Enmeshing yourself in Scripture
http://rekindlingministries.blogspot.com/2009/04/enmeshing-yourself-in-scriptures.html
Lecture Topic:
We always start off each module with a brief description of the 7-Stage Journey. Rekindling’s goal is to encourage each individual, wherever stage they are at on the journey, to take one step to the right and move into the next stage.
· The 7-stage Journey
· Atheist "There is no supernatural, there is no god." [Psalm 14:1-2; Romans 1:18-25]
· Agnostic "Maybe there is a God, maybe there isn't; it's just not for me." [1 Corinthians 2:11-14; Revelation 3:15-17]
· Seeker "I think I need to learn more about God." [Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 28:9]
· Believer "I trust in Christ Jesus as the Way to God, the Truth of things and the source of Life." [John 3:16, 14:6]
· Disciple "I no longer fit God into my plans; I fit myself into God's plans." [Matthew 16:24, Luke 22:42]
· Ambassador "I am pursuing my God-designed Niche/Calling/Purpose in life." [2 Corinthians 5:17-20, 1 Peter 4:10]
· Co-Heir “I am reigning in Heaven with the King of Kings.” [Romans 8:17, Titus 3:4-7] (This stage will occur at the End Times.)
So ask yourself what stage you are at, and what it will take to get you to move to the next stage. This specific module is geared primarily for Believers and encouraging them to jump more deeply into the Bible they already submit to and let it take them to the Disciple stage.
· Trusting the Scriptures
In the previous Module "Bible Apologetics", we laid down the reasons we can and should trust in the Scriptures. This Module will teach us *how*. The Bible is a very deep, very remarkable Book; one that can answer questions to any situation we may find ourselves in. But we need to first appreciate, be in awe of and trust in the Scriptures and then learn *how* to find the answers and understand what it is the pages are teaching us!
· How well do you already know the Scriptures?
This quiz is full of ‘trick’ questions, simply to point out that what we are often taught or remember about stories of the Bible aren’t always necessarily correct. Too often, we Christians assume “Ah, I know the basics of the Bible, so I don’t need to worry too much about the details.” But imagine saying that to your boss if you were hired to operate a complex piece of machinery. Would your boss trust you with it if you just knew ‘the basics’? No, you would need to be trained on the details and complexities of the machine. It is the same way with the Bible. So take this quiz to see how many ‘details’ you already know of some of the Bible’s more well-known events. How many of these can you get right?
Bible Quiz
1. What did Eve and Adam eat that caused so much trouble? Genesis 2:16,17 ; 3:1-6
2. How many animals of each kind did Noah take aboard the Ark? Genesis 7:2-3
3. Who spoke to Moses in the Burning Bush? Exodus 3:14, John 8:58
4. Whose staff turned into a snake, made the Nile blood and brought in flies and gnats? Exodus 7:9,19 ; 8:5,16
5. Who cut Samson's hair? Judges 16:19
6. How many Wise Men/Magi came to visit Jesus? Matthew 2:1-2
7. How old was Jesus when the Wise Men/Magi came? Matthew 2:16
8. Who prepped and buried Jesus' body? John 19:38-40
9. When is the word "Trinity" first used in Scriptures? --
10. Name the 10 Commandments Exodus 20:2-17
· Getting deep into the Scriptures - 7 RESOURCES
1) THE HOLY SPIRIT
The first Resource that we always want to tap into to better understand the Bible is the Holy Spirit, the Author of the Bible.
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears; " Isaiah 11:1-3 NIV
"So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:
"I am young in years,
and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
I thought, 'Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise,
not only the aged who understand what is right." Job 32:6-9 NIV
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:6-14 NIV
"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience," Colossians 1:6-11 NIV
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me." Psalm 119:18-19 NIV
= So we can see from these passages that we must lean on God, specifically the Holy Spirit, to open our eyes so that we can understand what the Scriptures are saying and what we are supposed to do with that. I recommend that each time you set down to read the Bible, start with a prayer, quoting Psalm 119:18-19 and asking the Spirit to help you understand what you are about to read.
2) THE TEXT ITSELF
The second Resource that is needed is the actual words of the Scriptures, the Text Itself.
"So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:19-21 NASB
"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB
"The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men." Acts 17:10-12 NASB
= From all three of these passages, we learn that the Bible/Scriptures/Word of God has been given life by God, to:
-EDUCATE us (teaching us the truth of things); for the mind
-ENCOURAGE us (make us *want* to obey the truth of things); for the heart
-EQUIP us (with the tools needed to follow through in obeying the truth of things); for our actions
As Mark 12:29-31 teaches us, we are to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; that is, with our emotional desires, in spiritual matters, with our intellectual thoughts and with our physical action. So we can see that by learning from and applying the Bible to the details of our lives, it will directly help us live out the Greatest Commandment!
Here are some external resources that will help you 'examine' the Text daily:
Bible Gateway: www.biblegateway.com
An excellent on-line source for quickly finding words, phrases and passages in the Bible, including from different translations and in different languages. Last time I counted, they had 42 languages and 20 English translations as well as search engines for passage, word, and topic. (All Scripture quotes in this document were copied from BibleGateway.)
"The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance"
This if for the KJV, but you can find exhaustive concordances for other versions as well. Get an 'exhaustive' one, as it will have every single word marked and referenced. One of the reasons that I like Strong's is that it also contains the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek spellings and definitions, and E-sword (which we discuss later) uses the Strong numbering system.
"MacArthur's Topical Bible"
There are many different topical Bibles out there; I just admire MacArthur's work. He uses the NKJV for this edition. A topical Bible is a list of different topics or issues (or themes), and a breakdown under topic of all (or most) of the verses in the Bible that deal with that topic.
"Learn the Bible in 24 Hours" by Chuck Missler
I strongly recommend that everyone read this book. It goes into some depth about how we can know the Bible is from God and what we can learn from it. This book opened my eyes to the truth of what the Bible is exactly and radically transformed my perspectives about God's Word.
"The Signature of God & The Handwriting of God" by Grant Jeffrey
Another really good book about the 'history' of the Bible and how we can accept that it is reliable and authoritative. It is not necessarily very well-written, but it is chock full of useful and startling facts about the Bible.
“A User's Guide to Bible Translations: Making the Most of Different Translations" by David Dewey
This is a really good book that will help you understand the differences between the various English translations, the history of how each came about it, and advice on which one to study depending on your goals for reading the Bible.
To give a brief synopsis on Translations/Versions of the Bible:
-There are over 6900 languages in the world. 1600 of them have the Bible now translated into their tongue. Another 1400 are being worked on currently. And there are plans to translate the Bible into 2500 more after that (meaning 5500 out of the 6900 languages would have the Bible in their own tongue).
-In English translations alone, there are more than 100 different versions.
-When trying to understand the reasons for all the different versions, know that there are two basic 'camps' of translation preferences: Word-for-Word and Thought-for-Thought.
For example, the Spanish phrase "No me importa." literally (word-for-word) means 'not to me important'.
The 'thought-for-thought' translation would say 'I don't care'.
A mix of the two camps would render 'It's not important to me.'
The same thing happens with the Bible. Some translators want to copy from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek word for word, being as precise and literal as possible, even if it makes the English sentence a bit choppy or difficult to read. But they are the best versions for doing studies and expositions of the text.
A thought-for-thought translator feels that 'comprehension' is more important than 'literalness', and so they summarize or even paraphrase what the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts say, so that we the reader can more easily understand the point of the passage. These tend to be better for oral reading or meditating on the text.
Among the more common English Translations:
-NASB (New American Standard Bible) tends to be the most literal, word-for-word translation.
-RSV & ESV (Revised Standard Version & English Standard Version) are British versions, also pretty literal.
-KJV (King James Version) is another word-for-word translation, though more poetic in its old English than NASB or RSV.
-NKJV (New King James Version) uses modern English, but still stays true to the older version's word-for-word preference.
-EOB (Eastern Greek Orthodox Bible) has the New Testament available now, with the Old Testament scheduled for 2010.
-NIV (New International Version) is the most popular version of the Bible today (surpassing the KJV in the 1980s). It is a hybrid of word-for-word and thought-for-thought, attempting to be both literal and readable.
-HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) is a more recent version, fast growing in popularity. It tends to be more thought-for-thought.
-NJB (New Jerusalem Bible) is very poetic and good for the reading of prayers.
-NLT (New Living Translation) is a thought-for-thought version that I really enjoy.
-AMP (Amplified Version) is probably my favorite thought-for-thought, because it adds synonyms or expansions in brackets to the text, to give you a broader perspective on how the words could be translated. It's not very readable, but it is a very passionate translation.
-MSG (the Message) is not really a translation, but simply a paraphrase by the author Eugene Patterson. It is quite popular with young Christians or those who value readability in modern English.
Another great type of Bible to have is a "Parallel Bible" which usually has two or four different translation, split up in columns, so that you can compare the different versions quickly. It is thus a big book, but a helpful one.
It is also very important to understand that you do not need to get upset or doubtful about the accuracy of the Bible with all its different translation. Do a comparison between versions and you will find that while vocabulary and grammar may be quite different at times, the overall point of the passage stays the same. It is simply a re-phrasing of the same God-authored Truth.
To give just one example, let us take a look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and compare it to seven of the translations mentioned above:
“16(A)All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that (B)the man of God may be adequate, (C)equipped for every good work.” NASB
“ 16(A) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that(B) the man of God[a] may be competent,(C) equipped(D) for every good work.” ESV
“16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NKJV
“16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NIV
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God (A) [a] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” HCSB
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” NLT
“16Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), 17So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” AMP
Changes in minor details between manuscripts, passages and translations do nothing to impede upon the reliability, validity and authority of the Bible. And by going in-depth, one can find that contradictions dissipate and the true meaning of any given passage reveals itself. [For a more in-depth look at the Variance Issue of the Scriptures, take a look at our Bible Apologetics Module.]
3) THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
The third Resource that will help you get the most of out of the Scriptures is knowing the meaning of the words used in the original languages- Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. And you don’t have to learn to speak the language; just use the resources available to find the in-depth meaning of the original wording.
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:23 NIV
"They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)." Matthew 27:33 NIV
"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 NIV
"James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder)." Mark 3:17 NIV
"He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" )." Mark 5:41 NIV
"He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" )." Mark 7:34 NIV
"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"" John 1:38 NIV
"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet." Acts 4:36-37 NIV
= It's interesting to note that the writers of the Bible chose to translate within the text. Mark could’ve just quoted Jesus as saying 'be opened!’ Why did he feel the need to add the actual Aramaic term 'ephphatha'? Why did John put in the word 'Rabbi', when 'Teacher' would've been enough?
I believe these passages (and others) show the importance of knowing words and phrases in their original language and how they translate. And so I encourage everyone to get to know the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words of the Bible (at least key ones) and see what they literally mean. I have found that by doing so, I find much more depth and understanding from the passage. To give just a couple of examples:
ELOHIM - In Genesis 1:1, our English translations say "God" created the heavens and earth. The Hebrew word for God here is 'Elohim'. 'El' means 'god'; '-im' is a suffix making it plural. Thus "elohim" literally translates 'gods'. Since we know God is one from other passages [Mark 12:29, etc.], then what we see here is a reference to the plurality of God, ie His Trinitarian form [Matthew 3:16-17]. So rather than just always saying 'God' or 'Lord' or 'Father', when I am praying to God the Trinity, I say 'Elohim'.
YHVH/YHWH, Yehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah - In Genesis 4:1, our English translation says "LORD", but the Hebrew word is actually "YHVH", which means 'the Transcendent One (of time)" or the "(always) Existing One". This word shows the timelessness of God. So while we use God and LORD, we are missing out on inferences of His Plural and Eternal nature. This is not to say we should not use those words, but rather just understand what they really mean.
ABBA - In Genesis 2:24, we see the word 'father', which in Hebrew is "ab". In Mark 14:36, we see Jesus calling to Abba, not Ab. This was basically like saying 'Papa' or 'Daddy'. It shows the intimacy and love that Jesus had for His Father. It is a caring title for God, one that we should be excited to use. It's also interesting to note that the Hebrew letter 'a' (aleph) means 'strong' or 'leader'. The Hebrew letter 'b' (bet) means 'house' or 'family'. So putting the two letters together, forming the word 'ab', literally means 'the leader of the family'. When you put the Hebrew letter 'h' (heh) in the middle, you get the word 'ahb' (pronounced 'aheb'). This literally means 'the breath of the leader of the family' or figuratively 'the essence of the father'. The word is translated "love".
Anthrakia - In John 21:9, we see Jesus cooking fish over a 'fire of coals'. The Greek word for this type of fire is "anthrakia". The New Testament almost always uses the more general word for fire "pur", but here, for some reason, John specifically uses "anthrakia", wanting the reader to know it was a coal fire. This was the scene where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Why three times? I think it was a subtle reminder from Jesus that He had predicted Peter denying Him three times. Interestingly enough, the word "anthrakia" is used only one other time in the Bible. It is found a few chapters earlier in John 18:18. The NIV version just says 'fire', but it is the exact same type of fire used by Jesus on the beach, the 'anthrakia' coal fire. This is where Peter denies Jesus! So Jesus, on the beach, uses two subtle reminders for Peter about his denials, but we miss one of them if we are not cognizant of the Greek words used.
Makrothumia - In Galatians 5:22, we see one of the fruit of the Spirit being 'patience' (KJV uses the word 'longsuffering'). The Greek word used is "makrothumia", and one of its definitions if 'forbearance'. I had to go to Merriam-Webster Online to look up forbearance, where I found that it means 'a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due'. That's a pretty specific and powerful definition; one that takes our common definition of patience (to wait for a while) to a higher level. Too often many of our 'Christian words' have become so overused, they lose their meaning or fade from the original definition that God intended. And so by going back to the Greek (or Hebrew or Aramaic), we can find the more 'in-depth' meaning of what God is teaching us.
Pisteuo - This is probably the single most powerful example I have found so far in the Bible. In John 3:16, it tells us that if we 'believe' in Jesus, we will have eternal life. The Greek word used for 'believe' is "pisteuo", and it means 'to give credit to, to rely on'. Too often, we think that to 'believe in Jesus' simply means to think that He existed and that He was a good teacher. But the Bible tells us that just because we think God exists does not mean we are getting into Heaven [James 2:19] and that if we give lip service to Him through our actions, but not our heart, it is not enough [Matthew 7:22-23, Romans 10:9]. What we need to do is "give credit to" Jesus (for buying our ticket into Heaven) and "relying on" Him (to get us through this life into the eternal life). So rather than asking people if they are a Christian or a Believer (or even a Jesus-follower), what I ask is "Who do you give credit to, who do you rely on, to get you into Heaven?" If they answer "Jesus Christ", then I know for certain where they stand eternally.
Inspired Scripture - In Section 2, I quoted passages from 2 Peter, 2 Timothy and Acts 17 about the Scriptures ultimately coming from the Holy Spirit, not men, and the reasons to study It. If we take a moment to break down the key words and phrases of that passage, we can get a better understanding of what Peter, Paul and Luke are telling us.
"So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:19-21 NASB
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'more sure' is "bebaios", meaning 'stable, firm, steadfast, sure'.
-'do well' is "poieo kalos", meaning 'do well, do honestly, recover well'.
-'pay attention to' is "prosecho", meaning 'to hold the mind towards, pay attention to, be cautious about, take heed of, apply oneself to, adhere to'.
-'lamp' is "luchos", meaning 'portable lamp, illuminator'.
-'dark place' is "auchmeros topos", meaning 'a dirty, obscure or dark place, condition or opportunity'.
-'know first of all' is "ginasko touto proton", meaning 'be aware of, perceive, be sure of, understand, resolve that of chief importance'.
-'prophecy' is "propheteia", meaning 'prediction, prophecy'.
-'Scripture' is "graphe", meaning 'written document'.
-'matter of one's interpretation' is "idios epilusis", meaning 'the personal explanation or application of an individual'.
-'made by' is "phero", meaning 'carried, driven by'.
-'an act of human will' is "thelema anthropos", meaning 'determined or chosen by a human'.
-'men from God' is "hagios theos anthropos", meaning 'the Holy God's men'.
-'spoke' is "laleo", meaning 'talk, utter, say, preach'
-'moved by the Holy Spirit' is "phero hupo hagios pneuma", meaning 'carried by or under the Holy Spirit'.
= From this detailed breakdown, we can see that it is extremely important for you and I to be confident that the predictive writings of the Bible were spoken by God's servants, not from their own choice of words or opinions, but rather through being led by the Holy Spirit. Because of this, it is a very good thing if we keep the Bible with us wherever we go and listen carefully and apply Its words to our lives, especially when we find ourselves in confusing situations.
"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'continue' is "meno", meaning 'stay, remain, endure, stand'.
-'become convinced of' is "pistuo", meaning 'to be assured of the truth, persuaded with confidence'.
-'knowing' is "eido", meaning 'to look on, perceive, understand'.
-'sacred writings' is "heiros gramma", meaning 'sacred writings, letters'.
-'give you wisdom' is "sophizo", meaning 'to render cunningly wise'.
-'leads to salvation' is "eis soteria", meaning 'delivered or rescued into health and safety'.
-'faith' is "pistis", meaning 'a persuaded conviction of and reliance on the truth of something'.
-'All Scripture' is "pas graphe", meaning 'all documents'.
-'inspired by God' is "theopneustos", meaning 'God-breathed'.
-'profitable' is "ophelimos", meaning 'helpful, advantageous'.
-'teaching' is "didaskalia", meaning 'instruction, doctrine'.
-'reproof' is "elegchos", meaning 'evidence, proof, conviction'.
-'correction' is "epanorthosis", meaning 'a straightening up again, rectification'.
-'training in righteousness' is "paideia en dikaiosune", meaning 'turtorage, education, training in equity, justification'.
-'man of God' is "anthropos theos", meaning 'one of God's humans'.
-'adequate' is "artios", meaning 'fresh, complete, perfect'.
-'equipped for every good work' is "exartizo pros pas agathos ergon", meaning 'to finish out, accomplish, equip fully for all beneficial actions, deeds and labours'.
= From this detailed breakdown, we can see that we should continue learning from the sacred writings of the Bible (knowing who our teachers of the Bible are), being confident that they will help us place our trust in Jesus Christ and thus receive eternal life in Heaven. We know that we can trust the Bible because it has been breathed into by God, giving it life (just as God gave humans life), and because of this, we will learn God's Will, evidence that it truly is God's Will, correction for when we apply it wrongly and guidance on how to live for God correctly. Thus, applying the Bible to our lives will help us become more complete (as God designed us) and prepared to do whatever good thing He asks of us.
"The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men." Acts 17:10-12
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'noble-minded' is "eugenes", meaning 'of high rank, well born, noble'.
-'received the word with great eagerness' is "dechomai to logos meta pas prothumia", meaning 'received, accepted the word, topic, thought, reasoning with all predisposition, promptness of acceptance, willingness'.
-'examining the Scriptures daily' is "anakrino to graphe kata hemera", meaning 'scrutinize, investigate, examine, searched the documents every day'.
-'believed' is "pisteuo", meaning 'to give credit to and rely on something (here, the Bible)'.
= From this we can learn a powerful incentive to study the details of the text every day: if we do so, we will be considered of high rank in God's Kingdom.
Here are some external resources that will help you understand the original languages of the Bible:
E-Sword software. www.e-sword.net
This is pretty much (in my mind) a requirement for anyone who wants to understand the Bible better. It has three basic sections: a dictionary, commentary (from 12 different sources) and the Bible Text (utilizing over 85 different translations, including the Bishop's Bible of 1568, the Septuagint Greek version, the Hebrew manuscripts, the King James Version, and translations in 34 different languages!). On some of the translations, you can hover your cursor over a word in the text, and it will display a pop-up box with what the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek word was. And here's the kicker: it's free! There are some application add-ons that cost money (such as adding the NIV translation to the software), but the majority of it is no-cost. I really, really believe that everyone should download this program.
Hebrew 4 Christians. www.hebrew4christians.com
This is a great website that teaches you the history, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and more of the Biblical Hebrew language. They have devotions, links and a wide variety of other tools to help you better understand Hebrew.
Crosswalk Lexicon. http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/
The Crosswalk website itself is extensive, with a huge variety of material for Christians. What I specifically recommend is their Lexicon, which is a pretty exhaustive compilation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words found in the Bible.
"The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance"
I already mentioned this one above, but because it includes a comprehensive Hebrew and Greek dictionary in the back, I list it here as well.
4) THE CONTEXT & BACKGROUND
The fourth Resource that enables you to get a better grasp of the Scriptures is understanding the context and background of each passage and book of the Bible.
"The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"" Mark 7:1-5 NIV
"So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."" John 4:5-10 NIV
"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"" John 18:28-29 NIV
Just as we see examples straight out of the text that show the importance of knowing the original languages of a phrase, we also see passages straight out of the text that show the importance of recognizing culture issues and background story to have a greater understanding of what is going on. Here are some specific examples:
Rabbi Tassels - In Malachi 4:2 (a Messianic prophecy), it mentions the 'sun of righteousness' rising with healing in its 'wings'. The Hebrew word for 'wings' is "kanaph", meaning 'edge or extremity' and was used to describe a bird's wings. It was also used to describe the tassels on a Rabbi's cloak. As a Rabbi would lift his arms to bless a crowd, he would look like a great bird spreading its wings. In Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8, we see a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years want to approach Jesus as He was walking through a crowd. Imagine that scene: a huge group of people crowding around Jesus, trying to listen to His words of wisdom and possibly see a miracle (He was on His way to heal the daughter of a synagogue ruler). We can easily imagine how the ruler was able to approach Jesus. He was a respected man of the community and people would have parted for him to get through. But what about this woman? How was she able to get through? Well, since she had a sickness, she would have been considered 'unclean', and no self-respecting Jew would have touched her or let themselves be touched by her. So they would have parted quickly as she approached. This allowed her to get up to Jesus. In Luke 8:44, we see her specifically touching Jesus' "kraspedon", which is the Greek word for 'margin, border' and was used to describe the tassels or hem of a cloak. We know Jesus was considered a Rabbi (Matthew 26:35, etc.) so He would have had a cloak with such tassels. So what we see here is the woman, realizing that if she touched Jesus she would be healed (Mark 5:28), believed Jesus to be the fulfillment of Malachi 4:2 (every good Jew would know their Scriptures and be awaiting their Messiah). Jesus would have recognized this and so when He said "Your faith has healed you" (Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 8:48), He meant that her belief that He was the literal 'sun of righteousness' was rewarded with a literal healing. We miss the depth of this story when we read it in English with a Western mindset. But by getting into the Hebrew culture and looking up the original wording, the story comes alive even more!
"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2 NIV
"While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment." Matthew 9:18-22 NIV
"When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."" Mark 5:19-33 NIV
"Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."" Luke 8:40-48 NIV
Hebrew weddings - During Jesus' day, when a Jewish man and woman made the decision to get married, a preparation time immediately ensued. The groom-to-be would return to his father's house to begin building on additional rooms (since the newly married couple would live with the groom's family). Meanwhile, the bride-to-be would return to her family and began preparations for the marriage. One of her roles would be to lead the family in worship, so the bride would learn the necessary songs and psalms and writings of the Tanakh. Unlike wedding traditions today, the bride did not know when the actual wedding would take place, so she had to be prepared for her husband-to-be to return at any time to take her to her new home.
So when Jesus told the parable of Matthew 25 about the wedding feast, He was describing actual Jewish wedding traditions of the time. His listeners would completely follow what He was saying.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
‘No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:1-13 NIV
And when Jesus talked about our future in Heaven, He used wedding vocabulary, so that His listeners would be able to better understand what He was describing. And John uses the same images when describing Heaven in his vision.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. …
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " …
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." John 14:1-3, Revelation 19:6-9; 21:2-4 NIV
Here are some external resources that will help you understand the background and context of the Bible:
"Halley's Bible Handbook - Deluxe Edition" by Henry H. Halley
This book has been around a long time, and the Deluxe Edition has a beautiful, emotional forward to balance out the rest of the scholarly work. It is color-coded with easy-to-follow graphs, pictures, etc. It's a comprehensive piece chock full of background information.
"Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners And Customs: How The People Of The Bible Really Lived" by Howard F. Vos
This book reads like a text book, but an interesting one. It is a thoroughly referenced book, with tons of information about the cultures in each section of the Bible (politics, military, family, housing, clothing, diet, religion and more). This really helps paint a picture to put in your mind of what the world looked like as your read the text of the Bible.
"Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible"; David Noel Freedman
Any well-done dictionary will work; this is just the one that I own and use. It just provides yet more resources for you to better understand the nuances of Bible passages.
Holman Bible Atlas
Any Bible Atlas will do; it depends on your personal preferences. But to have one is a must, for it will help put to visual what the text is talking about: items, buildings, locations, routes, etc. It's fascinating to see where the different events of the Bible happened (many occur on the same place over thousands of years). Of course, it's even more fascinating to go there yourself!
Chuck Missler's Commentaries on Books of the Bible. http://store.khouse.org/store/
These are insane. Chuck Missler, while being kind of the 'odd uncle' of Bible scholars, has dedicated his life to unwrapping the Scriptures, and his bag of knowledge is so big, so detailed, it continually blows me out of the water. He is the one who really got me into taking the Scriptures more seriously (and with more fun) and diving into the depth of God's Word for mankind. He has commentaries on MP3 for all of the Books of the Bible, and commentaries on video for 13 of the Books. I prefer the video (as I am a visual learner), but they are a bit more expensive (though you definitely get what you paid for and more).
"The Complete Guide to the Bible" by Stephen M. Miller
I would recommend this book for a new or young Christian. It is not as heavy as Missler's works, but still offers a lot of information, in a visually stimulating and easy-to-read format.
Ilumina software, Gold Version www.livethebible.com
I really like this software. It's a bit pricey (about $90), but you get more than a bang for your buck. It has so many things on it and is a dream for visual learners. Videos, 3D virtual tours, sharp animation of famous Biblical stories, a detailed timeline of history, modern day archaeological notes and tons more. It is great for adults and kids; areally good purchase for your Bible library.
Study Bibles, glossaries, etc.
At the back of most Bibles today, you will find brief glossaries that can add background information for you. The plethora of Study Bibles out there now is impressive, and they often have great material to help open your eyes to the wonders of the text. The Archaeological Bible, the NKJV Chronological Study Bible, the HCSB Apologetics Bible and the NIV Quest Study Bible are all ones that I recommend.
5) COMMENTARIES & NOTES
The fifth resource that will increase your understanding of the Bible are commentaries and notes by other students of the Bible.
"As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 11:7-14 NIV
"In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, 'May another take his place of leadership.' Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us," Acts 1:15-21 NIV
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."" Romans 1:16-17 NIV
"As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world." Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
"I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” And Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." But concerning Israel he says,
"All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."” Romans 10:11-21 NIV
Once again, we see that we can learn from the Bible Itself on how to study It. Here are four examples where an earlier passage is referenced and then an expert (Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc) comments on the passage and explains it, giving their thoughts on what the earlier passage meant. In the same way, commentaries are experts' comments on a passages and what they believe those passages mean.
When I first started going more in-depth into the Bible, I did not like reading commentaries. And it was basically because of pride. I thought 'why should I read other people's opinions of the text when I can sort through them on my own'. I've since been humbled enough by God (though I have a long way to go still) to realize that commentaries and the notes of others can go along way in shedding light and perspective on a text. To give you one example:
Kings and their horses- I was doing a study on Deuteronomy 17 and God's expectations for the King of Israel. One of the things that God commanded for whomever became King of the Israelites, was that he not acquire a great number of horses for himself. Initially, I thought this meant he was not to have a lot of possessions. But reading Vos' "New Illustrated Bible Manners And Customs", he made note that this referred to a standing army. I wasn't sure if he was right, but it got me curious and I did some further research in other commentaries (Barnes, Clark, Gill, Henry and others) and found that all of them made similar comments. That made for a pretty convincing perspective and it was a key changing point for me. I began to take Commentators' notes more seriously.
So now, when studying a controversial or confusing passage, I will look up a number of commentators' notes to help build perspective for me. I very often find that at least one of them (usually more than one) makes a statement that I had not thought of that eventually really hits home with me and resonates as true. Commentators' writings are not 'inspired', so we must not take what they say as absolute, automatic truth, but I do strongly believe that God still uses humans today to get His Message across and we can learn from these experienced, extremely knowledgeable scholars and lovers of the Bible. The perspectives and discoveries and conclusions go a long way in finding extra depth, broader understanding of the Bible.
Here are some external resources that will help you understand troublesome passages of the Bible:
E-sword software- www.e-sword.net
As already mentioned above, E-sword is just an incredible tool. One of its major pluses is that it includes commentaries from at least 7 scholars (Barnes, Clark, Darby, Gill, Henry, Jamieson and Keil) for easy reference.
Individual Commentators-
There are many out there, over thousands of years. You can find one whose style and perspective resonate with you and use that as your main commentary, though it's always good to read outside the box and study commentators with a different doctrinal theology than you as well. It will keep you from possibly missing key points you would not normally consider. Some of the more famous commentators include:
-F F Bruce
-John Macarthur
-Matthew Henry
-C. I. Scofield
-Charles H. Spurgeoun
-John Wesley
"Hard Sayings of the Bible" by Kaiser, Davids, Bruce & Brauch
There are several of these type books out there, that focus on the troublesome, confusing and controversial passages of the Bible. It helps you work through the issues of the text and (hopefully) come to a better grasp of what the tough passage is getting at.
Study Bibles-
Most Bibles today offer some kind of commentary or elaboration in the margins, footnotes, articles and glossaries.
6) MEDITATION & REFLECTION
The sixth Resource to tap into departs from the ‘scholarly’ and moves into the more mystical area (just as the Holy Spirit is a more mystical resource).
"Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8 NIV
"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
"Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders. …
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes." Psalm 119:27, 97-99 NIV
In today's world, meditation is most often associated with eastern religions and pagan practices, and so many Christians avoid such things for fear that they will be tampering with things that God does not like. But that couldn't be further from the truth, for in His very Message to us He tells us to meditate on His Word.
The Joshua passage uses the Hebrew word "hagah" for meditate, and it literally means 'to murmur', and by implication 'to ponder, meditate on'. So to meditate on God's Word literally means to utter His verses softly to yourself, just like a chant or mantra by eastern religions (and early orders of the Church). Figuratively, at the least, you should ponder on a verse or passage, thinking about what it means. An excellent one to start with (in my opinion) is the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Repeat their words softly to yourself; think on them heavily and what each word or each phrase means to you.
The Psalms passages use the Hebrew words "siyach" and "siychah". They literally mean 'to ponder or muse' and 'reflection', and by implication 'to converse out loud with oneself or utter'. So it's the same meaning, coming from the other direction. Either way, whether you are thinking deeply on a passage or uttering it to yourself, that is meditation in God's Eyes, and it is a good thing.
So think deeply on what you are reading and hearing from God. Sometimes, put away all your textbooks and scholarly resources. Close up your laptop or notebook, and just clear your mind, quiet your soul, relax your body and read a small passage slowly, first quietly, then out loud. Reflect on it, ponder it. And then memorize it by repeatedly saying it to yourself. You will find that understanding that escaped you in your studies mystically becomes clearer now.
One technique I have learned for putting myself in a meditative state is the "5 P's": Place, Position, Pace, Perspective and Purpose:
Place: find a secluded, quiet spot (I prefer a dark or dimly lit area, usually my basement or bedroom).
Position: put yourself in a comfortable position, whether sitting with your legs crossed or stretched out, or even laying down, though be careful, as it will be easy to doze off. ; )
Pace: consciously slow down your breathing. Inhale very slowly and deeply, taking 8-10 seconds to fill your lungs. Then take just as long to exhale completely. Do this for about a minute (maybe more), breathing in and out about six or seven times. By the end of it, you will be able to feel your heart beating, as your body slows down.
Perspective: This means your senses. Close your eyes and take a couple of minutes and concentrate one at time on each of your senses. I usually start with my hearing, trying to pinpoint every sound I can hear (wind, the creaking of the house, white noise, etc). Then I turn to my smell and try to be aware of the different smells in the room (this is a weak one for me). Then I focus on taste and any lingering remnants in my mouth (from the previous meal, coffee, gum, toothpaste, whatever it may be). Then I pay attention to touch. I start with my feet and I try to 'feel' every part of my skin (where my socks touch my feet, where my jeans touch my legs or my legs touch each other, my butt where I'm sitting, my back leaning on whatever it is, my arms resting on each other, etc) all the way up to my head. And lastly, I look at what I am 'seeing' with my eyes closed. Maybe light filtering in, maybe spots, sometimes images.
Purpose: by this point, probably 5-10 minutes has passed and you should be in a very relaxed, focused, clear-minded state. You can either then turn to the passage at hand, reading and meditating on it, or you can choose to keep your eyes closed and just 'listen' to God and hear what He is speaking into the stillness of your heart and mind. For us Westerners, this is difficult and even awkward. But with enough practice and sincerity, one can find some great understanding of God's Will arising in your thoughts.
7) APPLICATION
The seventh and final Resource is to act on what you learn; by applying the Bible’s knowledge to the details of your daily life, the supernatural truth that comes from the Bible can sink in more deeply to the roots of your being.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:17-20 NIV
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." James 2:14-24 NIV
"There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised."
2 Corinthians 9:1-5 NIV
"They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him." Titus 1:16 NIV
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11 NIV
"We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." Job 5:27 NIV
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."" John 13:34-35 NIV
This should be an obvious one, but it is one frequently ignored. Sadly, it is our un-application of the Scriptures’ commandments that cause us to be our own worst advertisers. Christians are more likely to quote Biblical parameters than live them out in example.
So once you have begun to dive into the depths of the Scriptures, let it transform you, from the inside out. And act on it.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 NIV
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—" Philippians 2:12-16 NIV
One of my favorite, specific examples comes from Philemon. Onesimus the slave had run away, to Paul. Paul sends him back to his owner, Philemon (whom he knew very well), with a little note. Taking into account the context and background of slavery in the Roman Empire, Philemon would have every right to beat, even kill, Onesimus upon his return. But Paul begs, or rather boldly 'recommends' that Philemon (a believer) obey the Scriptures (such as John 13:34-35, because Onesimus was a Christian as well) in action. I'll let Paul state the case in his own words,
"Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."
Philemon 8-21 NIV
So I strongly encourage each of you to apply the principles, teachings, parameters, guidelines, commandments and expectations of the Bible to the details of your own life. This is what I mean by 'enmeshing' yourself in Scriptures.
· Viewing the Scriptures
Here are six other points that I want to bring up for you to consider and be aware of:
The Four (4) Layers of Possible Meaning (LSAP)
Literal - what the passage says, actually happened
Symbolic – what is the 'lesson' we should take away from this?
Application - can I apply the lesson to the details of my life right now?
Prophetic - is this a hint of something else to come?
Genesis 22:1-19 is a great example of a passage that has all four layers:
Literal - there really was a man Abram living circa 2100BC who went to sacrifice his son Isaac in the area of what is now Jerusalem
Symbolic - this passage shows the importance of sacrifice to God
Application - what is God calling you to sacrifice in your life?
Prophetic - this sets the stage later for God the Father sacrificing His Son (in the exact same area)
Genesis 6-8, the Flood Account is yet another:
Literal - there really was a man named Noah, living around 2500BC who escaped a world-wide flood
Symbolic - there are consequences to our disobedience to God, but He offers a way out for us
Application - do I need to repent of any disobedience?
Prophetic – foreshadowing the End Times and the Great Fire destroying the world, yet a remnant being saved through Christ
Some passages might have all four layers; others might have just one or two or three. Jesus' parables for example are not literal, and only some have a prophetic meaning. James being killed by the sword literally happened, but there is no prophetic layer. Etc.
So each time you read a passage, ask yourself which of the 4 layers apply. You will find it will help your understanding of the text and allow you to take something away from it.
The Frequency of Mention
"Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy." 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 NIV
"'Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.'" Jeremiah 7:12-15 NIV
"I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth and an object of cursing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words," declares the LORD, "words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either," declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:18-19 NIV
God definitely repeats Himself when He is trying to get a message across, and it is my opinion that the more something is mentioned in the Scripture, the more important it is to God. I can't 'prove' this; it is just a pattern I believe is real.
So while there are a handful of verses that talk about rebuking our brothers when they sin or correcting false teachings, there are many, many more passages about being patient and gentle and loving. This is not to say that we do one at the expense of the other; but rather just make sure we keep the priorities in mind in the way we treat others.
Another example is how to handle problems. In a study I did recently, I found that while there are examples in the Bible of God telling people to 'Fight' or change a situation as well as to 'Flee' or escape other persecutions, there were more examples (more than twice the Fight and Flee examples combined) that showed God wanted the people to Persevere and stay in the bad situation, just leaning on Him to get through it. So I believe this is a hint from God that He expects us to Persevere more than Fight or Flee when we find ourselves in tough situations.
I recommend that we keep these 'frequencies of mentions' in mind when we are pursuing Biblical living.
Old Testament Commandments vs. New Testament Commandments; Absolutes vs. Freedom Areas; Freedom vs. Love & Submission
"When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the LORD his God, he is guilty. When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. He is to lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering." Leviticus 4:22-24 NIV
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6 NIV
"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." Galatians 2:15-16 NIV
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." Colossians 2:6-23 NIV
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Galatians 5:13-15 NIV
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.1It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Romans 14 NIV
"Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."
1 Corinthians 8 NIV
"”Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
1 Corinthians 10:23-33 NIV
" Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."
Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."" Matthew 19:3-12 NIV
" Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." 1 Corinthians 7:1-28 NIV
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." Hebrews 13:17 NIV
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Peter 2:13-25 NIV
Without going into detail here (this could be a whole workshop by itself), we must keep in mind three very important things:
· that there are certain parts of the Old Testament that no longer apply to us, as Christ fulfilled the Law. The Law's purpose has been achieved, and we now have a new 'covenant' or 'testament' with God.
· There are certain 'commands' listed in the Bible that are actually not commands, but rather guidelines, and we must respect each individual's choice in the Freedom Areas of the Scriptures (where different opinions, preferences and applications of the guidelines are allowed).
· But we cannot use our freedom if it causes a brother to stumble or leads to sin. Love and respect of one another will always outweigh the freedom we have in Christ. And with this, if a Church Leader sets a rule that 'narrows' a Freedom Area, we are to obey the leader, for submission to authorities will always outweigh the freedom we have in Christ (unless the authority's command will directly contradict a firm Bible commandment).
[Two great examples of this are Daniel and his 3 friends in Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 and the apostles throughout the book of Acts. The earthly leaders had commanded them to do something that was a direct disobedience of God, such as bow down to an idol or cease spreading the Gospel. And so in each instance, the Godly men disobeyed the earthly leader. But then they were arrested and punished. And it is key to note that the Godly men *submitted* to the earthly leaders on those accounts. Being commanded to go into a fiery furnace, lion's den or jail did not contradict the Bible, and so the Godly men submitted to that earthly decision, even if they could find many personal reasons not to do so.]
With Variances, Always Remember the overall Eternal Pattern & Perspective
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:12-21 NIV
"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:1-3 NIV
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:6-14 NIV
All I want to say here is read the Bible from an eternal perspective. The world will tell you that if the Bible's claims contradict the realities of the world, then the Bible is wrong and you must side with the world's perspective. But don't! There will be parts of the Bible that don't make sense, or that you don't like or that apparently are contradictory. But hold fast to what that Book teaches you. As seen in the Bible Apologetics workshop, the Scriptures are our North Star, our guiding light to the Promised Land over the seas of confusion and doubt. And we have to leave the 'safety' of the world's shores to get there. So trust in God, trust that the Bible is His Message to us, and let it be your map through this life to the Eternal Life.
By Book or By Theme, just Do It Eagerly & Intentionally
Here, I just want to mention that some people prefer to study the Bible book by book. Others prefer to jump around from theme to theme. Both are completely viable, and all I say is that whichever way you choose each time, just make sure you are studying the Bible *eagerly*.
“I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:12 NIV
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 NIV
As already mentioned, the phrase 'with great eagerness' in the Greek is "prothumia", and it means 'a forwardness of mind, prompt response, cheerful readiness'. The phrase 'of more noble character' is the Greek word "eugenes", and it means 'to be well-born, of high rank'. So if you intentionally, eagerly, cheerfully study the Bible, you will be considered of high rank in God's Kingdom!
Remember the Rewards, Benefits and Blessings that come with Enmeshing yourself in Scriptures
"This is what the LORD says:
‘Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 NIV
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Matthew 7:24-25 NIV
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9 NIV
"Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:29-31 NIV
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:1-3 NIV
"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book…..."I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:7, 16-20 NIV
Summary
· The Bible is your North Star, your map to the abundant life. It is Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.
· So take the time to take it seriously; go in-depth; enmesh yourself with it; you will be of high-rank in God's Kingdom for doing so.
· Lean on the Holy Spirit (the Author of It) and let Him guide you through It.
· Read the text and trust in It.
· Know the original wording of key phrases, in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
· Learn the background and context of the passage.
· Read the commentary of other wise individuals and let them show you new perspectives.
· Meditate, reflect and repeat verses and passages that resonate within you.
· Apply what you learn!
· Recognize which of the 4 Layers any given passage contains (LSAP).
· Be aware of the 'Frequency of Mention' of the various themes of the Scriptures.
· Know your Freedom Areas and their Limits.
· Keep an Eternal Perspective as you read the Bible.
· Whether by book or by theme, study Eagerly and Intentionally!
· Let God bless you for your devotion to His Word!
Lecture Topic:
We always start off each module with a brief description of the 7-Stage Journey. Rekindling’s goal is to encourage each individual, wherever stage they are at on the journey, to take one step to the right and move into the next stage.
· The 7-stage Journey
· Atheist "There is no supernatural, there is no god." [Psalm 14:1-2; Romans 1:18-25]
· Agnostic "Maybe there is a God, maybe there isn't; it's just not for me." [1 Corinthians 2:11-14; Revelation 3:15-17]
· Seeker "I think I need to learn more about God." [Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 28:9]
· Believer "I trust in Christ Jesus as the Way to God, the Truth of things and the source of Life." [John 3:16, 14:6]
· Disciple "I no longer fit God into my plans; I fit myself into God's plans." [Matthew 16:24, Luke 22:42]
· Ambassador "I am pursuing my God-designed Niche/Calling/Purpose in life." [2 Corinthians 5:17-20, 1 Peter 4:10]
· Co-Heir “I am reigning in Heaven with the King of Kings.” [Romans 8:17, Titus 3:4-7] (This stage will occur at the End Times.)
So ask yourself what stage you are at, and what it will take to get you to move to the next stage. This specific module is geared primarily for Believers and encouraging them to jump more deeply into the Bible they already submit to and let it take them to the Disciple stage.
· Trusting the Scriptures
In the previous Module "Bible Apologetics", we laid down the reasons we can and should trust in the Scriptures. This Module will teach us *how*. The Bible is a very deep, very remarkable Book; one that can answer questions to any situation we may find ourselves in. But we need to first appreciate, be in awe of and trust in the Scriptures and then learn *how* to find the answers and understand what it is the pages are teaching us!
· How well do you already know the Scriptures?
This quiz is full of ‘trick’ questions, simply to point out that what we are often taught or remember about stories of the Bible aren’t always necessarily correct. Too often, we Christians assume “Ah, I know the basics of the Bible, so I don’t need to worry too much about the details.” But imagine saying that to your boss if you were hired to operate a complex piece of machinery. Would your boss trust you with it if you just knew ‘the basics’? No, you would need to be trained on the details and complexities of the machine. It is the same way with the Bible. So take this quiz to see how many ‘details’ you already know of some of the Bible’s more well-known events. How many of these can you get right?
Bible Quiz
1. What did Eve and Adam eat that caused so much trouble? Genesis 2:16,17 ; 3:1-6
2. How many animals of each kind did Noah take aboard the Ark? Genesis 7:2-3
3. Who spoke to Moses in the Burning Bush? Exodus 3:14, John 8:58
4. Whose staff turned into a snake, made the Nile blood and brought in flies and gnats? Exodus 7:9,19 ; 8:5,16
5. Who cut Samson's hair? Judges 16:19
6. How many Wise Men/Magi came to visit Jesus? Matthew 2:1-2
7. How old was Jesus when the Wise Men/Magi came? Matthew 2:16
8. Who prepped and buried Jesus' body? John 19:38-40
9. When is the word "Trinity" first used in Scriptures? --
10. Name the 10 Commandments Exodus 20:2-17
· Getting deep into the Scriptures - 7 RESOURCES
1) THE HOLY SPIRIT
The first Resource that we always want to tap into to better understand the Bible is the Holy Spirit, the Author of the Bible.
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears; " Isaiah 11:1-3 NIV
"So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:
"I am young in years,
and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
I thought, 'Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.'
But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise,
not only the aged who understand what is right." Job 32:6-9 NIV
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:6-14 NIV
"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience," Colossians 1:6-11 NIV
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me." Psalm 119:18-19 NIV
= So we can see from these passages that we must lean on God, specifically the Holy Spirit, to open our eyes so that we can understand what the Scriptures are saying and what we are supposed to do with that. I recommend that each time you set down to read the Bible, start with a prayer, quoting Psalm 119:18-19 and asking the Spirit to help you understand what you are about to read.
2) THE TEXT ITSELF
The second Resource that is needed is the actual words of the Scriptures, the Text Itself.
"So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:19-21 NASB
"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB
"The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men." Acts 17:10-12 NASB
= From all three of these passages, we learn that the Bible/Scriptures/Word of God has been given life by God, to:
-EDUCATE us (teaching us the truth of things); for the mind
-ENCOURAGE us (make us *want* to obey the truth of things); for the heart
-EQUIP us (with the tools needed to follow through in obeying the truth of things); for our actions
As Mark 12:29-31 teaches us, we are to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; that is, with our emotional desires, in spiritual matters, with our intellectual thoughts and with our physical action. So we can see that by learning from and applying the Bible to the details of our lives, it will directly help us live out the Greatest Commandment!
Here are some external resources that will help you 'examine' the Text daily:
Bible Gateway: www.biblegateway.com
An excellent on-line source for quickly finding words, phrases and passages in the Bible, including from different translations and in different languages. Last time I counted, they had 42 languages and 20 English translations as well as search engines for passage, word, and topic. (All Scripture quotes in this document were copied from BibleGateway.)
"The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance"
This if for the KJV, but you can find exhaustive concordances for other versions as well. Get an 'exhaustive' one, as it will have every single word marked and referenced. One of the reasons that I like Strong's is that it also contains the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek spellings and definitions, and E-sword (which we discuss later) uses the Strong numbering system.
"MacArthur's Topical Bible"
There are many different topical Bibles out there; I just admire MacArthur's work. He uses the NKJV for this edition. A topical Bible is a list of different topics or issues (or themes), and a breakdown under topic of all (or most) of the verses in the Bible that deal with that topic.
"Learn the Bible in 24 Hours" by Chuck Missler
I strongly recommend that everyone read this book. It goes into some depth about how we can know the Bible is from God and what we can learn from it. This book opened my eyes to the truth of what the Bible is exactly and radically transformed my perspectives about God's Word.
"The Signature of God & The Handwriting of God" by Grant Jeffrey
Another really good book about the 'history' of the Bible and how we can accept that it is reliable and authoritative. It is not necessarily very well-written, but it is chock full of useful and startling facts about the Bible.
“A User's Guide to Bible Translations: Making the Most of Different Translations" by David Dewey
This is a really good book that will help you understand the differences between the various English translations, the history of how each came about it, and advice on which one to study depending on your goals for reading the Bible.
To give a brief synopsis on Translations/Versions of the Bible:
-There are over 6900 languages in the world. 1600 of them have the Bible now translated into their tongue. Another 1400 are being worked on currently. And there are plans to translate the Bible into 2500 more after that (meaning 5500 out of the 6900 languages would have the Bible in their own tongue).
-In English translations alone, there are more than 100 different versions.
-When trying to understand the reasons for all the different versions, know that there are two basic 'camps' of translation preferences: Word-for-Word and Thought-for-Thought.
For example, the Spanish phrase "No me importa." literally (word-for-word) means 'not to me important'.
The 'thought-for-thought' translation would say 'I don't care'.
A mix of the two camps would render 'It's not important to me.'
The same thing happens with the Bible. Some translators want to copy from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek word for word, being as precise and literal as possible, even if it makes the English sentence a bit choppy or difficult to read. But they are the best versions for doing studies and expositions of the text.
A thought-for-thought translator feels that 'comprehension' is more important than 'literalness', and so they summarize or even paraphrase what the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts say, so that we the reader can more easily understand the point of the passage. These tend to be better for oral reading or meditating on the text.
Among the more common English Translations:
-NASB (New American Standard Bible) tends to be the most literal, word-for-word translation.
-RSV & ESV (Revised Standard Version & English Standard Version) are British versions, also pretty literal.
-KJV (King James Version) is another word-for-word translation, though more poetic in its old English than NASB or RSV.
-NKJV (New King James Version) uses modern English, but still stays true to the older version's word-for-word preference.
-EOB (Eastern Greek Orthodox Bible) has the New Testament available now, with the Old Testament scheduled for 2010.
-NIV (New International Version) is the most popular version of the Bible today (surpassing the KJV in the 1980s). It is a hybrid of word-for-word and thought-for-thought, attempting to be both literal and readable.
-HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) is a more recent version, fast growing in popularity. It tends to be more thought-for-thought.
-NJB (New Jerusalem Bible) is very poetic and good for the reading of prayers.
-NLT (New Living Translation) is a thought-for-thought version that I really enjoy.
-AMP (Amplified Version) is probably my favorite thought-for-thought, because it adds synonyms or expansions in brackets to the text, to give you a broader perspective on how the words could be translated. It's not very readable, but it is a very passionate translation.
-MSG (the Message) is not really a translation, but simply a paraphrase by the author Eugene Patterson. It is quite popular with young Christians or those who value readability in modern English.
Another great type of Bible to have is a "Parallel Bible" which usually has two or four different translation, split up in columns, so that you can compare the different versions quickly. It is thus a big book, but a helpful one.
It is also very important to understand that you do not need to get upset or doubtful about the accuracy of the Bible with all its different translation. Do a comparison between versions and you will find that while vocabulary and grammar may be quite different at times, the overall point of the passage stays the same. It is simply a re-phrasing of the same God-authored Truth.
To give just one example, let us take a look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and compare it to seven of the translations mentioned above:
“16(A)All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that (B)the man of God may be adequate, (C)equipped for every good work.” NASB
“ 16(A) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that(B) the man of God[a] may be competent,(C) equipped(D) for every good work.” ESV
“16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NKJV
“16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NIV
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God (A) [a] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” HCSB
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” NLT
“16Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), 17So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” AMP
Changes in minor details between manuscripts, passages and translations do nothing to impede upon the reliability, validity and authority of the Bible. And by going in-depth, one can find that contradictions dissipate and the true meaning of any given passage reveals itself. [For a more in-depth look at the Variance Issue of the Scriptures, take a look at our Bible Apologetics Module.]
3) THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
The third Resource that will help you get the most of out of the Scriptures is knowing the meaning of the words used in the original languages- Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. And you don’t have to learn to speak the language; just use the resources available to find the in-depth meaning of the original wording.
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:23 NIV
"They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)." Matthew 27:33 NIV
"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 NIV
"James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder)." Mark 3:17 NIV
"He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" )." Mark 5:41 NIV
"He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" )." Mark 7:34 NIV
"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"" John 1:38 NIV
"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet." Acts 4:36-37 NIV
= It's interesting to note that the writers of the Bible chose to translate within the text. Mark could’ve just quoted Jesus as saying 'be opened!’ Why did he feel the need to add the actual Aramaic term 'ephphatha'? Why did John put in the word 'Rabbi', when 'Teacher' would've been enough?
I believe these passages (and others) show the importance of knowing words and phrases in their original language and how they translate. And so I encourage everyone to get to know the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words of the Bible (at least key ones) and see what they literally mean. I have found that by doing so, I find much more depth and understanding from the passage. To give just a couple of examples:
ELOHIM - In Genesis 1:1, our English translations say "God" created the heavens and earth. The Hebrew word for God here is 'Elohim'. 'El' means 'god'; '-im' is a suffix making it plural. Thus "elohim" literally translates 'gods'. Since we know God is one from other passages [Mark 12:29, etc.], then what we see here is a reference to the plurality of God, ie His Trinitarian form [Matthew 3:16-17]. So rather than just always saying 'God' or 'Lord' or 'Father', when I am praying to God the Trinity, I say 'Elohim'.
YHVH/YHWH, Yehovah, Yahweh, Jehovah - In Genesis 4:1, our English translation says "LORD", but the Hebrew word is actually "YHVH", which means 'the Transcendent One (of time)" or the "(always) Existing One". This word shows the timelessness of God. So while we use God and LORD, we are missing out on inferences of His Plural and Eternal nature. This is not to say we should not use those words, but rather just understand what they really mean.
ABBA - In Genesis 2:24, we see the word 'father', which in Hebrew is "ab". In Mark 14:36, we see Jesus calling to Abba, not Ab. This was basically like saying 'Papa' or 'Daddy'. It shows the intimacy and love that Jesus had for His Father. It is a caring title for God, one that we should be excited to use. It's also interesting to note that the Hebrew letter 'a' (aleph) means 'strong' or 'leader'. The Hebrew letter 'b' (bet) means 'house' or 'family'. So putting the two letters together, forming the word 'ab', literally means 'the leader of the family'. When you put the Hebrew letter 'h' (heh) in the middle, you get the word 'ahb' (pronounced 'aheb'). This literally means 'the breath of the leader of the family' or figuratively 'the essence of the father'. The word is translated "love".
Anthrakia - In John 21:9, we see Jesus cooking fish over a 'fire of coals'. The Greek word for this type of fire is "anthrakia". The New Testament almost always uses the more general word for fire "pur", but here, for some reason, John specifically uses "anthrakia", wanting the reader to know it was a coal fire. This was the scene where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Why three times? I think it was a subtle reminder from Jesus that He had predicted Peter denying Him three times. Interestingly enough, the word "anthrakia" is used only one other time in the Bible. It is found a few chapters earlier in John 18:18. The NIV version just says 'fire', but it is the exact same type of fire used by Jesus on the beach, the 'anthrakia' coal fire. This is where Peter denies Jesus! So Jesus, on the beach, uses two subtle reminders for Peter about his denials, but we miss one of them if we are not cognizant of the Greek words used.
Makrothumia - In Galatians 5:22, we see one of the fruit of the Spirit being 'patience' (KJV uses the word 'longsuffering'). The Greek word used is "makrothumia", and one of its definitions if 'forbearance'. I had to go to Merriam-Webster Online to look up forbearance, where I found that it means 'a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due'. That's a pretty specific and powerful definition; one that takes our common definition of patience (to wait for a while) to a higher level. Too often many of our 'Christian words' have become so overused, they lose their meaning or fade from the original definition that God intended. And so by going back to the Greek (or Hebrew or Aramaic), we can find the more 'in-depth' meaning of what God is teaching us.
Pisteuo - This is probably the single most powerful example I have found so far in the Bible. In John 3:16, it tells us that if we 'believe' in Jesus, we will have eternal life. The Greek word used for 'believe' is "pisteuo", and it means 'to give credit to, to rely on'. Too often, we think that to 'believe in Jesus' simply means to think that He existed and that He was a good teacher. But the Bible tells us that just because we think God exists does not mean we are getting into Heaven [James 2:19] and that if we give lip service to Him through our actions, but not our heart, it is not enough [Matthew 7:22-23, Romans 10:9]. What we need to do is "give credit to" Jesus (for buying our ticket into Heaven) and "relying on" Him (to get us through this life into the eternal life). So rather than asking people if they are a Christian or a Believer (or even a Jesus-follower), what I ask is "Who do you give credit to, who do you rely on, to get you into Heaven?" If they answer "Jesus Christ", then I know for certain where they stand eternally.
Inspired Scripture - In Section 2, I quoted passages from 2 Peter, 2 Timothy and Acts 17 about the Scriptures ultimately coming from the Holy Spirit, not men, and the reasons to study It. If we take a moment to break down the key words and phrases of that passage, we can get a better understanding of what Peter, Paul and Luke are telling us.
"So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:19-21 NASB
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'more sure' is "bebaios", meaning 'stable, firm, steadfast, sure'.
-'do well' is "poieo kalos", meaning 'do well, do honestly, recover well'.
-'pay attention to' is "prosecho", meaning 'to hold the mind towards, pay attention to, be cautious about, take heed of, apply oneself to, adhere to'.
-'lamp' is "luchos", meaning 'portable lamp, illuminator'.
-'dark place' is "auchmeros topos", meaning 'a dirty, obscure or dark place, condition or opportunity'.
-'know first of all' is "ginasko touto proton", meaning 'be aware of, perceive, be sure of, understand, resolve that of chief importance'.
-'prophecy' is "propheteia", meaning 'prediction, prophecy'.
-'Scripture' is "graphe", meaning 'written document'.
-'matter of one's interpretation' is "idios epilusis", meaning 'the personal explanation or application of an individual'.
-'made by' is "phero", meaning 'carried, driven by'.
-'an act of human will' is "thelema anthropos", meaning 'determined or chosen by a human'.
-'men from God' is "hagios theos anthropos", meaning 'the Holy God's men'.
-'spoke' is "laleo", meaning 'talk, utter, say, preach'
-'moved by the Holy Spirit' is "phero hupo hagios pneuma", meaning 'carried by or under the Holy Spirit'.
= From this detailed breakdown, we can see that it is extremely important for you and I to be confident that the predictive writings of the Bible were spoken by God's servants, not from their own choice of words or opinions, but rather through being led by the Holy Spirit. Because of this, it is a very good thing if we keep the Bible with us wherever we go and listen carefully and apply Its words to our lives, especially when we find ourselves in confusing situations.
"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'continue' is "meno", meaning 'stay, remain, endure, stand'.
-'become convinced of' is "pistuo", meaning 'to be assured of the truth, persuaded with confidence'.
-'knowing' is "eido", meaning 'to look on, perceive, understand'.
-'sacred writings' is "heiros gramma", meaning 'sacred writings, letters'.
-'give you wisdom' is "sophizo", meaning 'to render cunningly wise'.
-'leads to salvation' is "eis soteria", meaning 'delivered or rescued into health and safety'.
-'faith' is "pistis", meaning 'a persuaded conviction of and reliance on the truth of something'.
-'All Scripture' is "pas graphe", meaning 'all documents'.
-'inspired by God' is "theopneustos", meaning 'God-breathed'.
-'profitable' is "ophelimos", meaning 'helpful, advantageous'.
-'teaching' is "didaskalia", meaning 'instruction, doctrine'.
-'reproof' is "elegchos", meaning 'evidence, proof, conviction'.
-'correction' is "epanorthosis", meaning 'a straightening up again, rectification'.
-'training in righteousness' is "paideia en dikaiosune", meaning 'turtorage, education, training in equity, justification'.
-'man of God' is "anthropos theos", meaning 'one of God's humans'.
-'adequate' is "artios", meaning 'fresh, complete, perfect'.
-'equipped for every good work' is "exartizo pros pas agathos ergon", meaning 'to finish out, accomplish, equip fully for all beneficial actions, deeds and labours'.
= From this detailed breakdown, we can see that we should continue learning from the sacred writings of the Bible (knowing who our teachers of the Bible are), being confident that they will help us place our trust in Jesus Christ and thus receive eternal life in Heaven. We know that we can trust the Bible because it has been breathed into by God, giving it life (just as God gave humans life), and because of this, we will learn God's Will, evidence that it truly is God's Will, correction for when we apply it wrongly and guidance on how to live for God correctly. Thus, applying the Bible to our lives will help us become more complete (as God designed us) and prepared to do whatever good thing He asks of us.
"The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men." Acts 17:10-12
In the Greek (from Strong's Concordance),
-'noble-minded' is "eugenes", meaning 'of high rank, well born, noble'.
-'received the word with great eagerness' is "dechomai to logos meta pas prothumia", meaning 'received, accepted the word, topic, thought, reasoning with all predisposition, promptness of acceptance, willingness'.
-'examining the Scriptures daily' is "anakrino to graphe kata hemera", meaning 'scrutinize, investigate, examine, searched the documents every day'.
-'believed' is "pisteuo", meaning 'to give credit to and rely on something (here, the Bible)'.
= From this we can learn a powerful incentive to study the details of the text every day: if we do so, we will be considered of high rank in God's Kingdom.
Here are some external resources that will help you understand the original languages of the Bible:
E-Sword software. www.e-sword.net
This is pretty much (in my mind) a requirement for anyone who wants to understand the Bible better. It has three basic sections: a dictionary, commentary (from 12 different sources) and the Bible Text (utilizing over 85 different translations, including the Bishop's Bible of 1568, the Septuagint Greek version, the Hebrew manuscripts, the King James Version, and translations in 34 different languages!). On some of the translations, you can hover your cursor over a word in the text, and it will display a pop-up box with what the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek word was. And here's the kicker: it's free! There are some application add-ons that cost money (such as adding the NIV translation to the software), but the majority of it is no-cost. I really, really believe that everyone should download this program.
Hebrew 4 Christians. www.hebrew4christians.com
This is a great website that teaches you the history, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and more of the Biblical Hebrew language. They have devotions, links and a wide variety of other tools to help you better understand Hebrew.
Crosswalk Lexicon. http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/
The Crosswalk website itself is extensive, with a huge variety of material for Christians. What I specifically recommend is their Lexicon, which is a pretty exhaustive compilation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words found in the Bible.
"The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance"
I already mentioned this one above, but because it includes a comprehensive Hebrew and Greek dictionary in the back, I list it here as well.
4) THE CONTEXT & BACKGROUND
The fourth Resource that enables you to get a better grasp of the Scriptures is understanding the context and background of each passage and book of the Bible.
"The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"" Mark 7:1-5 NIV
"So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."" John 4:5-10 NIV
"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"" John 18:28-29 NIV
Just as we see examples straight out of the text that show the importance of knowing the original languages of a phrase, we also see passages straight out of the text that show the importance of recognizing culture issues and background story to have a greater understanding of what is going on. Here are some specific examples:
Rabbi Tassels - In Malachi 4:2 (a Messianic prophecy), it mentions the 'sun of righteousness' rising with healing in its 'wings'. The Hebrew word for 'wings' is "kanaph", meaning 'edge or extremity' and was used to describe a bird's wings. It was also used to describe the tassels on a Rabbi's cloak. As a Rabbi would lift his arms to bless a crowd, he would look like a great bird spreading its wings. In Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8, we see a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years want to approach Jesus as He was walking through a crowd. Imagine that scene: a huge group of people crowding around Jesus, trying to listen to His words of wisdom and possibly see a miracle (He was on His way to heal the daughter of a synagogue ruler). We can easily imagine how the ruler was able to approach Jesus. He was a respected man of the community and people would have parted for him to get through. But what about this woman? How was she able to get through? Well, since she had a sickness, she would have been considered 'unclean', and no self-respecting Jew would have touched her or let themselves be touched by her. So they would have parted quickly as she approached. This allowed her to get up to Jesus. In Luke 8:44, we see her specifically touching Jesus' "kraspedon", which is the Greek word for 'margin, border' and was used to describe the tassels or hem of a cloak. We know Jesus was considered a Rabbi (Matthew 26:35, etc.) so He would have had a cloak with such tassels. So what we see here is the woman, realizing that if she touched Jesus she would be healed (Mark 5:28), believed Jesus to be the fulfillment of Malachi 4:2 (every good Jew would know their Scriptures and be awaiting their Messiah). Jesus would have recognized this and so when He said "Your faith has healed you" (Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 8:48), He meant that her belief that He was the literal 'sun of righteousness' was rewarded with a literal healing. We miss the depth of this story when we read it in English with a Western mindset. But by getting into the Hebrew culture and looking up the original wording, the story comes alive even more!
"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2 NIV
"While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment." Matthew 9:18-22 NIV
"When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."" Mark 5:19-33 NIV
"Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."" Luke 8:40-48 NIV
Hebrew weddings - During Jesus' day, when a Jewish man and woman made the decision to get married, a preparation time immediately ensued. The groom-to-be would return to his father's house to begin building on additional rooms (since the newly married couple would live with the groom's family). Meanwhile, the bride-to-be would return to her family and began preparations for the marriage. One of her roles would be to lead the family in worship, so the bride would learn the necessary songs and psalms and writings of the Tanakh. Unlike wedding traditions today, the bride did not know when the actual wedding would take place, so she had to be prepared for her husband-to-be to return at any time to take her to her new home.
So when Jesus told the parable of Matthew 25 about the wedding feast, He was describing actual Jewish wedding traditions of the time. His listeners would completely follow what He was saying.
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
‘No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:1-13 NIV
And when Jesus talked about our future in Heaven, He used wedding vocabulary, so that His listeners would be able to better understand what He was describing. And John uses the same images when describing Heaven in his vision.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. …
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " …
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." John 14:1-3, Revelation 19:6-9; 21:2-4 NIV
Here are some external resources that will help you understand the background and context of the Bible:
"Halley's Bible Handbook - Deluxe Edition" by Henry H. Halley
This book has been around a long time, and the Deluxe Edition has a beautiful, emotional forward to balance out the rest of the scholarly work. It is color-coded with easy-to-follow graphs, pictures, etc. It's a comprehensive piece chock full of background information.
"Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners And Customs: How The People Of The Bible Really Lived" by Howard F. Vos
This book reads like a text book, but an interesting one. It is a thoroughly referenced book, with tons of information about the cultures in each section of the Bible (politics, military, family, housing, clothing, diet, religion and more). This really helps paint a picture to put in your mind of what the world looked like as your read the text of the Bible.
"Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible"; David Noel Freedman
Any well-done dictionary will work; this is just the one that I own and use. It just provides yet more resources for you to better understand the nuances of Bible passages.
Holman Bible Atlas
Any Bible Atlas will do; it depends on your personal preferences. But to have one is a must, for it will help put to visual what the text is talking about: items, buildings, locations, routes, etc. It's fascinating to see where the different events of the Bible happened (many occur on the same place over thousands of years). Of course, it's even more fascinating to go there yourself!
Chuck Missler's Commentaries on Books of the Bible. http://store.khouse.org/store/
These are insane. Chuck Missler, while being kind of the 'odd uncle' of Bible scholars, has dedicated his life to unwrapping the Scriptures, and his bag of knowledge is so big, so detailed, it continually blows me out of the water. He is the one who really got me into taking the Scriptures more seriously (and with more fun) and diving into the depth of God's Word for mankind. He has commentaries on MP3 for all of the Books of the Bible, and commentaries on video for 13 of the Books. I prefer the video (as I am a visual learner), but they are a bit more expensive (though you definitely get what you paid for and more).
"The Complete Guide to the Bible" by Stephen M. Miller
I would recommend this book for a new or young Christian. It is not as heavy as Missler's works, but still offers a lot of information, in a visually stimulating and easy-to-read format.
Ilumina software, Gold Version www.livethebible.com
I really like this software. It's a bit pricey (about $90), but you get more than a bang for your buck. It has so many things on it and is a dream for visual learners. Videos, 3D virtual tours, sharp animation of famous Biblical stories, a detailed timeline of history, modern day archaeological notes and tons more. It is great for adults and kids; areally good purchase for your Bible library.
Study Bibles, glossaries, etc.
At the back of most Bibles today, you will find brief glossaries that can add background information for you. The plethora of Study Bibles out there now is impressive, and they often have great material to help open your eyes to the wonders of the text. The Archaeological Bible, the NKJV Chronological Study Bible, the HCSB Apologetics Bible and the NIV Quest Study Bible are all ones that I recommend.
5) COMMENTARIES & NOTES
The fifth resource that will increase your understanding of the Bible are commentaries and notes by other students of the Bible.
"As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 11:7-14 NIV
"In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, 'May another take his place of leadership.' Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us," Acts 1:15-21 NIV
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."" Romans 1:16-17 NIV
"As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world." Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
"I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” And Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." But concerning Israel he says,
"All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."” Romans 10:11-21 NIV
Once again, we see that we can learn from the Bible Itself on how to study It. Here are four examples where an earlier passage is referenced and then an expert (Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc) comments on the passage and explains it, giving their thoughts on what the earlier passage meant. In the same way, commentaries are experts' comments on a passages and what they believe those passages mean.
When I first started going more in-depth into the Bible, I did not like reading commentaries. And it was basically because of pride. I thought 'why should I read other people's opinions of the text when I can sort through them on my own'. I've since been humbled enough by God (though I have a long way to go still) to realize that commentaries and the notes of others can go along way in shedding light and perspective on a text. To give you one example:
Kings and their horses- I was doing a study on Deuteronomy 17 and God's expectations for the King of Israel. One of the things that God commanded for whomever became King of the Israelites, was that he not acquire a great number of horses for himself. Initially, I thought this meant he was not to have a lot of possessions. But reading Vos' "New Illustrated Bible Manners And Customs", he made note that this referred to a standing army. I wasn't sure if he was right, but it got me curious and I did some further research in other commentaries (Barnes, Clark, Gill, Henry and others) and found that all of them made similar comments. That made for a pretty convincing perspective and it was a key changing point for me. I began to take Commentators' notes more seriously.
So now, when studying a controversial or confusing passage, I will look up a number of commentators' notes to help build perspective for me. I very often find that at least one of them (usually more than one) makes a statement that I had not thought of that eventually really hits home with me and resonates as true. Commentators' writings are not 'inspired', so we must not take what they say as absolute, automatic truth, but I do strongly believe that God still uses humans today to get His Message across and we can learn from these experienced, extremely knowledgeable scholars and lovers of the Bible. The perspectives and discoveries and conclusions go a long way in finding extra depth, broader understanding of the Bible.
Here are some external resources that will help you understand troublesome passages of the Bible:
E-sword software- www.e-sword.net
As already mentioned above, E-sword is just an incredible tool. One of its major pluses is that it includes commentaries from at least 7 scholars (Barnes, Clark, Darby, Gill, Henry, Jamieson and Keil) for easy reference.
Individual Commentators-
There are many out there, over thousands of years. You can find one whose style and perspective resonate with you and use that as your main commentary, though it's always good to read outside the box and study commentators with a different doctrinal theology than you as well. It will keep you from possibly missing key points you would not normally consider. Some of the more famous commentators include:
-F F Bruce
-John Macarthur
-Matthew Henry
-C. I. Scofield
-Charles H. Spurgeoun
-John Wesley
"Hard Sayings of the Bible" by Kaiser, Davids, Bruce & Brauch
There are several of these type books out there, that focus on the troublesome, confusing and controversial passages of the Bible. It helps you work through the issues of the text and (hopefully) come to a better grasp of what the tough passage is getting at.
Study Bibles-
Most Bibles today offer some kind of commentary or elaboration in the margins, footnotes, articles and glossaries.
6) MEDITATION & REFLECTION
The sixth Resource to tap into departs from the ‘scholarly’ and moves into the more mystical area (just as the Holy Spirit is a more mystical resource).
"Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8 NIV
"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
"Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders. …
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes." Psalm 119:27, 97-99 NIV
In today's world, meditation is most often associated with eastern religions and pagan practices, and so many Christians avoid such things for fear that they will be tampering with things that God does not like. But that couldn't be further from the truth, for in His very Message to us He tells us to meditate on His Word.
The Joshua passage uses the Hebrew word "hagah" for meditate, and it literally means 'to murmur', and by implication 'to ponder, meditate on'. So to meditate on God's Word literally means to utter His verses softly to yourself, just like a chant or mantra by eastern religions (and early orders of the Church). Figuratively, at the least, you should ponder on a verse or passage, thinking about what it means. An excellent one to start with (in my opinion) is the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Repeat their words softly to yourself; think on them heavily and what each word or each phrase means to you.
The Psalms passages use the Hebrew words "siyach" and "siychah". They literally mean 'to ponder or muse' and 'reflection', and by implication 'to converse out loud with oneself or utter'. So it's the same meaning, coming from the other direction. Either way, whether you are thinking deeply on a passage or uttering it to yourself, that is meditation in God's Eyes, and it is a good thing.
So think deeply on what you are reading and hearing from God. Sometimes, put away all your textbooks and scholarly resources. Close up your laptop or notebook, and just clear your mind, quiet your soul, relax your body and read a small passage slowly, first quietly, then out loud. Reflect on it, ponder it. And then memorize it by repeatedly saying it to yourself. You will find that understanding that escaped you in your studies mystically becomes clearer now.
One technique I have learned for putting myself in a meditative state is the "5 P's": Place, Position, Pace, Perspective and Purpose:
Place: find a secluded, quiet spot (I prefer a dark or dimly lit area, usually my basement or bedroom).
Position: put yourself in a comfortable position, whether sitting with your legs crossed or stretched out, or even laying down, though be careful, as it will be easy to doze off. ; )
Pace: consciously slow down your breathing. Inhale very slowly and deeply, taking 8-10 seconds to fill your lungs. Then take just as long to exhale completely. Do this for about a minute (maybe more), breathing in and out about six or seven times. By the end of it, you will be able to feel your heart beating, as your body slows down.
Perspective: This means your senses. Close your eyes and take a couple of minutes and concentrate one at time on each of your senses. I usually start with my hearing, trying to pinpoint every sound I can hear (wind, the creaking of the house, white noise, etc). Then I turn to my smell and try to be aware of the different smells in the room (this is a weak one for me). Then I focus on taste and any lingering remnants in my mouth (from the previous meal, coffee, gum, toothpaste, whatever it may be). Then I pay attention to touch. I start with my feet and I try to 'feel' every part of my skin (where my socks touch my feet, where my jeans touch my legs or my legs touch each other, my butt where I'm sitting, my back leaning on whatever it is, my arms resting on each other, etc) all the way up to my head. And lastly, I look at what I am 'seeing' with my eyes closed. Maybe light filtering in, maybe spots, sometimes images.
Purpose: by this point, probably 5-10 minutes has passed and you should be in a very relaxed, focused, clear-minded state. You can either then turn to the passage at hand, reading and meditating on it, or you can choose to keep your eyes closed and just 'listen' to God and hear what He is speaking into the stillness of your heart and mind. For us Westerners, this is difficult and even awkward. But with enough practice and sincerity, one can find some great understanding of God's Will arising in your thoughts.
7) APPLICATION
The seventh and final Resource is to act on what you learn; by applying the Bible’s knowledge to the details of your daily life, the supernatural truth that comes from the Bible can sink in more deeply to the roots of your being.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:17-20 NIV
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." James 2:14-24 NIV
"There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised."
2 Corinthians 9:1-5 NIV
"They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him." Titus 1:16 NIV
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11 NIV
"We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." Job 5:27 NIV
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."" John 13:34-35 NIV
This should be an obvious one, but it is one frequently ignored. Sadly, it is our un-application of the Scriptures’ commandments that cause us to be our own worst advertisers. Christians are more likely to quote Biblical parameters than live them out in example.
So once you have begun to dive into the depths of the Scriptures, let it transform you, from the inside out. And act on it.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 NIV
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—" Philippians 2:12-16 NIV
One of my favorite, specific examples comes from Philemon. Onesimus the slave had run away, to Paul. Paul sends him back to his owner, Philemon (whom he knew very well), with a little note. Taking into account the context and background of slavery in the Roman Empire, Philemon would have every right to beat, even kill, Onesimus upon his return. But Paul begs, or rather boldly 'recommends' that Philemon (a believer) obey the Scriptures (such as John 13:34-35, because Onesimus was a Christian as well) in action. I'll let Paul state the case in his own words,
"Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."
Philemon 8-21 NIV
So I strongly encourage each of you to apply the principles, teachings, parameters, guidelines, commandments and expectations of the Bible to the details of your own life. This is what I mean by 'enmeshing' yourself in Scriptures.
· Viewing the Scriptures
Here are six other points that I want to bring up for you to consider and be aware of:
The Four (4) Layers of Possible Meaning (LSAP)
Literal - what the passage says, actually happened
Symbolic – what is the 'lesson' we should take away from this?
Application - can I apply the lesson to the details of my life right now?
Prophetic - is this a hint of something else to come?
Genesis 22:1-19 is a great example of a passage that has all four layers:
Literal - there really was a man Abram living circa 2100BC who went to sacrifice his son Isaac in the area of what is now Jerusalem
Symbolic - this passage shows the importance of sacrifice to God
Application - what is God calling you to sacrifice in your life?
Prophetic - this sets the stage later for God the Father sacrificing His Son (in the exact same area)
Genesis 6-8, the Flood Account is yet another:
Literal - there really was a man named Noah, living around 2500BC who escaped a world-wide flood
Symbolic - there are consequences to our disobedience to God, but He offers a way out for us
Application - do I need to repent of any disobedience?
Prophetic – foreshadowing the End Times and the Great Fire destroying the world, yet a remnant being saved through Christ
Some passages might have all four layers; others might have just one or two or three. Jesus' parables for example are not literal, and only some have a prophetic meaning. James being killed by the sword literally happened, but there is no prophetic layer. Etc.
So each time you read a passage, ask yourself which of the 4 layers apply. You will find it will help your understanding of the text and allow you to take something away from it.
The Frequency of Mention
"Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy." 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 NIV
"'Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.'" Jeremiah 7:12-15 NIV
"I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth and an object of cursing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words," declares the LORD, "words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either," declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:18-19 NIV
God definitely repeats Himself when He is trying to get a message across, and it is my opinion that the more something is mentioned in the Scripture, the more important it is to God. I can't 'prove' this; it is just a pattern I believe is real.
So while there are a handful of verses that talk about rebuking our brothers when they sin or correcting false teachings, there are many, many more passages about being patient and gentle and loving. This is not to say that we do one at the expense of the other; but rather just make sure we keep the priorities in mind in the way we treat others.
Another example is how to handle problems. In a study I did recently, I found that while there are examples in the Bible of God telling people to 'Fight' or change a situation as well as to 'Flee' or escape other persecutions, there were more examples (more than twice the Fight and Flee examples combined) that showed God wanted the people to Persevere and stay in the bad situation, just leaning on Him to get through it. So I believe this is a hint from God that He expects us to Persevere more than Fight or Flee when we find ourselves in tough situations.
I recommend that we keep these 'frequencies of mentions' in mind when we are pursuing Biblical living.
Old Testament Commandments vs. New Testament Commandments; Absolutes vs. Freedom Areas; Freedom vs. Love & Submission
"When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the LORD his God, he is guilty. When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. He is to lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering." Leviticus 4:22-24 NIV
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6 NIV
"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." Galatians 2:15-16 NIV
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." Colossians 2:6-23 NIV
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Galatians 5:13-15 NIV
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.1It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Romans 14 NIV
"Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."
1 Corinthians 8 NIV
"”Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
1 Corinthians 10:23-33 NIV
" Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."
Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."" Matthew 19:3-12 NIV
" Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." 1 Corinthians 7:1-28 NIV
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." Hebrews 13:17 NIV
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Peter 2:13-25 NIV
Without going into detail here (this could be a whole workshop by itself), we must keep in mind three very important things:
· that there are certain parts of the Old Testament that no longer apply to us, as Christ fulfilled the Law. The Law's purpose has been achieved, and we now have a new 'covenant' or 'testament' with God.
· There are certain 'commands' listed in the Bible that are actually not commands, but rather guidelines, and we must respect each individual's choice in the Freedom Areas of the Scriptures (where different opinions, preferences and applications of the guidelines are allowed).
· But we cannot use our freedom if it causes a brother to stumble or leads to sin. Love and respect of one another will always outweigh the freedom we have in Christ. And with this, if a Church Leader sets a rule that 'narrows' a Freedom Area, we are to obey the leader, for submission to authorities will always outweigh the freedom we have in Christ (unless the authority's command will directly contradict a firm Bible commandment).
[Two great examples of this are Daniel and his 3 friends in Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 and the apostles throughout the book of Acts. The earthly leaders had commanded them to do something that was a direct disobedience of God, such as bow down to an idol or cease spreading the Gospel. And so in each instance, the Godly men disobeyed the earthly leader. But then they were arrested and punished. And it is key to note that the Godly men *submitted* to the earthly leaders on those accounts. Being commanded to go into a fiery furnace, lion's den or jail did not contradict the Bible, and so the Godly men submitted to that earthly decision, even if they could find many personal reasons not to do so.]
With Variances, Always Remember the overall Eternal Pattern & Perspective
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:12-21 NIV
"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:1-3 NIV
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:6-14 NIV
All I want to say here is read the Bible from an eternal perspective. The world will tell you that if the Bible's claims contradict the realities of the world, then the Bible is wrong and you must side with the world's perspective. But don't! There will be parts of the Bible that don't make sense, or that you don't like or that apparently are contradictory. But hold fast to what that Book teaches you. As seen in the Bible Apologetics workshop, the Scriptures are our North Star, our guiding light to the Promised Land over the seas of confusion and doubt. And we have to leave the 'safety' of the world's shores to get there. So trust in God, trust that the Bible is His Message to us, and let it be your map through this life to the Eternal Life.
By Book or By Theme, just Do It Eagerly & Intentionally
Here, I just want to mention that some people prefer to study the Bible book by book. Others prefer to jump around from theme to theme. Both are completely viable, and all I say is that whichever way you choose each time, just make sure you are studying the Bible *eagerly*.
“I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:12 NIV
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 NIV
As already mentioned, the phrase 'with great eagerness' in the Greek is "prothumia", and it means 'a forwardness of mind, prompt response, cheerful readiness'. The phrase 'of more noble character' is the Greek word "eugenes", and it means 'to be well-born, of high rank'. So if you intentionally, eagerly, cheerfully study the Bible, you will be considered of high rank in God's Kingdom!
Remember the Rewards, Benefits and Blessings that come with Enmeshing yourself in Scriptures
"This is what the LORD says:
‘Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 NIV
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
Matthew 7:24-25 NIV
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9 NIV
"Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:29-31 NIV
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:1-3 NIV
"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book…..."I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:7, 16-20 NIV
Summary
· The Bible is your North Star, your map to the abundant life. It is Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.
· So take the time to take it seriously; go in-depth; enmesh yourself with it; you will be of high-rank in God's Kingdom for doing so.
· Lean on the Holy Spirit (the Author of It) and let Him guide you through It.
· Read the text and trust in It.
· Know the original wording of key phrases, in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
· Learn the background and context of the passage.
· Read the commentary of other wise individuals and let them show you new perspectives.
· Meditate, reflect and repeat verses and passages that resonate within you.
· Apply what you learn!
· Recognize which of the 4 Layers any given passage contains (LSAP).
· Be aware of the 'Frequency of Mention' of the various themes of the Scriptures.
· Know your Freedom Areas and their Limits.
· Keep an Eternal Perspective as you read the Bible.
· Whether by book or by theme, study Eagerly and Intentionally!
· Let God bless you for your devotion to His Word!
