What would be thought of a plumber who knew all the skills of his trade but did not practice them? Or what about a car mechanic who read and understood car manuals but never dismantled an engine or put it together again?
Perhaps he or she might be afraid to put that hard-won knowledge to the test. "What if it doesn't work?" might be the question. "What would I do then?" So the plumber, car mechanic, or Christian might continue indefinitely in a state of fruitless nonpractice. Such a one fulfills Paul's description of a person who is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."II Tim. 3:7.
When Christ Jesus told his disciples to heal the sick, these men had not been instructed by him for a particularly long time. They weren't considered especially well educated, and they were probably quite young. Yet they healed. They practiced what they knew and, as best they could, brought their lives into line with the truths they were affirming. It was not their purpose merely to read and reread the Scriptures indefinitely, and thereby postpone the work of healing for some future date.
