God said it.  I believe it.  That settles it.

This is the epitome of the relationship between truth and faith I inherited from my elders.  I could tell by the way they said it, it was meant to be a direct arc, a syllogism where the minor premise—“I believe it”—and the conclusion—“That settles it”—were already contained within the major premise—“God said it.”

“To speak the truth and shoot straight with arrows.”¹  That was Persian virtue according to Nietzsche.   By the way, to miss that mark is the primary meaning of “sin” in the Bible.

I am a fan of such simple goodness.  But like most fans I am better at cheering on the practitioners of simple goodness than I am at practicing it myself.  You see, though everything flows from the major premise—“God said it”—in practice, I must derive God’s word from Bible study.

Suddenly, the simple self-contained major premise is a question: “Well, what did God say?”  Even, “What did He mean by that?”  Once God’s speaking is derived by internal and external debate, the only rational response—believing what He says—becomes a question as well.  “Well, do I believe that?”  And the resultant certainty and peace of mind is also open to question.

That’s why I intended to call this An Impractical Bible Study.  A practical Bible study should propel one on the straight and simple trajectory outlined by my elders.  This one will wander and meander and ponder and wonder: What is truth? What is faith? Who is God? What is He trying to say to us?  So, since I’m not even aiming at the mark, I probably should have called it A Sinner’s Impractical Bible Study.  But would anyone have any interest in that?

What Kind of Carpenter Is Jesus? is catchier, and in some ways, more to the point.  First, it’s a question.  I’ll ask a lot of questions.  And I’ll have to do something more, and something less, than turn to the Gospel According to Mark chapter six verse three for an answer.

Addendum: September 29, 2108
A table of Mark 6:3 comparing the NET and KJV follows.