Think for Yourself

 If you have good parents, you are blessed. A child before puberty with good parents will often agree with his or her parents on most things if not everything. God wants us to be respectful and teachable.

But God also wants us to learn to think for ourselves. If you are old enough to vote and you still agree with your parents, your church leader or your preferred political leaders on absolutely everything, I would question whether you have ever learned to think for yourself at all.

Paul tells Timothy to carefully study the Bible, to make sure his teaching is correct. Timothy had been well taught by Paul, but Paul did not want Timothy merely to repeat what he had been taught, but to study for himself.

Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately. 2 Ti 2:15 NET

Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this. 2 Ti 2:7 NET

Paul did not want Timothy to be passively dependent on Paul’s own words, but to think about his teaching and seek understanding from God Himself.

So many Christians allow themselves to be passively programmed by the ideas they receive from their parents, teachers or preachers. This makes the church weak and immature.

Paul wrote to the converts in Ephesus, praying that they would receive wisdom and revelation directly from God, and not just be passively content with what Paul had taught them.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Eph 1:17 NIV

Justin Giboney ... @JustinEGiboney (from X, ie Twitter)
The idea that we must be entirely progressive or conservative on every issue is a ploy to control our cultural and political opinions.

Once we buy into it and wear the label proudly, critical thinking is no longer necessary. The influencers do all the thinking for us.