, I was teaching a women’s Bible study when a newcomer entered the room. I did not recognize this woman, and she arrived alone.
I was encouraged to have a new lady join our group, so I greeted her with a friendly smile and an enthusiastic welcome. I also made eye contact with her as I taught from God’s Word and did not notice any unusual facial expressions or concerns over the information I was imparting. But then again, looks can be deceiving.
At the end of the Bible study, as everyone packed up to leave, I walked up to this new attendee and thanked her for coming. She was very polite and seemed appreciative of my gratitude. She also said something theological from God’s Word that related to my Bible study, and I wholeheartedly agreed with her statement out loud. But then, things took a drastic turn with her next theological statement.
I cannot remember exactly what she said, but my brain immediately thought:
“Wait, WHAT?”
It took me a few seconds to recognize what was happening and brace myself, because I never expected a theological challenge to erupt at my Bible study. I also was not mentally prepared for a debate, so I quietly took a deep, fortifying breath before gently opposing what she claimed about salvation.
I thought my sound, biblical response would immediately disarm her argument and settle the matter in her heart and mind. But instead, she pushed her position even further, claiming that salvation was attained by obeying the Torah (i.e., the first five books of the Old Testament).
Each time this woman made a false claim, I refuted it with the truth of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ and His shed blood. But when she started taking verses out of context to prove her case, I knew I needed to arm myself with “chapter and verse” to combat her heretical doctrine.
I grabbed my cell phone from the nearby podium and immediately pulled up my list of verses on salvation by grace through faith alone (on my Scripture Subjects website), reciting numerous passages that contradicted her claim. But after 10-15 minutes of us going back-and-forth on the issue, she refused to accept the truth and proclaimed me a heretic and false teacher out loud.
At that point, I politely ended the discussion because she was unwilling to budge on her position, and I refused to compromise the truth. Not surprisingly, I never saw or heard from that woman again.
I share that encounter with you because it demonstrates the need for us, as believers, to always be ready and equipped to share biblical truth when God’s Word is challenged or sound doctrine is undermined. It also illustrates the importance of being familiar with essential Christian doctrine and the verses that comprise it, so we can instruct or correct others accurately. This was why I created my website many years ago: to equip believers to defend and contend for the Christian faith.
If you have not visited ScriptureSubject.net, I encourage you to explore the numerous Bible verses organized by subject and the accompanying commentaries on each topic. It was a valuable asset for me when I needed quick, easy access to numerous verses on salvation, and I hope it helps you in similar situations.
I hope sharing my encounter with the woman at my Bible study encourages you to dig deeper into God’s Word and to equip yourself to present the truth as you contend for and fight the good fight of faith.
