To debate the word of God...?

The idea of forming heated opinions around the Word of God sits like a bag of sand on my shoulders. The instantaneous formulation and/or premeditation of heated arguments and debates about the teachings within the Bible and the Book of Mormon (especially from a Latter-day Saint point of view) worries me. It is my feeling and testimony that the Words in all Canonical writings (those accepted by the LDS church by declaration of modern prophets) are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, through His mouthpieces the Prophets. It is not my intention, therefore, to debate or to even try and mingle with persuasive language (not that I would have the talent for that anyway), but simply to point out what a few scriptures have taught on this subject, and that by doing so it will be clear how we are to speak of, or use in our speech, things dealing with the Holy Word of God.
As I have driven past the Fellowship Bible Church (by Los Hermanos in Lindon) I have nearly always enjoyed the sayings that they post on almost a weekly basis. The present saying is "It is easier to debate the Bible than live what it says". In the Book of Mormon it teaches "...Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction" (Alma 13:20). The word wrest means to twist or distort, sometimes even violently. Those who have ever written anything, understand that they have certain intentions for what they try to communicate (as I have hopefully stated clearly in this note). God Himself through His Prophets is no different in the aspect of specific intent of writing.
The Prophets are often very specific about their "intentions". There are a couple of examples I would like to point out. 1) In Jacob 4:4-5, Jacob states very clearly, "For, FOR THIS INTENT have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ...and not only we ourselves had a hope of His glory, but also ALL the holy prophets which were before us" (caps added). 2) 1 Nephi 6:4 "For the FULLNESS OF MINE INTENT is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved" (caps added). There are many direct references that the inspired authors state throughout scripture; however, more common is they will share the message, and the intent will become clear to the honest seeker.
It may help to have a couple of examples from the Savior Himself of how He treated the Word of God. In Matthew 4 it gives an account of Jesus's fasting and His preparations for His ministry. At this time the devil comes to Him and tempts Him. In his sneaky and deceptive fashion, Satan uses the Savior's own words to try and convince Him to sin. When Christ is taken upon the pinnacle of the temple, Satan says, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (vs. 6). Christ, having written the law, was not fooled by Satan's subtlety, and knowing the INTENT of the law, responded humbly, but firmly "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (vs. 7). The Savior knew for what the scriptures were; that they were not something to glorify Himself, but to teach people to come unto Him and be saved.
On another occasion Christ was confronted by a Lawyer, who had the intent to debate the Word of God. This is a useless pass-time of many, especially those who tried it against the Son of God, author of scripture. In Luke 10 this lawyer approaches Jesus and asks the Savior how to inherit eternal life. Jesus seeing his intent did not respond but simply said, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" (vs.26).The Lawyer says that he is to love the Lord and to love His neighbor. Christ says "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live" (vs. 28). The lawyer, not finished yet, then says (paraphrased) "AH, but WHO is my neighbor? Let's see you answer that one smarty pants" (vs 29 with minor changes). Then Christ, being very patient, goes on to tell him about the "good samaritan" (
(Samaritans were a group of people despised by most Jews at the time). After the parable, Christ asks him who was neighbor to the man that was beaten, and the lawyer finds himself in a position where he must admit that a Samaritan was neighbor to that man. Christ was not about to debate the word of God, but being wiser than us all, used the scriptures as they were intended; to teach truth.
In Words of Mormon 1:16-17, we learn a little bit about a situation that the church of God was facing at this time. There were false preachers, false christs, false teachers, dissensions, and all kinds of evil present. King Benjamin, of course, was worried and in verse 18 we learn that he "[labored] with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, [and] did once more establish peace in the land." The book of revelations 19:10 sheds some lights on what a prophet is. It states: "..for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy". This goes along with what Jacob said, that it is always the intent of the prophets to testify of Christ, and to teach and write scripture, and the scripture they write is to be used, as in the case of King Benjamin, to get rid of false teachings and false preachers and false ideas; however, this is to be done in the Lord's way, not by man's way of prideful and indulgent debating. Search the life of the Savior and you will find that He never had to debate the word of God because He understood it by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I invite you to study the scriptures with the intent of seeing what the author desires to portray. Pray before you read. Invite the Lord to be with you as you study and He will enlighten your mind to humble you and teach you things that are beyond man's capacity to understand through debate and persuasion. Seek the Lord's intent; why did He inspire THAT prophet to say WHAT he did? What message can I take away from these verses that will bless my life and others' lives?
In Jeremiah 30:24 the Lord gives a commandment, "The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of His heart: in the latter-days ye SHALL consider it" (caps added). The word shall is often a commandment, and the Lord says that we, those that live in the latter-days, must consider the intents of God's heart. I invite you to do it. I invite myself to do it. The Word of God is pure and true. The teachings contained therein have great potential to change lives and bring exhaltation: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee they only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). What better way to know God and Jesus Christ, than through the words they designed for that purpose (2 Nephi 25:26)? Again, "It is easier to debate the bible than to live what it says".