31 “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31–32, NKJV)
The Sadducees attempted to justify their false doctrine of no resurrection with what they thought was an insurmountable dilemma (read Matthew 22:23-28). Without hesitation, Jesus said, “You are mistaken (deceived, footnote), not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (verse 29). Please notice that Jesus made His made the case for life after death from the present tense of the verb, “I am” (verse 32). Jesus regarded the tense of the verb as being inspired by God and worthy of note. Since God said at the burning bush, “I am the God of Abraham…,” Jesus expected them to draw the necessary inference (conclusion) that humans continue to exist after physical death. We must approach Bible study with the utmost respect and care, for it is God’s word, not man’s (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). Even the tense of a verb is not without significance. And, please be aware that Christ expects us to use necessary inferences to know the Scriptures and avoid being deceived by error.
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