Matthew 5:45b
for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Message: Providence and Common Grace
Time: The date of Matthew's composition is anywhere from 55-60 AD probably in Antioch of Syria. The writing is most likely to the Jews. His purpose was to show them that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected messiah and both his genealogy and his resurrection were legitimate proofs of this.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Sovereignty of God acknowledges that God actively controls all things that occurs in His creation. God is creator and He has planned all things and they take place as He has planned. He is independent of creation and Lord over it. God has existed for eternity while everything else has a beginning. God is also active. He did not simply wind a clock up but He is active each day in His creation and thus He is providential. Our existence today needs God right now. We need God for our world to exist today. We are all dependent on one another.
He sustains us out of his grace. Grace is providing something to someone that they neither earned or can pay back. When a homeless person on the street asks you for money, you are being gracious in giving him money. He does nothing to earn it and won't be paying it back. You are freely giving him what is yours and making it his. This is how God has exhibited his love toward us. He could act in any way he wanted, but He chose to give us freely what we need.
While some people will call God Lord and some with call Him a liar, everyone receives His creation. We all live in this creation and enjoy its benefits. Thus, His grace is common to all. The verse today echoes this idea for He causes His Sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Saving grace provides salvation only to the elect of God, but common grace is open to everyone. Common grace does not distinguish, does not discriminate.
Some time ago I was looking at His creation or the natural revelation that has been given to us. One of my favorite verses is Romans 1:19-20 - that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Everyone can see God because everyone can see His creation. Everyone can see His power and His nature. The benefits of His creation are common to all.
While grace is common to all, there is a special grace of salvation to all in Jesus providing us His son for salvation.
Promise: God's common grace reminds us that as creatures we are undeserving even of our very existence.
Prayer: Lord, you are sovereign over all. You are active. You are present with me right now and you are present in this world. I need you every day. Each day you create and each day you sustain this world. We like to think we are in charge, but God you are in charge of all. Thank you for your creation that I have before me each day. Thank you for making it the way you have, for the people that I see each day, for creating them. Lord, re-train mankind to know you and draw people to yourself. I pray the good news of your salvation is more clearly seen in people each day.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Nehemiah 9:6 - Providential Preservation
Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
Message: Providential Preservation
Time: Nehemiah is the author and written from a first-person perspective. We meet him as an adult serving in the Persian royal court as the personal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. It opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC and concludes around 430 BC. Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. He was a layman not a priest and his life is a study on leadership. He gave God the credit for his successes.
What the Lord is Saying:
Sovereignty is the doctrine that God controls all that occurs in His creation. God works all things according to the counsel of His will. All things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them. The way that God works all things is in the works of creation and providence (Westminster Shorter Catechism 8). He created the heavens and the earth. He created all things out of nothing. We are His creation.
In addition to His creation God provides. Nothing happens by chance. Often in life, we use the word providing to denote things that we like that we receive. We have no problem receiving good things in life, but the notion that God provides the uncomfortable situations, the difficulties, the trials of life seems absent from our thinking for why would suffering be at the hand of God? Yet, we can see multiple times how trials teach us about ourselves and also about our need to trust God.
Again going back to WSC 11 we see that God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Thus, the divine work of providence can be divided into divine preservation and divine governance.
To say that there is divine preservation is to record the idea that He sustains the existence of all created things. In essence, we need each other. Everything we see is His creation - nature, animals, land, sea. They all testify of who He is and yet they are all here to support one another. We need creation to live and sustain life. We need the food from creation to support one another and the animals. The sun lights our days. All of creation is dependent on one another and so God preserves it all for us, for His purposes.
Creation also cannot exist apart from God. Nehemiah 9:6 states - You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them. God gives life to all of them. Evolution and atheism try so hard to show that their is no life-giver, no one that sustains life, but rather life evolves and remains on its own. Yet, to me, it seems that his creation order gives this impression. The continual regeneration of one form to another is seen, but the mystery remains often why one form ends and when it does. We praise God for new life, for beginnings, but we often don't for ends.
Psalm 145:15-16 records - The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. We sit at the table and thank God for the food He has given, for the shelter he has provided, for the job he has given, for the clothes we have on our backs - we want to remain thankful to him. There is danger in thinking this providence comes about because of our hard work alone.
Promise: As Martin Luther states, whatever "is in heaven and upon the earth, is daily given preserved, and kept for us by God"; thus, "it is our duty to love, praise, and thank Him for it without ceasing."
Prayer: Lord, as I take the time to examine creation, it reminds me Lord that You are creator. Lord, I see again that You provide everything that I see. Forgive me for thinking often that I am in control of outcomes. What a danger I have in my life to see what I produce and want to give myself the glory. Keep my eyes looking to You. Thank you for the earth and all that is in it. You give life to all that we see. You are giver and taker, but always for your purpose. We need you to carry on life. I need to keep returning to You in all things because I get so easily distracted.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
Message: Providential Preservation
Time: Nehemiah is the author and written from a first-person perspective. We meet him as an adult serving in the Persian royal court as the personal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. It opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC and concludes around 430 BC. Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. He was a layman not a priest and his life is a study on leadership. He gave God the credit for his successes.
What the Lord is Saying:
Sovereignty is the doctrine that God controls all that occurs in His creation. God works all things according to the counsel of His will. All things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them. The way that God works all things is in the works of creation and providence (Westminster Shorter Catechism 8). He created the heavens and the earth. He created all things out of nothing. We are His creation.
In addition to His creation God provides. Nothing happens by chance. Often in life, we use the word providing to denote things that we like that we receive. We have no problem receiving good things in life, but the notion that God provides the uncomfortable situations, the difficulties, the trials of life seems absent from our thinking for why would suffering be at the hand of God? Yet, we can see multiple times how trials teach us about ourselves and also about our need to trust God.
Again going back to WSC 11 we see that God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Thus, the divine work of providence can be divided into divine preservation and divine governance.
To say that there is divine preservation is to record the idea that He sustains the existence of all created things. In essence, we need each other. Everything we see is His creation - nature, animals, land, sea. They all testify of who He is and yet they are all here to support one another. We need creation to live and sustain life. We need the food from creation to support one another and the animals. The sun lights our days. All of creation is dependent on one another and so God preserves it all for us, for His purposes.
Creation also cannot exist apart from God. Nehemiah 9:6 states - You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them. God gives life to all of them. Evolution and atheism try so hard to show that their is no life-giver, no one that sustains life, but rather life evolves and remains on its own. Yet, to me, it seems that his creation order gives this impression. The continual regeneration of one form to another is seen, but the mystery remains often why one form ends and when it does. We praise God for new life, for beginnings, but we often don't for ends.
Psalm 145:15-16 records - The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. We sit at the table and thank God for the food He has given, for the shelter he has provided, for the job he has given, for the clothes we have on our backs - we want to remain thankful to him. There is danger in thinking this providence comes about because of our hard work alone.
Promise: As Martin Luther states, whatever "is in heaven and upon the earth, is daily given preserved, and kept for us by God"; thus, "it is our duty to love, praise, and thank Him for it without ceasing."
Prayer: Lord, as I take the time to examine creation, it reminds me Lord that You are creator. Lord, I see again that You provide everything that I see. Forgive me for thinking often that I am in control of outcomes. What a danger I have in my life to see what I produce and want to give myself the glory. Keep my eyes looking to You. Thank you for the earth and all that is in it. You give life to all that we see. You are giver and taker, but always for your purpose. We need you to carry on life. I need to keep returning to You in all things because I get so easily distracted.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Genesis 1:1 - God's Decree and Creation
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Message: God's Decree and Creation
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
God is sovereign which is defined as God actively controlling all things in His creation. He is active today, right now, in working out all things and to work them out according to His will. God has a perfect plan and purpose for all things. He is working from what we know was the beginning of the heavens and earth, up to now and then after now, throughout the history of time. He created time.
The eternal decree of God means that God has planned or decreed all things and this means that things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them.
In the beginning God created all things out of nothing. Only God is eternal - everything else has a beginning. He began creation. He did not combine elements, but he spoke creation into existence. Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Everyone agrees that all of life has a beginning. Granted there are some which believe the material world has always existed (dualism), but for the most part even those that are not religious or atheistic believe that the world at one point began. Thus, we know that all that we know begins. Life begins at conception. Trees and gardens begin from a seed. Every man made object of life had a beginning. The created order is everywhere present in our lives. We simply differ on what caused this creation to occur.
It is not complicated. It is not difficult. We often make it complicated and difficult because we struggle defining it as simple.
Promise: God created and His creation is to be enjoyed.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating everything I see and creating it the way that You have. My body amazes me the way You have formed it. Lord, your plan is perfect and there is order by what You have done. Thank you for being eternal and set apart. Lord, I want to continue to testify of You and what You have done.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Message: God's Decree and Creation
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
God is sovereign which is defined as God actively controlling all things in His creation. He is active today, right now, in working out all things and to work them out according to His will. God has a perfect plan and purpose for all things. He is working from what we know was the beginning of the heavens and earth, up to now and then after now, throughout the history of time. He created time.
The eternal decree of God means that God has planned or decreed all things and this means that things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them.
In the beginning God created all things out of nothing. Only God is eternal - everything else has a beginning. He began creation. He did not combine elements, but he spoke creation into existence. Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Everyone agrees that all of life has a beginning. Granted there are some which believe the material world has always existed (dualism), but for the most part even those that are not religious or atheistic believe that the world at one point began. Thus, we know that all that we know begins. Life begins at conception. Trees and gardens begin from a seed. Every man made object of life had a beginning. The created order is everywhere present in our lives. We simply differ on what caused this creation to occur.
It is not complicated. It is not difficult. We often make it complicated and difficult because we struggle defining it as simple.
Promise: God created and His creation is to be enjoyed.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating everything I see and creating it the way that You have. My body amazes me the way You have formed it. Lord, your plan is perfect and there is order by what You have done. Thank you for being eternal and set apart. Lord, I want to continue to testify of You and what You have done.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Ephesians 1:11 - God's Eternal Decree
Ephesians 1:11
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Message: God's Eternal Decree
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's sovereignty over all is something I trust and believe in. It is a doctrine that I feel like is a prevailing doctrine in the lives of Christians, more so those that hold to the infallible word of God. This idea that He is in control of all things is taught in the Bible. God MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM (Acts 4:24) and we trust this. Though we talk about God's sovereignty often, its definition varies it would seem. The simple definition is that God actively controls all that occurs in His creation.
The text today from Ephesians 1:11 calls attention to this with Paul saying God works all things after the counsel of His will. For me it is one thing to say "God is in control" and quite another thing to start talking about specifically what that means. For me the difficulty comes about when we start talking about what God controls. If God controls all, does man still have a will? Is every action of man predetermined?
Going back to Ephesians 1:11, the phrase who works is a present active participle of the verb meaning "to work," thus meaning that the Lord is active today, right now, in working out His purposes in all things. Here is the seemingly hard part of this as it would include good and evil. It would include our choices and include nature and weather. There is nothing that the Lord does not determine and control. Thus, he wills things to occur in the way that they do.
This text states that these actions are after the counsel of His will. Thus, he has a plan. He has a purpose. He has a decree.
It will take some time in these lessons to unpack all that this means. For now, there is the premise that He works out all things according to His will. In verse 9 he says that He made known to us the mystery of His will. Our knowledge of God came from God. Our knowledge of Him came from Him.
Promise: All that God does is in accordance with His decree. Everything in our lives has a specific purpose even though we may not know the purpose.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in control and helping me to see this doctrine. Now Lord help me to trust You in Your decree and trust that who You are is what I need. Help me to not get ahead of myself but stay strict to the reading of your Word.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Message: God's Eternal Decree
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's sovereignty over all is something I trust and believe in. It is a doctrine that I feel like is a prevailing doctrine in the lives of Christians, more so those that hold to the infallible word of God. This idea that He is in control of all things is taught in the Bible. God MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM (Acts 4:24) and we trust this. Though we talk about God's sovereignty often, its definition varies it would seem. The simple definition is that God actively controls all that occurs in His creation.
The text today from Ephesians 1:11 calls attention to this with Paul saying God works all things after the counsel of His will. For me it is one thing to say "God is in control" and quite another thing to start talking about specifically what that means. For me the difficulty comes about when we start talking about what God controls. If God controls all, does man still have a will? Is every action of man predetermined?
Going back to Ephesians 1:11, the phrase who works is a present active participle of the verb meaning "to work," thus meaning that the Lord is active today, right now, in working out His purposes in all things. Here is the seemingly hard part of this as it would include good and evil. It would include our choices and include nature and weather. There is nothing that the Lord does not determine and control. Thus, he wills things to occur in the way that they do.
This text states that these actions are after the counsel of His will. Thus, he has a plan. He has a purpose. He has a decree.
It will take some time in these lessons to unpack all that this means. For now, there is the premise that He works out all things according to His will. In verse 9 he says that He made known to us the mystery of His will. Our knowledge of God came from God. Our knowledge of Him came from Him.
Promise: All that God does is in accordance with His decree. Everything in our lives has a specific purpose even though we may not know the purpose.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in control and helping me to see this doctrine. Now Lord help me to trust You in Your decree and trust that who You are is what I need. Help me to not get ahead of myself but stay strict to the reading of your Word.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
I Corinthians 2:10b-16 - Illumining Scripture
I Corinthians 2:10b-16
For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Message: Illumining Scripture
Time: This epistle was written to the church that resided in Corinth of Achaia. First Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul received from the Corinthian church, and that letter was probably a response to another of Paul's letters. This letter was composed in Ephesus around AD 54-55, and such topics as division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection are covered in this epistle.
What the Lord is Saying:
This is the last day in this study of Sola scriptura - that Scripture is the sole authority of our lives. There are natural revelations in this world - creation which testifies about God but doesn't necessarily save man. But hopefully it brings us to that knowledge. God speaks through people, through dreams, through events, through anything he desires. But his final revelation of who He is and His salvation is through Jesus and was revealed to us in His holy word. And so All scripture is inspired by Him. All scripture is breathed out from him. It provides us every thing that we need for life - everything. It is complete. It cannot be broken. It never fails. Yet he spoke through fallible men, speaking in a unique way through them, through their personalities. And they can still fail. But the word that we now of a scripture is Sola Scriptura - infallible, inerrant. So it is clear. It should be clear. It is meant to be clear in its meaning. The words itself have been set apart as Scripture through a canon process. As God inspired the writers to write, he also has confirmed the text that we consider to be All Scripture. It ended with the witnesses of the resurrection and Jesus testimony. We need to make sure we rightly handle this truth in our lives. We need to interpret it correctly. It is a literal interpretation and yet there are different ways it is spoken - in non-literal language such as phenomenological and anthropomorphic, through different genre's like prophecy, epistles, law, prophets, parables, apostles and in English styles such as personification, hyperbole, and metaphors. There is explicit and implicit teachings. We interpret the Bible with the Bible. If two passages seem to conflict we must realize they don't, they can't. Understand the context. Yet talk to each other through this process. Help one another to understand it better.
And today, I am reminded that all the while, realize that we are not alone as the Holy Spirit is with us illuminating the words. The Holy Spirit is here. Paul instructs us explicitly in this today. He tells us clearly that the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. We have the Spirit in us, illuminating His words to us, helping us understand what we need to know. This Spirit wants us to freely now the things of God. It is like I have to figure out how to filter out everything that is not God in my life, so that I can see Him, and what He is to teach me and have me learn -- so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. I am to take those spiritual thoughts and then communicate with spiritual words. It is like this is to be my language but according to my personality.
But this doesn't mean that natural man or unbelievers cannot know what scripture is saying - just that they lack the illumination of the text and what it means for salvation or come to saving faith. For them it is a textbook. That's what I've always thought of the JW's and the LDS - this book is a textbook to them. And most people see it as a life manual only. They see it as a handbook to living life now and sometimes even in the next life. But, my life in Christ is everything to me. It is to definite my thoughts and then my words. The Spirit tells me what I am to know about God, my creator, my sustenance, and therefore my life. It is not a duty in order to get more people in a church and please the church - it is me with God in this life. It is living with the mind of Christ.
If the Spirit is in me, it is in others and so I can listen to their words.
Promise: In all of my study of Scripture, I must never forget my need of the Holy Spirit's assistance. As I read, I need to pray that the Spirit will illuminate that reading and give me understanding so that I can then apply it. I am not simply a bucket that is at church or in a study to fill up a bucket, but I am to be a hose, spraying out to everyone in my path.
Prayer: O God, there is power in your name, in You, and You are equipping me even now through the Words and Work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I trust in you. I do not trust in me. I want your words thoughts to be my thoughts and your words my words. Thank you for living in me and illuminating me. Thank you for entrusting me with You and providing me all that I need. Clear out the gutter and the garbage in me. Train me according to your godliness. I depend on You, Jesus.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Message: Illumining Scripture
Time: This epistle was written to the church that resided in Corinth of Achaia. First Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul received from the Corinthian church, and that letter was probably a response to another of Paul's letters. This letter was composed in Ephesus around AD 54-55, and such topics as division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection are covered in this epistle.
What the Lord is Saying:
This is the last day in this study of Sola scriptura - that Scripture is the sole authority of our lives. There are natural revelations in this world - creation which testifies about God but doesn't necessarily save man. But hopefully it brings us to that knowledge. God speaks through people, through dreams, through events, through anything he desires. But his final revelation of who He is and His salvation is through Jesus and was revealed to us in His holy word. And so All scripture is inspired by Him. All scripture is breathed out from him. It provides us every thing that we need for life - everything. It is complete. It cannot be broken. It never fails. Yet he spoke through fallible men, speaking in a unique way through them, through their personalities. And they can still fail. But the word that we now of a scripture is Sola Scriptura - infallible, inerrant. So it is clear. It should be clear. It is meant to be clear in its meaning. The words itself have been set apart as Scripture through a canon process. As God inspired the writers to write, he also has confirmed the text that we consider to be All Scripture. It ended with the witnesses of the resurrection and Jesus testimony. We need to make sure we rightly handle this truth in our lives. We need to interpret it correctly. It is a literal interpretation and yet there are different ways it is spoken - in non-literal language such as phenomenological and anthropomorphic, through different genre's like prophecy, epistles, law, prophets, parables, apostles and in English styles such as personification, hyperbole, and metaphors. There is explicit and implicit teachings. We interpret the Bible with the Bible. If two passages seem to conflict we must realize they don't, they can't. Understand the context. Yet talk to each other through this process. Help one another to understand it better.
And today, I am reminded that all the while, realize that we are not alone as the Holy Spirit is with us illuminating the words. The Holy Spirit is here. Paul instructs us explicitly in this today. He tells us clearly that the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. We have the Spirit in us, illuminating His words to us, helping us understand what we need to know. This Spirit wants us to freely now the things of God. It is like I have to figure out how to filter out everything that is not God in my life, so that I can see Him, and what He is to teach me and have me learn -- so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. I am to take those spiritual thoughts and then communicate with spiritual words. It is like this is to be my language but according to my personality.
But this doesn't mean that natural man or unbelievers cannot know what scripture is saying - just that they lack the illumination of the text and what it means for salvation or come to saving faith. For them it is a textbook. That's what I've always thought of the JW's and the LDS - this book is a textbook to them. And most people see it as a life manual only. They see it as a handbook to living life now and sometimes even in the next life. But, my life in Christ is everything to me. It is to definite my thoughts and then my words. The Spirit tells me what I am to know about God, my creator, my sustenance, and therefore my life. It is not a duty in order to get more people in a church and please the church - it is me with God in this life. It is living with the mind of Christ.
If the Spirit is in me, it is in others and so I can listen to their words.
Promise: In all of my study of Scripture, I must never forget my need of the Holy Spirit's assistance. As I read, I need to pray that the Spirit will illuminate that reading and give me understanding so that I can then apply it. I am not simply a bucket that is at church or in a study to fill up a bucket, but I am to be a hose, spraying out to everyone in my path.
Prayer: O God, there is power in your name, in You, and You are equipping me even now through the Words and Work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I trust in you. I do not trust in me. I want your words thoughts to be my thoughts and your words my words. Thank you for living in me and illuminating me. Thank you for entrusting me with You and providing me all that I need. Clear out the gutter and the garbage in me. Train me according to your godliness. I depend on You, Jesus.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Acts 15:1-35 - Interpreting Scripture with the Church
Acts 15:1-35
Prayer: Lord, keep me diligent in the personal study of Your Word. Give me discernment continually as I listen to those that are around and state their understanding of Your Words. Thank you for the wonderful individuals that have taken the time to study and learn Your word and understand it.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question
Message: Interpreting Scripture with the Church
Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.
What the Lord is Saying:
Scripture is the only infallible authority in our lives. Scripture will not fail us. But there are other authorities we can use in our lives, namely the Church or those within it. We can learn from other people's insights into the Scriptures because the Holy Spirit is present in lives that are surrendered to God.
Message: Interpreting Scripture with the Church
Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.
What the Lord is Saying:
Scripture is the only infallible authority in our lives. Scripture will not fail us. But there are other authorities we can use in our lives, namely the Church or those within it. We can learn from other people's insights into the Scriptures because the Holy Spirit is present in lives that are surrendered to God.
I think the point here today is that we need each other and it is important in reading Scripture to read commentators, depend on the Holy Spirit, but also talk about among people that believe the Bible is inspired and infallible.
I've knocked the idea of Roman Catholics and that the Bishops and apostles of the church throughout the 1000 years or so that there was not a printing press would herald the teaching of God's word and so it basically became a think to just let the Bishops discern the meaning of God's word. But, I think in some ways we all do this or have a tendency to align ourselves with some speaker and trust his interpretation. And yet, I think the point is that this doesn't mean that we don't study the Word ourselves and don't have regular Bible study ourselves. I don't know what it was like growing up in the 14th century and prior. Perhaps church involved meeting together after a message and talking about the sermon.
Discerning the will of God in our lives is a difficult venture. We all have different feelings about our faith and approach it in different ways. At times, yes, we have similar alignment to the truth. Bt, I think we need to be careful to assemble together and to always make that a priority in our lives. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas took time to think about this question of circumcision and men from Judea saying that it was imperative for salvation. They concluded that grace is what is key in our lives. The grace of God has been present throughout history - in the time of Moses and Abraham and the giving of the Law and present in their time, following the raising of Jesus from the dead. Grace is what was key in all of this not sticking to rules. Rules are needed in our lives, but not to bring about salvation. Paul and Barnabas took time to think about what was being said but also trusted in the Holy Spirit and what He was speaking to them and leading them.
I need to make sure I am doing the same thing as I listen, study, read the Word of God.
I've knocked the idea of Roman Catholics and that the Bishops and apostles of the church throughout the 1000 years or so that there was not a printing press would herald the teaching of God's word and so it basically became a think to just let the Bishops discern the meaning of God's word. But, I think in some ways we all do this or have a tendency to align ourselves with some speaker and trust his interpretation. And yet, I think the point is that this doesn't mean that we don't study the Word ourselves and don't have regular Bible study ourselves. I don't know what it was like growing up in the 14th century and prior. Perhaps church involved meeting together after a message and talking about the sermon.
Discerning the will of God in our lives is a difficult venture. We all have different feelings about our faith and approach it in different ways. At times, yes, we have similar alignment to the truth. Bt, I think we need to be careful to assemble together and to always make that a priority in our lives. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas took time to think about this question of circumcision and men from Judea saying that it was imperative for salvation. They concluded that grace is what is key in our lives. The grace of God has been present throughout history - in the time of Moses and Abraham and the giving of the Law and present in their time, following the raising of Jesus from the dead. Grace is what was key in all of this not sticking to rules. Rules are needed in our lives, but not to bring about salvation. Paul and Barnabas took time to think about what was being said but also trusted in the Holy Spirit and what He was speaking to them and leading them.
I need to make sure I am doing the same thing as I listen, study, read the Word of God.
Promise: I need to be willing to submit myself to the authority of the church and those that have studied the Word of God. I need to seek to read Scripture with the church and to learn from others both past and present.
Prayer: Lord, keep me diligent in the personal study of Your Word. Give me discernment continually as I listen to those that are around and state their understanding of Your Words. Thank you for the wonderful individuals that have taken the time to study and learn Your word and understand it.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Matthew 19:1-9 - Reading the Bible Holistically
Matthew 19:1-9
1 When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”7 They *said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Message: Reading the Bible Holistically
Time: The date of Matthew's composition is anywhere from 55-60 AD probably in Antioch of Syria. The writing is most likely to the Jews. His purpose was to show them that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected messiah and both his genealogy and his resurrection were legitimate proofs of this.
What the Lord is Saying:
I need to be careful about how I read the Word of God each day. I thank you that it illumines my path and as I seek nourishment in it each day, it delivers me closer to Jesus and following God. I am enjoying this understanding of Scripture and the different literary styles being used. It is like an English lesson with the Bible. I learned yesterday to make sure I let the explicit meaning of passages define those that may be more implicit. In essence, scripture interprets scripture or scripture defines scripture. The Latin phrase Scriptura sacra sui ipsius interpres means sacred scripture is its own interpreter.
As I read and understand these words of Scripture, as I walk in them and see that they are a light to my path I conclude that God has inspired them. Paul wrote those words that All Scripture is inspired by God. But, I am still piecing together what He meant my All Scripture at that time. Today I can say that this means the canon of the Bible. I Corinthians 14:33 stated explicitly that God is not of confusion but of peace. This tells me that his inspired word does not contradict itself and I must be careful then about it is interpreted. God would not teach one thing in one passage and then contradict that teaching in another passage.
Take these 2 passages - Deuteronomy 24:1-4 and Matthew 19:1-9 that spoke speak of divorce. In Deuteronomy it states that When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her he writes her a certificate of divorce. In the first century, rabbi Hillel embraced the idea that any time any situation arises in which there are irreconcilable differences then a man is permitted to divorce his wife.
Jesus states here in Matthew 19 - He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
I think in Moses's day and in the day of Jesus there was an issue of the hardness of people's hearts on this issue. People are bent towards divorce being an acceptable practice; this was true thousands of years ago and is true today. Moses and Jesus both come back to the issue of God's plan is for people to marry and not divorce, but both provide their own allowances. We should be focused on the standard and not the exception. But since exceptions occur, we want to make sure we are still on the same playing field as the original expectation. Yet, I am not sure we are. But, I am also not sure any of us are on any issue. I think when we start talking exceptions, Jesus is saying that we need to not do what was often done in the time of Moses and afterwards and that is allow for multiple reasons. Jesus is more strict in stating it is only to be about sexual immorality. Man took a word like uncleanness in Deuteronomy and made it to mean many different things. People then focused on the idea that they could get out of a relationship. The union of man and woman is to be upheld. It is interesting that people looked for the way out and somewhat ignored the consequences.
I think this is what is meant by reading Scripture Holistically - to read all of Scripture and think about the context of each writer. On this issue we focus on the fact that Jesus wants commitments to remain, if at all possible, but if a divorce occurs it needs to be rare. Our divorce rates have improved but mostly because people have stopped getting married.
Promise: We need to read scripture in its context. I need to be a entire-Bible or whole-Bible Christian. I must diligently study all that God has revealed.
Prayer: Lord, help me with the understanding of Your Words. I need Your help.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
1 When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”7 They *said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Message: Reading the Bible Holistically
What the Lord is Saying:
I need to be careful about how I read the Word of God each day. I thank you that it illumines my path and as I seek nourishment in it each day, it delivers me closer to Jesus and following God. I am enjoying this understanding of Scripture and the different literary styles being used. It is like an English lesson with the Bible. I learned yesterday to make sure I let the explicit meaning of passages define those that may be more implicit. In essence, scripture interprets scripture or scripture defines scripture. The Latin phrase Scriptura sacra sui ipsius interpres means sacred scripture is its own interpreter.
As I read and understand these words of Scripture, as I walk in them and see that they are a light to my path I conclude that God has inspired them. Paul wrote those words that All Scripture is inspired by God. But, I am still piecing together what He meant my All Scripture at that time. Today I can say that this means the canon of the Bible. I Corinthians 14:33 stated explicitly that God is not of confusion but of peace. This tells me that his inspired word does not contradict itself and I must be careful then about it is interpreted. God would not teach one thing in one passage and then contradict that teaching in another passage.
Take these 2 passages - Deuteronomy 24:1-4 and Matthew 19:1-9 that spoke speak of divorce. In Deuteronomy it states that When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her he writes her a certificate of divorce. In the first century, rabbi Hillel embraced the idea that any time any situation arises in which there are irreconcilable differences then a man is permitted to divorce his wife.
Jesus states here in Matthew 19 - He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
I think in Moses's day and in the day of Jesus there was an issue of the hardness of people's hearts on this issue. People are bent towards divorce being an acceptable practice; this was true thousands of years ago and is true today. Moses and Jesus both come back to the issue of God's plan is for people to marry and not divorce, but both provide their own allowances. We should be focused on the standard and not the exception. But since exceptions occur, we want to make sure we are still on the same playing field as the original expectation. Yet, I am not sure we are. But, I am also not sure any of us are on any issue. I think when we start talking exceptions, Jesus is saying that we need to not do what was often done in the time of Moses and afterwards and that is allow for multiple reasons. Jesus is more strict in stating it is only to be about sexual immorality. Man took a word like uncleanness in Deuteronomy and made it to mean many different things. People then focused on the idea that they could get out of a relationship. The union of man and woman is to be upheld. It is interesting that people looked for the way out and somewhat ignored the consequences.
I think this is what is meant by reading Scripture Holistically - to read all of Scripture and think about the context of each writer. On this issue we focus on the fact that Jesus wants commitments to remain, if at all possible, but if a divorce occurs it needs to be rare. Our divorce rates have improved but mostly because people have stopped getting married.
Promise: We need to read scripture in its context. I need to be a entire-Bible or whole-Bible Christian. I must diligently study all that God has revealed.
Prayer: Lord, help me with the understanding of Your Words. I need Your help.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
I Corinthians 10:1-11 - Explicit and Implicit Teaching
I Corinthians 10:1-11
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Message: Explicit and Implicit Teaching
Time: This epistle was written to the church that resided in Corinth of Achaia. First Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul received from the Corinthian church, and that letter was probably a response to another of Paul's letters. This letter was composed in Ephesus around AD 54-55, and such topics as division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection are covered in this epistle.
What the Lord is Saying:
I continue to examine the different forms of literature that we have in our Bible. The Bible is the Word of God. It is God's special revelation to His people and it is the final revelation. The books that we have of the Canon are complete. This Word equips us to do every good work and apply every good thing in our lives. We can trust it. It is to be interpreted literally, but we also realize that there are different language types it has. There are non-literal ways lie phenomenological which describes things the way they appear, like the sun stood still and anthropomorphic language which describes God as having human attributes, like fingers and hands, though he is a spirit. Personification gives personal characteristics to impersonal entities like trees clapping their hands and mountains singing. Hyperbole exaggerates to make a point as the story of the mustard seed begins with this tiny seed and then grows so people can sit in it. Metaphor is a very common one to use a word for one thing that is meant for something else, like Jesus saying I am the door or the light.
All of this forms helps us to better understand what we are reading. The goal is to interpret texts correctly as religions have been started based upon interpretation and many of the different belief systems focus on different ways to interpret. Thus, as we study each passage it is the explicit, direct teaching of the passage that must control our interpretation of that passage.
By explicit instruction, we mean teaching where the instructor clearly outlines what the learning goals are for the reader, and offers clear, unambiguous explanations of the skills and information structures they are presenting. The text referenced here, I Corinthians 10 is an example of explicit teaching as Paul describes things in order that we would not crave evil things. He says Do not be idolaters...Nor let us act immorally...Nor let us try the Lord...nor grumble. These commandments are clear do's and don't in our Bible, and thus the teaching is explicit.
By implicit instruction, we refer to teaching where the instructor does not outline such goals or make such explanations overtly, but rather simply presents the information or problem to the student and allows the student to make their own conclusions and create their own conceptual structures and assimilate the information in the way that makes the most sense to them. An example of this from Scripture would be the telling of the resurrection of Jesus in the Gospels. All four gospels mentions this miracle that occurred - the presence of angels, a heavy stoned rolled away, the appearance of Jesus. None of the Gospels state that God raised Jesus from the dead but this is a natural conclusion. The doctrine of the Trinity would be another example of implicit instruction. Nowhere is that term used in scripture, but we have the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit all with the same God-like attributes. Thus, the instruction provides to us the conclusion of the three persons of God.
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Message: Explicit and Implicit Teaching
Time: This epistle was written to the church that resided in Corinth of Achaia. First Corinthians is a response to a letter that Paul received from the Corinthian church, and that letter was probably a response to another of Paul's letters. This letter was composed in Ephesus around AD 54-55, and such topics as division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, Christian liberty, order of worship, and the resurrection are covered in this epistle.
What the Lord is Saying:
I continue to examine the different forms of literature that we have in our Bible. The Bible is the Word of God. It is God's special revelation to His people and it is the final revelation. The books that we have of the Canon are complete. This Word equips us to do every good work and apply every good thing in our lives. We can trust it. It is to be interpreted literally, but we also realize that there are different language types it has. There are non-literal ways lie phenomenological which describes things the way they appear, like the sun stood still and anthropomorphic language which describes God as having human attributes, like fingers and hands, though he is a spirit. Personification gives personal characteristics to impersonal entities like trees clapping their hands and mountains singing. Hyperbole exaggerates to make a point as the story of the mustard seed begins with this tiny seed and then grows so people can sit in it. Metaphor is a very common one to use a word for one thing that is meant for something else, like Jesus saying I am the door or the light.
All of this forms helps us to better understand what we are reading. The goal is to interpret texts correctly as religions have been started based upon interpretation and many of the different belief systems focus on different ways to interpret. Thus, as we study each passage it is the explicit, direct teaching of the passage that must control our interpretation of that passage.
By explicit instruction, we mean teaching where the instructor clearly outlines what the learning goals are for the reader, and offers clear, unambiguous explanations of the skills and information structures they are presenting. The text referenced here, I Corinthians 10 is an example of explicit teaching as Paul describes things in order that we would not crave evil things. He says Do not be idolaters...Nor let us act immorally...Nor let us try the Lord...nor grumble. These commandments are clear do's and don't in our Bible, and thus the teaching is explicit.
By implicit instruction, we refer to teaching where the instructor does not outline such goals or make such explanations overtly, but rather simply presents the information or problem to the student and allows the student to make their own conclusions and create their own conceptual structures and assimilate the information in the way that makes the most sense to them. An example of this from Scripture would be the telling of the resurrection of Jesus in the Gospels. All four gospels mentions this miracle that occurred - the presence of angels, a heavy stoned rolled away, the appearance of Jesus. None of the Gospels state that God raised Jesus from the dead but this is a natural conclusion. The doctrine of the Trinity would be another example of implicit instruction. Nowhere is that term used in scripture, but we have the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit all with the same God-like attributes. Thus, the instruction provides to us the conclusion of the three persons of God.
Exodus 32:14 says that the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. Now did the Lord really change His mind? Numbers 23:19 says - “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? So here Numbers says that God does not lie, so how could he change his mind? Numbers 23:19 is explicit teaching. Thus, the description in Exodus 32:14 of God changing his mind is anthropomorphic or giving us human attributes. God knew the plan and to us the appearance was that he changed his mind, but He knew what He would do all along. He does not change His mind like we change ours.
Thus it is important to allow the explicit passages to help define the meaning of the implicit ones. Thus, the explicit teaching of Numbers 23:19 helps guide our learning of other scriptures. This is an important distinction where we need to understand the way the Bible is being written.
Promise: It is common for belief systems to take implicit teachings and make them explicit but these explicit teachings contradict other teachings. If there are contradictions in scripture then our beliefs are shallow and we cannot believe anything it says.
Prayer: Lord, again, thank you for this understanding. You are illuminating my understanding of Scripture. You are providing me the different language types in scripture that help shed light on the reading and understand of Your word. You are a great God. You never change. Help others to understand this teaching so that it can illuminate our understanding of You.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Isaiah 55:12 - Personification, Hyperbole, and Metaphor
Isaiah 55:12
“For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Message: Personification, Hyperbole, and Metaphor
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
As I spend this time talking about interpreting the Bible literally, I think about the language that is used in the Bible and the different types that are present. Yesterday, I looked an non-literary language or the idea that words sometimes have more than just their basic dictionary meeting and sometimes words mean something a little different from the literary definition. For some this can be confusing and cause people to think about texts in a different way. The Bible, if read incorrectly, can become different in its meaning.
The words of 2 Timothy 2:15 speak - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. This is my desire, to accurately handle the word of Truth -- God's word. As I do this, I can be confident in the work I do each day to further the gospel.
Three more literary devices are examined today.
Personification uses personal characteristics for impersonal things. Society calls nature, Mother - as in Mother Nature. People refer to their cars as "he" or "she." Here in Isaiah 55:12 it says that the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah uses these words to help communicate the great joy that will result when God's people return to Him. These words are also found in Psalm 98:8 - Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy. The deliverance of God's people yields a joy that is all over creation. It is all encompassing as it even effects objects that have no voices.
Hyperbole is the use of intentional exaggeration to make a point. This is not deception but again helping to provide a picture of what a person is feeling at a given time. I will often say that I am hungry enough to eat a horse. I am not saying that I am actually going to eat a horse, but if I did, a horse represents a lot of food and I am simply stressing my hunger. When Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32 he used this type of hyperbole. He talks about the mustard seed in a garden and when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. He calls it smaller than all of the other seeds. But it isn't the smallest seed. He is showing that the kingdom of God starts out small as to almost invisible but then grows into a large realm. The gospel starts with a small group of men and we have now seen it grow and multiply across our world. God can take things that are little and multiply them. He has done this with this blog for he has built a community of people that encourage one another as they read the Jesus Calling devotional each day.
Metaphor is used by writers to designate one thing in order to designate another. Jesus says in John 10:7 - Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Is Jesus literally a door? Is Jesus literally a light? No, but he uses these metaphors to help describe the entryway he is into our lives. Jesus often uses this door metaphor as described by John. In Revelation 3:20 he says, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. This explains to us that as we open the door or the window of our hear or our lives to God, he comes in. He enters into our lives and takes up a sort of ownership in our life. And into the kingdom there is only one door or only one entryway.
Promise: We should call attention to the different uses of language in the Bible that is used to help us better understand what it is saying.
Praying: Lord, thank you again for the clarity of Your Word and the way you speak and encourage me through language. Lord, in some ways we speak in a funny way, but we speak in order to communicate in a effective manner and help people understand. Lord, remove the blinders on people who think that You must fit into a box and only communicate in one way. Help people to see the truth of your message. Lord, you are true and complete. I pray that this language would help draw people closer to You.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
“For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Message: Personification, Hyperbole, and Metaphor
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
As I spend this time talking about interpreting the Bible literally, I think about the language that is used in the Bible and the different types that are present. Yesterday, I looked an non-literary language or the idea that words sometimes have more than just their basic dictionary meeting and sometimes words mean something a little different from the literary definition. For some this can be confusing and cause people to think about texts in a different way. The Bible, if read incorrectly, can become different in its meaning.
The words of 2 Timothy 2:15 speak - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. This is my desire, to accurately handle the word of Truth -- God's word. As I do this, I can be confident in the work I do each day to further the gospel.
Three more literary devices are examined today.
Personification uses personal characteristics for impersonal things. Society calls nature, Mother - as in Mother Nature. People refer to their cars as "he" or "she." Here in Isaiah 55:12 it says that the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah uses these words to help communicate the great joy that will result when God's people return to Him. These words are also found in Psalm 98:8 - Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy. The deliverance of God's people yields a joy that is all over creation. It is all encompassing as it even effects objects that have no voices.
Hyperbole is the use of intentional exaggeration to make a point. This is not deception but again helping to provide a picture of what a person is feeling at a given time. I will often say that I am hungry enough to eat a horse. I am not saying that I am actually going to eat a horse, but if I did, a horse represents a lot of food and I am simply stressing my hunger. When Jesus gave the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32 he used this type of hyperbole. He talks about the mustard seed in a garden and when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. He calls it smaller than all of the other seeds. But it isn't the smallest seed. He is showing that the kingdom of God starts out small as to almost invisible but then grows into a large realm. The gospel starts with a small group of men and we have now seen it grow and multiply across our world. God can take things that are little and multiply them. He has done this with this blog for he has built a community of people that encourage one another as they read the Jesus Calling devotional each day.
Metaphor is used by writers to designate one thing in order to designate another. Jesus says in John 10:7 - Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. Is Jesus literally a door? Is Jesus literally a light? No, but he uses these metaphors to help describe the entryway he is into our lives. Jesus often uses this door metaphor as described by John. In Revelation 3:20 he says, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. This explains to us that as we open the door or the window of our hear or our lives to God, he comes in. He enters into our lives and takes up a sort of ownership in our life. And into the kingdom there is only one door or only one entryway.
Promise: We should call attention to the different uses of language in the Bible that is used to help us better understand what it is saying.
Praying: Lord, thank you again for the clarity of Your Word and the way you speak and encourage me through language. Lord, in some ways we speak in a funny way, but we speak in order to communicate in a effective manner and help people understand. Lord, remove the blinders on people who think that You must fit into a box and only communicate in one way. Help people to see the truth of your message. Lord, you are true and complete. I pray that this language would help draw people closer to You.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Ecclesiastes 8:1 - The Language of Scripture
Ecclesiastes 8:1
Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter?
Message: The Language of Scripture
Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter?
Message: The Language of Scripture
Time: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
Once the scriptures are identified through the Canon of Scripture concluding that these are the Scriptures that are inspired by God and the final revelation from God to His people it is important to look at now the interpretation of Scripture. I have stated previously that the way the Bible is interpreted means everything for this has resulted in many of the different denominations and even belief systems we have today. In addition, there is often much confusion when it comes to the Bible for people think that there is a special way of reading the text and understanding it, almost like there is a secret code. At times, I wonder if this is said because people want something from God - like those that were walking around at the time of Jesus - as they wanted healing or escape from there present circumstances and so what they find difficult is accessing what they want.
The most basic principle is to interpret the Bible literally. Thus, read it according to the intent of the authors. Yes, there are different literary styles used - poetry, historical narrative, proverb, epistle, parable, sermon, prophecy, and others. I would agree that sometimes prophecy contains imagery, metaphors and allegories that are somewhat difficult to determine, but that is a small portion of our Bible. Thankfully today we have the Bible in multiple translations that provide it to us in our own language. I am thankful for the scholars that have vested their time in studying how best to understand it.
In thinking about how to interpret it literally, today I look at two basic categories of non-literal language. Non-literal means words that go beyond the dictionary meaning of words. This is used to help provide readers a more complete picture in their minds of what they are reading.
Phenomenological language describes the way things appear to the naked eye. Often things are described by the way they look when the exact science would say something different. In Joshua 10:12-13 it says - Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Now, did God in fact cause the earth to stop moving briefly for this to happen. Or is this language being employed to describe an incredible act of God that enabled the Israelites to win their fight.
Recently, there has been a lot of writings about a flat earth and the Bible supporting this idea. It seems that often what is termed as verses that support this idea are actually verses written with Phenomenological language. For example - Deuteronomy 28:49 says - The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth. Flat-earth folks believe this means the earth has an end, but this is really what appears to the writer at the time and speaks more of the distance the nation is coming from.
Anthropomorphic language describes God as having human attributes, yet we know from Scripture - John 4:24- God is spirit - and so when human attributes are given to him it simply is trying to give us a picture of the human like affection he has toward us or that he sees or is aware of all that happens.
Thus, to say that we need to interpret the Bible literally doesn't mean that every text has a literary definition as there is non-literal language in the Bible.
Promise: Understanding literary forms will assist us in not treating the Bible as something that it is not, thereby improving our interpretation of the text. Reading the Word of God carefully according to these forms will help keep us from asserting error and confusing people about the meaning of God's revelation.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for Your word and helping me to understand it and how you have communicated through many different writers over the last 4,000 years. Thank you for bringing clarity to my understanding of Your Word.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
The most basic principle is to interpret the Bible literally. Thus, read it according to the intent of the authors. Yes, there are different literary styles used - poetry, historical narrative, proverb, epistle, parable, sermon, prophecy, and others. I would agree that sometimes prophecy contains imagery, metaphors and allegories that are somewhat difficult to determine, but that is a small portion of our Bible. Thankfully today we have the Bible in multiple translations that provide it to us in our own language. I am thankful for the scholars that have vested their time in studying how best to understand it.
In thinking about how to interpret it literally, today I look at two basic categories of non-literal language. Non-literal means words that go beyond the dictionary meaning of words. This is used to help provide readers a more complete picture in their minds of what they are reading.
Phenomenological language describes the way things appear to the naked eye. Often things are described by the way they look when the exact science would say something different. In Joshua 10:12-13 it says - Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Now, did God in fact cause the earth to stop moving briefly for this to happen. Or is this language being employed to describe an incredible act of God that enabled the Israelites to win their fight.
Recently, there has been a lot of writings about a flat earth and the Bible supporting this idea. It seems that often what is termed as verses that support this idea are actually verses written with Phenomenological language. For example - Deuteronomy 28:49 says - The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth. Flat-earth folks believe this means the earth has an end, but this is really what appears to the writer at the time and speaks more of the distance the nation is coming from.
Anthropomorphic language describes God as having human attributes, yet we know from Scripture - John 4:24- God is spirit - and so when human attributes are given to him it simply is trying to give us a picture of the human like affection he has toward us or that he sees or is aware of all that happens.
Thus, to say that we need to interpret the Bible literally doesn't mean that every text has a literary definition as there is non-literal language in the Bible.
Promise: Understanding literary forms will assist us in not treating the Bible as something that it is not, thereby improving our interpretation of the text. Reading the Word of God carefully according to these forms will help keep us from asserting error and confusing people about the meaning of God's revelation.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for Your word and helping me to understand it and how you have communicated through many different writers over the last 4,000 years. Thank you for bringing clarity to my understanding of Your Word.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
2 Timothy 2:15 - Rightly Handling God's Word
2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
Message: Rightly Handling God's Word
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Martin Luther was an individual who felt like the Word of God should be in the hands of every Christian and they should be able to decide for themselves what the words meant. He translated the Bible into German. The Roman Catholics had for 1000 years, after the Canon of Scripture concluded, and before the printing press, thought that the Bible should be primarily in the hands of bishops and interpretation of the Bible was then given to the people. The year was 1450 when Guttenberg completed the printing press machine. In 1517, Luther submitted his Ninety-Five Thesis to the Church. In 1522, Luther published the German Bible and the complete Bible was translated in 1534.
However, even as each person seeks to read the Bible for themselves, there is the expectation that the Bible is interpreted correctly. Each person can't just come up with their own idea of what it means.
This is an issue that has resulted in many different denominations and different belief systems. I think of the Jehovah's Witnesses that have a very different interpretation of Jesus as not God, and was previously Micheal the archangel and believe all mentions of God in the New Testament are meant to be translated as Jehovah. They now have their own translation. I also think of groups like Seventh Day Adventists that interpret the Sabbath as being Saturday as the day of worship. Some churches believe in an elder led congregation, some believe in a mix of elders and congregation led and others all congregation led. Some think women preachers are okay. Methodists believe in a social gospel while Lutherans do not. Mormons and Islam believe they are the only one's that can correctly interpret the Bible. I suppose each body believes this, to a point. Church of Christ believes we are a New Testament church where no music is be played by instruments in churches and baptism is a part of salvation. Baptists generally believe that a person cannot lose their salvation while a Lutheran believes a person can fall from grace. Lutherans and Methodists hold that all can receive communion and be baptized while baptists believe this is something for believers only. Baptists also believe some people are predestined to eternal damnation while Lutherans say that people are not predetermined. Some of these beliefs are misunderstandings in what the other thinks though and many times after discussing beliefs are very similar.
It is somewhat interesting to note all of the differences and that each one thinks they are right in their own eyes. My feeling though is their are primary truths, like salvation by grace alone and Jesus as God and the Trinity that need to be held by everyone and some of these beliefs are secondary in their importance. But I realize also that what is defined as primary and secondary can differ from group to group.
Paul appeals to this in today's reading from 2 Timothy 2. Paul says to Timothy in verse 2 - The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. The idea seems to be that Paul is encouraging the further teaching of these words he is giving them, namely about Jesus and his mission on earth. We need to continue to carry this message. Then in verse 15 he says - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Paul seems to be encouraging his listeners to accurately handle the word of truth. The essence of this verse is as we traverse through different situations and problems in life, we need to constantly look to God's word as the instrument in which we evaluate all of life's situations. I realize I need to think about this even as I engage in conversations with those that don't hold to the same interpretation.
Promise: God the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and therefore we can look to these authors for understanding of the scripture even as many of these are hundreds of years old.
Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for the access that I have to all of the different writers and theologians and interpreters of your Word. Thank you for the help that they provide me. Thank you for your Spirit teaching me continually and guiding me into truth. Help me to continue to look to Your word for all the events of my life and how I navigate through all of them.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
Message: Rightly Handling God's Word
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Martin Luther was an individual who felt like the Word of God should be in the hands of every Christian and they should be able to decide for themselves what the words meant. He translated the Bible into German. The Roman Catholics had for 1000 years, after the Canon of Scripture concluded, and before the printing press, thought that the Bible should be primarily in the hands of bishops and interpretation of the Bible was then given to the people. The year was 1450 when Guttenberg completed the printing press machine. In 1517, Luther submitted his Ninety-Five Thesis to the Church. In 1522, Luther published the German Bible and the complete Bible was translated in 1534.
However, even as each person seeks to read the Bible for themselves, there is the expectation that the Bible is interpreted correctly. Each person can't just come up with their own idea of what it means.
This is an issue that has resulted in many different denominations and different belief systems. I think of the Jehovah's Witnesses that have a very different interpretation of Jesus as not God, and was previously Micheal the archangel and believe all mentions of God in the New Testament are meant to be translated as Jehovah. They now have their own translation. I also think of groups like Seventh Day Adventists that interpret the Sabbath as being Saturday as the day of worship. Some churches believe in an elder led congregation, some believe in a mix of elders and congregation led and others all congregation led. Some think women preachers are okay. Methodists believe in a social gospel while Lutherans do not. Mormons and Islam believe they are the only one's that can correctly interpret the Bible. I suppose each body believes this, to a point. Church of Christ believes we are a New Testament church where no music is be played by instruments in churches and baptism is a part of salvation. Baptists generally believe that a person cannot lose their salvation while a Lutheran believes a person can fall from grace. Lutherans and Methodists hold that all can receive communion and be baptized while baptists believe this is something for believers only. Baptists also believe some people are predestined to eternal damnation while Lutherans say that people are not predetermined. Some of these beliefs are misunderstandings in what the other thinks though and many times after discussing beliefs are very similar.
It is somewhat interesting to note all of the differences and that each one thinks they are right in their own eyes. My feeling though is their are primary truths, like salvation by grace alone and Jesus as God and the Trinity that need to be held by everyone and some of these beliefs are secondary in their importance. But I realize also that what is defined as primary and secondary can differ from group to group.
Paul appeals to this in today's reading from 2 Timothy 2. Paul says to Timothy in verse 2 - The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. The idea seems to be that Paul is encouraging the further teaching of these words he is giving them, namely about Jesus and his mission on earth. We need to continue to carry this message. Then in verse 15 he says - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Paul seems to be encouraging his listeners to accurately handle the word of truth. The essence of this verse is as we traverse through different situations and problems in life, we need to constantly look to God's word as the instrument in which we evaluate all of life's situations. I realize I need to think about this even as I engage in conversations with those that don't hold to the same interpretation.
Promise: God the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and therefore we can look to these authors for understanding of the scripture even as many of these are hundreds of years old.
Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for the access that I have to all of the different writers and theologians and interpreters of your Word. Thank you for the help that they provide me. Thank you for your Spirit teaching me continually and guiding me into truth. Help me to continue to look to Your word for all the events of my life and how I navigate through all of them.
Saturday, January 19, 2019
2 Peter 3:15-16 - The New Testament Canon
2 Peter 3:15-16
15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Message: The New Testament Canon
Time: Peter wrote this letter from Rome soon after he wrote 1 Peter in AD 64–66. Peter is encouraging believers to stand firm as they face false teachers. Peter emphasized the importance of learning and clinging to the proper knowledge of God
What the Lord is Saying:
It is important in the study of Scripture to know which books constitute scripture. Thus, deciding what is inspired or not inspired is a process because many have stated having received a word from the Lord.
In identifying the books for the New Testament Canon or the inspired scriptures that would become part of our Bible there were some books that were universally accepted - the four Gospels, the Pauline epistles, Acts, 1 Peter and I John. Early believers had questions though about 2 and 3 John and Revelation. The other books added were added because of apostolic authorship and the fact that by the 4th century these books were well read throughout the World.
The conclusion though was in the fact that these Scriptures were confirmed by the Holy Spirit in his speaking to believers of there authenticity. The Spirit spoke to the writers and spoke to those who evaluated the Scriptures, thus our trust is on God.
What I saw earlier was the idea that Paul's letter to Timothy mentioned Scripture and the question at the time when he said, All Scripture is inspired by God is what was the scripture that he was speaking about. Was he simply speaking about the Old Testament Canon? That was my thought at the time as I wouldn't think he would be speaking of his own writings. But perhaps Paul was in fact claiming his words as authoritative. One, i think about which words of the New Testament were in existence at the time of his writing I Timothy. If the time of that book is dated between 60 and 65 some of the Gospels would have been available (not John), but his writings would still be in development. Clearly, he does seem to be talking of Old Testament books.
Yet Paul does sort of parallel his writings with Scripture:
I Thessalonians 2:13 - For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
Ephesians 3:3-5 - that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
Luke wrote in Acts 15:28 - For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials
John states in Revelation 22:18-19: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
Thus, it is interesting that these texts, written by these writers, self-describe that the words coming from themselves are inspired by God. And what Peter does here in these verses is sort of align his words with Paul's words and then remarks the rest of the Scriptures. Thus, as he writes the words, he affirms Paul's words and brings them altogether his words, Paul's and the rest of Scriptures.
I know I have memorized 2 Timothy 3:16-17 with the idea that the All Scripture it speaks about is the the Canon of the Bible. Perhaps we can take that application from that verse, but the reality is that the conclusion of the Canon came outside of the written words of the Bible. And it was in those proceedings that we can conclude then that All Scripture of the Bible is inspired by God.
Promise: The authority of the books to be included in Scripture and therefore Scripture itself comes from God, though his Spirit, to His people. The Holy Spirit convinces us of all truth. Only the Spirit can make us trust God's word.
Prayer: O Lord, I thank you for the depth of your truth and as I dig into it more and more each day I discover more truths of it. I thank you for this and praise You for what it says. You are a great God and I praise Your name. Keep giving me understanding as I not only learn from these devotions but as I engage with others about truth. Draw people to yourself.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Message: The New Testament Canon
Time: Peter wrote this letter from Rome soon after he wrote 1 Peter in AD 64–66. Peter is encouraging believers to stand firm as they face false teachers. Peter emphasized the importance of learning and clinging to the proper knowledge of God
What the Lord is Saying:
It is important in the study of Scripture to know which books constitute scripture. Thus, deciding what is inspired or not inspired is a process because many have stated having received a word from the Lord.
In identifying the books for the New Testament Canon or the inspired scriptures that would become part of our Bible there were some books that were universally accepted - the four Gospels, the Pauline epistles, Acts, 1 Peter and I John. Early believers had questions though about 2 and 3 John and Revelation. The other books added were added because of apostolic authorship and the fact that by the 4th century these books were well read throughout the World.
The conclusion though was in the fact that these Scriptures were confirmed by the Holy Spirit in his speaking to believers of there authenticity. The Spirit spoke to the writers and spoke to those who evaluated the Scriptures, thus our trust is on God.
What I saw earlier was the idea that Paul's letter to Timothy mentioned Scripture and the question at the time when he said, All Scripture is inspired by God is what was the scripture that he was speaking about. Was he simply speaking about the Old Testament Canon? That was my thought at the time as I wouldn't think he would be speaking of his own writings. But perhaps Paul was in fact claiming his words as authoritative. One, i think about which words of the New Testament were in existence at the time of his writing I Timothy. If the time of that book is dated between 60 and 65 some of the Gospels would have been available (not John), but his writings would still be in development. Clearly, he does seem to be talking of Old Testament books.
Yet Paul does sort of parallel his writings with Scripture:
I Thessalonians 2:13 - For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
Ephesians 3:3-5 - that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
Luke wrote in Acts 15:28 - For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials
John states in Revelation 22:18-19: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
Thus, it is interesting that these texts, written by these writers, self-describe that the words coming from themselves are inspired by God. And what Peter does here in these verses is sort of align his words with Paul's words and then remarks the rest of the Scriptures. Thus, as he writes the words, he affirms Paul's words and brings them altogether his words, Paul's and the rest of Scriptures.
I know I have memorized 2 Timothy 3:16-17 with the idea that the All Scripture it speaks about is the the Canon of the Bible. Perhaps we can take that application from that verse, but the reality is that the conclusion of the Canon came outside of the written words of the Bible. And it was in those proceedings that we can conclude then that All Scripture of the Bible is inspired by God.
Promise: The authority of the books to be included in Scripture and therefore Scripture itself comes from God, though his Spirit, to His people. The Holy Spirit convinces us of all truth. Only the Spirit can make us trust God's word.
Prayer: O Lord, I thank you for the depth of your truth and as I dig into it more and more each day I discover more truths of it. I thank you for this and praise You for what it says. You are a great God and I praise Your name. Keep giving me understanding as I not only learn from these devotions but as I engage with others about truth. Draw people to yourself.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Luke 24:44 - The Old Testament Canon
Luke 24:44
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Message: The Old Testament Canon
Time: The Gospel according to Luke was probably the last Synoptic Gospel to be written, thus penned around 60 AD. The words salvation are in Luke, though not in Matthew and Mark. Luke, a gentile physician, wrote more than any other NT writer, writing primarily of redemptive history.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Tabletalk magazine is a guide for me in studying scripture. I have used it since 2013 as a guide to sort of keep me accountable to the reading of God's word. In the process I have gotten behind in my study as I have not always had time in the Word every day since then. But, I've stayed with it, just gotten behind in the readings. Thus, here on 2019-01-18 I am going through February 2017 issue and for 2017 they decided to focus on the doctrines that came about chiefly 500 years ago from the Reformers. The Reformers sought to return to the Word of God as the only revelation from God. There had been a tendency to allow bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic church to take their interpretation of the Bible and turn that interpretation into a law, what students of theology term as oral law. Thus their was a written law and an oral law. A basic example of this is the teaching of purgatory or that there is some sort of waiting place prior to going to heaven. This is an extra-biblical idea.
The issue that is raised today comes back to this idea of the Canon of scripture and what is considered sacred text. When Paul wrote the word of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 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 -- his understanding of Scripture at that time was the books of the Old Testament. Jesus very often quoted from the Law, Prophets and Psalms. And as Paul was writing the letters to various churches it wasn't that he was self-promoting his words necessarily as scripture or perhaps he was. What occurred then is later into the 5th century a Canon of Scripture was performed in which a decision was made as to what was to be called Scripture and the writings of those witnessing Jesus, the man of God sent by God, was then included in Scripture.
Because of the 95 Thesis from Luther that challenged the thinking of the Catholic Church, the Roman Catholics responded with a gathering called the Council of Trent from 1545 to 1563 in which they codified Roman Catholic doctrine. When it comes to defining scripture they determined that the books of the Apocrypha were part of the Canon. The argument from the Protestants is Jesus never quoted from these books and any time he quoted from the Old Testament books he stated them as "it is written" or "Scripture says" and any quotes from Apocrypha never included those words. Thus, Bible scholars did not affirm the Apocrypha as scripture.
In this passage today from Luke 24:44 Jesus upholds My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” He was speaking specifically here about prophecy fulfillment but as he does he focuses on the Law of Moses (Genesis - Deuteronomy), the Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Isaiah to Malachi minus Daniel and Lamentations and then the writings are everything else in the Old Testament to which many called these the Psalms (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations). Thus, their conclusion is the Apocrypha is not included in these books.
Promise: The Apocryphal books can be useful as historical works, but they are not divinely inspired and not to be followed as Holy Scripture.
Prayer: Lord again, I thank you for Your word and inspiring the writers but also those that came together to decide what we view as Scripture today. Thank you for the consistency of Your Word. Help me to uphold it. Help me today even as I write this gentleman who has a different understanding of scripture and its application, specifically that of the Sabbath. I pray Lord that even in our differences you would bring unity to us.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Message: The Old Testament Canon
Time: The Gospel according to Luke was probably the last Synoptic Gospel to be written, thus penned around 60 AD. The words salvation are in Luke, though not in Matthew and Mark. Luke, a gentile physician, wrote more than any other NT writer, writing primarily of redemptive history.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Tabletalk magazine is a guide for me in studying scripture. I have used it since 2013 as a guide to sort of keep me accountable to the reading of God's word. In the process I have gotten behind in my study as I have not always had time in the Word every day since then. But, I've stayed with it, just gotten behind in the readings. Thus, here on 2019-01-18 I am going through February 2017 issue and for 2017 they decided to focus on the doctrines that came about chiefly 500 years ago from the Reformers. The Reformers sought to return to the Word of God as the only revelation from God. There had been a tendency to allow bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic church to take their interpretation of the Bible and turn that interpretation into a law, what students of theology term as oral law. Thus their was a written law and an oral law. A basic example of this is the teaching of purgatory or that there is some sort of waiting place prior to going to heaven. This is an extra-biblical idea.
The issue that is raised today comes back to this idea of the Canon of scripture and what is considered sacred text. When Paul wrote the word of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 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 -- his understanding of Scripture at that time was the books of the Old Testament. Jesus very often quoted from the Law, Prophets and Psalms. And as Paul was writing the letters to various churches it wasn't that he was self-promoting his words necessarily as scripture or perhaps he was. What occurred then is later into the 5th century a Canon of Scripture was performed in which a decision was made as to what was to be called Scripture and the writings of those witnessing Jesus, the man of God sent by God, was then included in Scripture.
Because of the 95 Thesis from Luther that challenged the thinking of the Catholic Church, the Roman Catholics responded with a gathering called the Council of Trent from 1545 to 1563 in which they codified Roman Catholic doctrine. When it comes to defining scripture they determined that the books of the Apocrypha were part of the Canon. The argument from the Protestants is Jesus never quoted from these books and any time he quoted from the Old Testament books he stated them as "it is written" or "Scripture says" and any quotes from Apocrypha never included those words. Thus, Bible scholars did not affirm the Apocrypha as scripture.
In this passage today from Luke 24:44 Jesus upholds My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” He was speaking specifically here about prophecy fulfillment but as he does he focuses on the Law of Moses (Genesis - Deuteronomy), the Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Isaiah to Malachi minus Daniel and Lamentations and then the writings are everything else in the Old Testament to which many called these the Psalms (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations). Thus, their conclusion is the Apocrypha is not included in these books.
Promise: The Apocryphal books can be useful as historical works, but they are not divinely inspired and not to be followed as Holy Scripture.
Prayer: Lord again, I thank you for Your word and inspiring the writers but also those that came together to decide what we view as Scripture today. Thank you for the consistency of Your Word. Help me to uphold it. Help me today even as I write this gentleman who has a different understanding of scripture and its application, specifically that of the Sabbath. I pray Lord that even in our differences you would bring unity to us.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - The Clarity of Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Message: The Clarity of Scripture
Time: Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy. It is a collection of sermons given during the 40-day period prior to Israel’s entering the Promised Land. He restates the Law to a new generation and provides a discourse on how to live a blessed life in the Promised Land. The year was 1406 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
As I have looked at and studied the doctrine of revelation, that God has provided to us this special revelation from Him, I have seen that He has spoken and we can take the Words of God as being His authoritative Word to us. It is complete and provides us what we need to live life. As we read these words we meet God. We know Him better and He becomes more real to us. They are spoken to apostles and prophets over many years and yet have a consistent message - redeeming mankind and showing us how much God loves us. God has also revealed himself in a general way through His creation. It testifies of who He is and hopefully causes us to look at ourselves and see that we are not God but that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Bible is inerrant. It does not return void but has power. It stands above all other words that people claim to be scripture.
So why do we have so many religions? Why so many beliefs? The claim that all of these different ways lead to the same God is wrong and impossible for they all have different messages and requirements. So how do I read these words and make sense of them? Thankfully, as believers we have the Holy Spirit who is there to give us understanding into these truths.
I believe these words are meant to be clear to us. I personally think that what we struggle with is simply reading them and spending time in them. Instead we look for shortcuts or other people to do the work for us and so we then accept their interpretation, if we think it makes sense. But instead there needs to be a clarity of Scripture.
In this passage in Deuteronomy in which Moses is given a sermon to his people, a lesson about the law, he states that These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons. The Word of God is meant to reside on our hearts. It is meant to be memorized and retrieved from our memory. It is to be taught to our children and therefore it can be understood by our children, thus the content is simple and understandable. I hear often of people that have come to trust in Jesus as their Savior at a young age. My wife was 4 when she made this decision. I was 14. It is a message that is simple and can be understood. Ordinary people can have an understanding of these words. God impacts the uneducated, the unlearned. I am reminded that in Moses days people didn't carry around Bibles, but instead Words were memorized and carried through memory.
In addition, these words are not simply read or taught once a week, on a Sunday, in a church, but we are to talk about them throughout the week. It says you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Thus, throughout the day they are to be on our lips - wherever we go, with whomever we are with. To further add to this point Moses says You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. These words are not hidden, but in view. Am I proud of the word of God or do I sometimes hide it from view? It needs to be clearly laid out for all to see. It also says You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Again, for all to see.
It is true that some passages are difficult to understand, but overall one should easily be able to understand the basic message of salvation and what it is that pleases the Lord.
Promise: This is not a puzzle or a book of secret codes, but rather a book of clarity that all can understand. The Bible can be understood by anyone who puts in the basic effort to read it in its context. God's message to us is clear.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Word of God that you have give us and its clear message to me. Thank you that I can understand how much you love us, how much you desire to spend eternity with me, that I am a sinner, in need of your grace and redemption. Lord, I pray that my life testifies of this word. Help me to write it on my life, to speak it throughout the day, to put up signs around my house, to let everyone know that I live by the Word of God. It is power for my life and not something to be hidden, but to be broadcast to everyone. Lord, forgive me for hiding it at times. I want to honor and glorify Your name continually.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Message: The Clarity of Scripture
Time: Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy. It is a collection of sermons given during the 40-day period prior to Israel’s entering the Promised Land. He restates the Law to a new generation and provides a discourse on how to live a blessed life in the Promised Land. The year was 1406 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
As I have looked at and studied the doctrine of revelation, that God has provided to us this special revelation from Him, I have seen that He has spoken and we can take the Words of God as being His authoritative Word to us. It is complete and provides us what we need to live life. As we read these words we meet God. We know Him better and He becomes more real to us. They are spoken to apostles and prophets over many years and yet have a consistent message - redeeming mankind and showing us how much God loves us. God has also revealed himself in a general way through His creation. It testifies of who He is and hopefully causes us to look at ourselves and see that we are not God but that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Bible is inerrant. It does not return void but has power. It stands above all other words that people claim to be scripture.
So why do we have so many religions? Why so many beliefs? The claim that all of these different ways lead to the same God is wrong and impossible for they all have different messages and requirements. So how do I read these words and make sense of them? Thankfully, as believers we have the Holy Spirit who is there to give us understanding into these truths.
I believe these words are meant to be clear to us. I personally think that what we struggle with is simply reading them and spending time in them. Instead we look for shortcuts or other people to do the work for us and so we then accept their interpretation, if we think it makes sense. But instead there needs to be a clarity of Scripture.
In this passage in Deuteronomy in which Moses is given a sermon to his people, a lesson about the law, he states that These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons. The Word of God is meant to reside on our hearts. It is meant to be memorized and retrieved from our memory. It is to be taught to our children and therefore it can be understood by our children, thus the content is simple and understandable. I hear often of people that have come to trust in Jesus as their Savior at a young age. My wife was 4 when she made this decision. I was 14. It is a message that is simple and can be understood. Ordinary people can have an understanding of these words. God impacts the uneducated, the unlearned. I am reminded that in Moses days people didn't carry around Bibles, but instead Words were memorized and carried through memory.
In addition, these words are not simply read or taught once a week, on a Sunday, in a church, but we are to talk about them throughout the week. It says you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Thus, throughout the day they are to be on our lips - wherever we go, with whomever we are with. To further add to this point Moses says You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. These words are not hidden, but in view. Am I proud of the word of God or do I sometimes hide it from view? It needs to be clearly laid out for all to see. It also says You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Again, for all to see.
It is true that some passages are difficult to understand, but overall one should easily be able to understand the basic message of salvation and what it is that pleases the Lord.
Promise: This is not a puzzle or a book of secret codes, but rather a book of clarity that all can understand. The Bible can be understood by anyone who puts in the basic effort to read it in its context. God's message to us is clear.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Word of God that you have give us and its clear message to me. Thank you that I can understand how much you love us, how much you desire to spend eternity with me, that I am a sinner, in need of your grace and redemption. Lord, I pray that my life testifies of this word. Help me to write it on my life, to speak it throughout the day, to put up signs around my house, to let everyone know that I live by the Word of God. It is power for my life and not something to be hidden, but to be broadcast to everyone. Lord, forgive me for hiding it at times. I want to honor and glorify Your name continually.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Psalm 18:30 - Scriptural Inerrancy
Psalm 18:30
As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Message: Scriptural Inerrancy
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Bible is the only source of special revelation that we possess and we believe this God's final revelation to his people occurred by witnesses of Jesus' resurrection and by the end of the 1st century or about 100 AD all of those witnesses had passed away, most of them martyred for their faith. Thus the Bible is authority to us - all of us - all of us believers and this includes our church leaders. Although many church leaders often think that they have a different sort of revelation or even a greater revelation, the reality is that all persons have the same revelation or access to the same revelation.
And everything that the Bible speaks is true. There is no falsehood in the pages. Thus we can affirm the words from Psalm 18:30 which says The Word of the Lord is tried or proven true. John 17:7 also tells us that every word Jesus spoke came from the Father and therefore it is true.
What we know also is the inerrancy of Scripture has to do with the words spoke by God directly to the writers. What we possess today are hand-written copies or manuscripts of those inspired Words. Yet the Bible is preserved better than any other ancient book.
The New Testament has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work of literature, with over 5,800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts catalogued, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic and Armenian.
For the Old Testament there are over 10,000 manuscripts. The most significant of these were the 200 manuscripts found in 1947 known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are more than 200 biblical manuscripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of them were written in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. They were written before the year 70 AD.
One of my favorite writers is Albert Barnes, an 18th century theologian, states of this verse:
Prayer: O God I thank you for entrusting your word to faithful men and providing us so many manuscripts of your spoken words. You are faithful in providing us what we need. Thank you for the confidence we can have in these words. Continue to dispel the questions people have and draw people to yourself through these words. The j you for making them an anchor in my life.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Message: Scriptural Inerrancy
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Bible is the only source of special revelation that we possess and we believe this God's final revelation to his people occurred by witnesses of Jesus' resurrection and by the end of the 1st century or about 100 AD all of those witnesses had passed away, most of them martyred for their faith. Thus the Bible is authority to us - all of us - all of us believers and this includes our church leaders. Although many church leaders often think that they have a different sort of revelation or even a greater revelation, the reality is that all persons have the same revelation or access to the same revelation.
And everything that the Bible speaks is true. There is no falsehood in the pages. Thus we can affirm the words from Psalm 18:30 which says The Word of the Lord is tried or proven true. John 17:7 also tells us that every word Jesus spoke came from the Father and therefore it is true.
What we know also is the inerrancy of Scripture has to do with the words spoke by God directly to the writers. What we possess today are hand-written copies or manuscripts of those inspired Words. Yet the Bible is preserved better than any other ancient book.
The New Testament has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work of literature, with over 5,800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts catalogued, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic and Armenian.
For the Old Testament there are over 10,000 manuscripts. The most significant of these were the 200 manuscripts found in 1947 known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are more than 200 biblical manuscripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of them were written in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. They were written before the year 70 AD.
One of my favorite writers is Albert Barnes, an 18th century theologian, states of this verse:
The word of the Lord is tried - Margin, refined. The idea is, that his word had been tested as silver or any other metal is in the fire. The psalmist had confided in him, and had found him faithful to all his promises. Compare the note at Psalm 12:6. In a larger sense, using the phrase the "word of the Lord" as denoting the revelation which God has made to mankind in the volume of revealed truth, it has been abundantly tested or tried, and it still stands. It has been tested by the friends of God, and has been found to be all that it promised to be for support and consolation in trial; it has been tested by the changes which have occurred in the progress of human affairs, and has been found fitted to meet all those changes; it has been tested by the advances which have been made in science, in literature, in civilization, and in the arts, and it has shown itself to be fitted to every stage of advance in society; it has been tested by the efforts which men have made to destroy it, and has survived all those efforts.
It is settled that it will survive all the revolutions of kingdoms and all the changes of dynasties; that it will be able to meet all the attacks which shall be made upon it by its enemies; and that it will be an unfailing source of light and comfort to all future ages. If persecution could crush it, it would have been crushed long ago; if ridicule could drive it from the world, it would have been driven away long ago; if argument, as urged by powerful intellect, and by learning, combined with intense hatred, could destroy it, it would have been destroyed long ago; and if it is not fitted to impart consolation to the afflicted, to wipe away the tears of mourners, and to uphold the soul in death, that would have been demonstrated long ago. In all these methods it has been "tried," and as the result of all, it has been proved as the only certain fact, in regard to a book as connected with the future - that the Bible will go down accredited as a revelation from God to the end of the world.Promise: though we do not have the original written words from the apostles and prophets hat God inspired we can compare all of the manuscripts to determine the original text. Thus, we can fully trust the writings.
Prayer: O God I thank you for entrusting your word to faithful men and providing us so many manuscripts of your spoken words. You are faithful in providing us what we need. Thank you for the confidence we can have in these words. Continue to dispel the questions people have and draw people to yourself through these words. The j you for making them an anchor in my life.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Isaiah 55:10-11 - The Power and Infallibility of Scripture
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Message: The Power and Infallibility of Scripture
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
Scripture is God-breathed meaning that it is inspired by God and this means that He actually spoke through each writer and the words penned in Scripture are considered the words of God. Yet each Word still represents the personality of the author. Scripture speaks to man and provides him with everything that he needs in life. It serves as the foundation for every situation man may find himself in and it equips man for every good work. This Word completes man. Without, we are incomplete.
Scripture has the highest authority in life. I think many understand this and this is why interpreting scripture has become such a big deal and defines many religions today. But the Word of God is consistent. Scripture holds a greater authority than any man-made structure.
In these verses in Isaiah he records that Word will not return void. The Word of God has no chance of failing. It is 100% useful each time. This doesn't mean that every person achieves salvation because many hearts are hardened toward the Word of God and God. But even that hardening is complete. It is true that God loves the world, but the entire world does not accept the things of God. And God makes this clear in His word.
Isaiah 55 is an entire chapter chronicling the promises of God. It provides an invitation to the feast and the promise to Israel and then the preparation of the feast, namely repentance and the encouragement to it because of God's faithful promises. It makes mention that man can come to God and receive what He needs. What He needs most of all is to be restored to God. In verse 3 - Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you. God promises a promise to His people to be their God. He tells us to come to Him and this promise will be realized.
The wicked have the promise that God will restore them. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him. We are all fragile in our sin. We are all ashamed of our mistakes and the results those mistakes have on our lives. We know we are being disobedient. God makes it clear that if we forsake our way and admit our sin then the Lord will return to us and have compassion. When we are sorry, he forgives us. I think this is hard for us to accept many times because we are deep in our own thoughts of who we are and we think who we are is too great of a problem for God. But God then declares - My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways. Again, we are to trust for God's ways are not man's ways.
In all of these truths of God rescuing us, God restoring us, God declaring to us that we are loved and we are His as we come to Him, He makes it known that His word is complete. My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. It will accomplish its purpose. People always want a visual of God, but God has given us a visual in His word. The written word provides us what we need, all that we need. It is complete.
Promise: While the Word of God is spoken to fallible humans it was spoken by an infallible God, so that it does not teach falsehood. It is either all right or all wrong, but there is no middle ground.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the truth of Your Word and thank you that I can see you in this word. I can know about a person by reading words written by him. I do this throughout my life. I don't need pictures, but the words make a picture. You have given me all that I need, my need is simply to trust in You and trust that You are complete, and God's word is complete. I love discovering the Word because it often surprises me of the clarify of it when I read it. Like on Sunday at church, and studying a simple passage and how it comes alive and we all walk out of the service amazed of the clarity of the Word of God. It is because God we have met You and we have seen you and experienced You and know you better. We have received what we need. We thank you for this and how you speak through fallible men your perfect ways. You are great Lord, great indeed and we praise Your name.
10 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Message: The Power and Infallibility of Scripture
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
Scripture is God-breathed meaning that it is inspired by God and this means that He actually spoke through each writer and the words penned in Scripture are considered the words of God. Yet each Word still represents the personality of the author. Scripture speaks to man and provides him with everything that he needs in life. It serves as the foundation for every situation man may find himself in and it equips man for every good work. This Word completes man. Without, we are incomplete.
Scripture has the highest authority in life. I think many understand this and this is why interpreting scripture has become such a big deal and defines many religions today. But the Word of God is consistent. Scripture holds a greater authority than any man-made structure.
In these verses in Isaiah he records that Word will not return void. The Word of God has no chance of failing. It is 100% useful each time. This doesn't mean that every person achieves salvation because many hearts are hardened toward the Word of God and God. But even that hardening is complete. It is true that God loves the world, but the entire world does not accept the things of God. And God makes this clear in His word.
Isaiah 55 is an entire chapter chronicling the promises of God. It provides an invitation to the feast and the promise to Israel and then the preparation of the feast, namely repentance and the encouragement to it because of God's faithful promises. It makes mention that man can come to God and receive what He needs. What He needs most of all is to be restored to God. In verse 3 - Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you. God promises a promise to His people to be their God. He tells us to come to Him and this promise will be realized.
The wicked have the promise that God will restore them. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him. We are all fragile in our sin. We are all ashamed of our mistakes and the results those mistakes have on our lives. We know we are being disobedient. God makes it clear that if we forsake our way and admit our sin then the Lord will return to us and have compassion. When we are sorry, he forgives us. I think this is hard for us to accept many times because we are deep in our own thoughts of who we are and we think who we are is too great of a problem for God. But God then declares - My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways. Again, we are to trust for God's ways are not man's ways.
In all of these truths of God rescuing us, God restoring us, God declaring to us that we are loved and we are His as we come to Him, He makes it known that His word is complete. My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. It will accomplish its purpose. People always want a visual of God, but God has given us a visual in His word. The written word provides us what we need, all that we need. It is complete.
Promise: While the Word of God is spoken to fallible humans it was spoken by an infallible God, so that it does not teach falsehood. It is either all right or all wrong, but there is no middle ground.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the truth of Your Word and thank you that I can see you in this word. I can know about a person by reading words written by him. I do this throughout my life. I don't need pictures, but the words make a picture. You have given me all that I need, my need is simply to trust in You and trust that You are complete, and God's word is complete. I love discovering the Word because it often surprises me of the clarify of it when I read it. Like on Sunday at church, and studying a simple passage and how it comes alive and we all walk out of the service amazed of the clarity of the Word of God. It is because God we have met You and we have seen you and experienced You and know you better. We have received what we need. We thank you for this and how you speak through fallible men your perfect ways. You are great Lord, great indeed and we praise Your name.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Monday, January 14, 2019
John 10:35 - Biblical Authority
John 10:35
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)
Message: Biblical Authority
Time: While John does not admit to have written this gospel, there is ample evidence from others that he did. It was most likely written in Ephesus around 85-95 AD and is the fourth gospel. John provides a Jesus more clearly as the Son of God. John cites Jesus' seven "I Am" statements, mentions many miracles of Jesus, signifying Him as God's Son. He is the Son of Man and atoned for our sins and the Son of God with eternal implications in rising from the dead.
What the Lord is Saying:
In recent days my study of the doctrine of revelation has not simply centered on the Scripture alone or sola Scriptura, but also on this idea of the final and complete authority of Scripture. The Reformers of 500 years ago came in conflict with the Roman Catholic church because Rome upheld extra-biblical traditions, namely that church tradition and Magisterium or teaching officers of the church also had divine authority. As a reminder, before the printing press, people who attended church did not have their own Bible. Only the wealthy had a Bible, but really only the churches had a Bible and leadership asked them to trust the leaders in the reading and teaching of the Word.
I remember speaking to an older couple about 10 years ago at the mall that were Catholic and voiced that only the priests read the Bible. So this is still the thinking of people today. But, the upheaval that Luther and Calvin brought to the forefront was not only being focused on Scripture alone, but it was calling into question those that heralded over the people.
To say that Scripture is inspired by God or God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) would mean that it can only have the voice of God and not other human beings. My senses is the Roman Catholic churches and other churches and religions are putting forth the idea that they don't necessarily have the same authority but instead they believe they are the leaders that interpret the words of the Bible correctly. I have heard from Muslims, Mormons, as well as Catholics say that the problem isn't the text, but the interpretation of the text and each of these think their interpretation is the best.
Protestantism has this type of thinking as well as people follow certain Bible teachers and come to think those teachers are chief among biblical interpretation. I've been partial to Tom Nelson of Denton Bible Church, as well as Charles Swindoll. Many others believe in John MacArthur, Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Louie Giglio, Andy Stanley and many others. We begin to trust the teaching of these individuals. Clearly, I think it is somewhat normal to value people's interpretation, but I think the danger today is to revert only to these individuals and not to do study yourself.
Then the question is asked, why do we trust who we trust and what is the basis for their interpretation. Obviously, it is easy to see the potential problems with Muslims and Mormons because they have added additional texts to the Bible. While Catholicism and even Jehovah Witnesses have not added texts, but simply state that their way of interpretation is the right one. It causes many to say that they will not ever go to church because people struggle being caught in this type of thinking where they don't know what to decipher as truth.
But the issue here is primarily one of authority in the Bible (the Scripture cannot be broken) being the complete revelation of God. And while we can subscribe to different people's interpretations we must be careful to not be dogmatic in thinking it is only their interpretation that matters. Again, this is still hard because we assemble in churches each Sunday and we look to the leaders of that church to teach us and we listen with the expectation that the way that individual has divided truth and interpreted it is correct and my purpose then is not to call it into question but to focus on applying it. I suppose what I've always heard is to go back and do my own study of the text and see if the Spirit of God speaks to me in the same way.
Promise: Church tradition and the teaching we receive in our local churches are vital for helping us understand the Scriptures. However, all authorities are subject to the Word of God. Therefore let us submit to Scripture and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for faithful men that have carried truth. But, Lord, help me to depend on you Holy Spirit for my guidance. Thank you God for speaking to me and leading me. Lord, again, I see the tendency that I have to trust in people for it is easy and they are eloquent. But, I can always pray and talk to you. So lead me in this. And bring unity to the people of God. Help us to get along with one another, to have friendly debates but to remain in unity. Lord, we need your help today for we have become more and more a people of opinions and society upholds everyone's opinion at times in a similar light and often I see that traditional beliefs are getting squashed out. Lord, as your agent of truth living in this world help me to know what is truth and then help me to always stand up for it.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)
Message: Biblical Authority
Time: While John does not admit to have written this gospel, there is ample evidence from others that he did. It was most likely written in Ephesus around 85-95 AD and is the fourth gospel. John provides a Jesus more clearly as the Son of God. John cites Jesus' seven "I Am" statements, mentions many miracles of Jesus, signifying Him as God's Son. He is the Son of Man and atoned for our sins and the Son of God with eternal implications in rising from the dead.
What the Lord is Saying:
In recent days my study of the doctrine of revelation has not simply centered on the Scripture alone or sola Scriptura, but also on this idea of the final and complete authority of Scripture. The Reformers of 500 years ago came in conflict with the Roman Catholic church because Rome upheld extra-biblical traditions, namely that church tradition and Magisterium or teaching officers of the church also had divine authority. As a reminder, before the printing press, people who attended church did not have their own Bible. Only the wealthy had a Bible, but really only the churches had a Bible and leadership asked them to trust the leaders in the reading and teaching of the Word.
I remember speaking to an older couple about 10 years ago at the mall that were Catholic and voiced that only the priests read the Bible. So this is still the thinking of people today. But, the upheaval that Luther and Calvin brought to the forefront was not only being focused on Scripture alone, but it was calling into question those that heralded over the people.
To say that Scripture is inspired by God or God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) would mean that it can only have the voice of God and not other human beings. My senses is the Roman Catholic churches and other churches and religions are putting forth the idea that they don't necessarily have the same authority but instead they believe they are the leaders that interpret the words of the Bible correctly. I have heard from Muslims, Mormons, as well as Catholics say that the problem isn't the text, but the interpretation of the text and each of these think their interpretation is the best.
Protestantism has this type of thinking as well as people follow certain Bible teachers and come to think those teachers are chief among biblical interpretation. I've been partial to Tom Nelson of Denton Bible Church, as well as Charles Swindoll. Many others believe in John MacArthur, Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Louie Giglio, Andy Stanley and many others. We begin to trust the teaching of these individuals. Clearly, I think it is somewhat normal to value people's interpretation, but I think the danger today is to revert only to these individuals and not to do study yourself.
Then the question is asked, why do we trust who we trust and what is the basis for their interpretation. Obviously, it is easy to see the potential problems with Muslims and Mormons because they have added additional texts to the Bible. While Catholicism and even Jehovah Witnesses have not added texts, but simply state that their way of interpretation is the right one. It causes many to say that they will not ever go to church because people struggle being caught in this type of thinking where they don't know what to decipher as truth.
But the issue here is primarily one of authority in the Bible (the Scripture cannot be broken) being the complete revelation of God. And while we can subscribe to different people's interpretations we must be careful to not be dogmatic in thinking it is only their interpretation that matters. Again, this is still hard because we assemble in churches each Sunday and we look to the leaders of that church to teach us and we listen with the expectation that the way that individual has divided truth and interpreted it is correct and my purpose then is not to call it into question but to focus on applying it. I suppose what I've always heard is to go back and do my own study of the text and see if the Spirit of God speaks to me in the same way.
Promise: Church tradition and the teaching we receive in our local churches are vital for helping us understand the Scriptures. However, all authorities are subject to the Word of God. Therefore let us submit to Scripture and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for faithful men that have carried truth. But, Lord, help me to depend on you Holy Spirit for my guidance. Thank you God for speaking to me and leading me. Lord, again, I see the tendency that I have to trust in people for it is easy and they are eloquent. But, I can always pray and talk to you. So lead me in this. And bring unity to the people of God. Help us to get along with one another, to have friendly debates but to remain in unity. Lord, we need your help today for we have become more and more a people of opinions and society upholds everyone's opinion at times in a similar light and often I see that traditional beliefs are getting squashed out. Lord, as your agent of truth living in this world help me to know what is truth and then help me to always stand up for it.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
2 Timothy 3:17 - Biblical Sufficiency
2 Timothy 3:17
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Message: Biblical Sufficiency
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - I continue in the study of the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture. God's special revelation to us is through his speaking. He spoke directly in the person of Jesus, God's Son, and He continues to speak through the Word of God - which he inspired or rather breathed into men who would record those words for us to read today. God spoke through these authors and their words still express each of their gifts and personalities and the people that they were but their words of Scripture are God's words. They are infallible and complete. They are God's final revelation. Therefore, there are not new holy scriptures, like the Book of Mormon or the Qu'ran. The Bible is final.
I studied 2 Timothy 3:16 yesterday which speaks of All Scripture is inspired. The Scripture at the time of Paul's writing has different interpretations. It could only mean the writings of the Old Testament prophets. But, up to the Canon in the 5th century it came to be known also as all of the writings which would make up the Canon of Scripture. I'm curios now about a book by FF Bruce called The Canon of Scripture. I also came across a book called An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels by Brooke Foss Westcott from 1881 that looks to chronicle some of these men from the early centuries that helped in their involvement of the Canon of Scripture.
As it stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. The KJV stayed "profitable for doctrine" which would mean that all the doctrines that we need are found in these texts. It is for reproof which means it convicts and shows us how we cannot save ourselves. It is for correction so it shows us what evil is to be avoided and then also what practice is to be performed; this shows us that our strength lies in the Lord. It is for training in righteousness as the Spirit of God inspired writers to write and readers to read and understand, all for the purpose of the constant training of us, his followers, toward righteous living.
Therefore, so that the man of God, that is every follower or devoted person of God, may be adequate or perfect or stand complete in the will of God. Each follower is to be equipped for every good work. Faith works. Faith is not only recognition, but faith works. Faith leads to a life of service. Paul wants to be clear I think in his writings that we are equipped for every good work and we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). This book may not cover every subject but it provides us everything we need to make every decision. There are principles here that guide and direct our paths and this often includes trusting in God and relying on the Spirit of God to direct our paths.
Promise: Scripture provides us God's will for our lives - completely. It is all we need. It is sufficient to give us what we need to please God doing good works in order to be made complete.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for this Word of Truth and reminding me that it is sufficient. It is everything that I need and this is why I continue to come to it each day to enrich my life and equip me. I never want to grow dull of this study and I trust that you will continue to equip me.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Message: Biblical Sufficiency
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - I continue in the study of the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture. God's special revelation to us is through his speaking. He spoke directly in the person of Jesus, God's Son, and He continues to speak through the Word of God - which he inspired or rather breathed into men who would record those words for us to read today. God spoke through these authors and their words still express each of their gifts and personalities and the people that they were but their words of Scripture are God's words. They are infallible and complete. They are God's final revelation. Therefore, there are not new holy scriptures, like the Book of Mormon or the Qu'ran. The Bible is final.
I studied 2 Timothy 3:16 yesterday which speaks of All Scripture is inspired. The Scripture at the time of Paul's writing has different interpretations. It could only mean the writings of the Old Testament prophets. But, up to the Canon in the 5th century it came to be known also as all of the writings which would make up the Canon of Scripture. I'm curios now about a book by FF Bruce called The Canon of Scripture. I also came across a book called An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels by Brooke Foss Westcott from 1881 that looks to chronicle some of these men from the early centuries that helped in their involvement of the Canon of Scripture.
As it stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. The KJV stayed "profitable for doctrine" which would mean that all the doctrines that we need are found in these texts. It is for reproof which means it convicts and shows us how we cannot save ourselves. It is for correction so it shows us what evil is to be avoided and then also what practice is to be performed; this shows us that our strength lies in the Lord. It is for training in righteousness as the Spirit of God inspired writers to write and readers to read and understand, all for the purpose of the constant training of us, his followers, toward righteous living.
Therefore, so that the man of God, that is every follower or devoted person of God, may be adequate or perfect or stand complete in the will of God. Each follower is to be equipped for every good work. Faith works. Faith is not only recognition, but faith works. Faith leads to a life of service. Paul wants to be clear I think in his writings that we are equipped for every good work and we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). This book may not cover every subject but it provides us everything we need to make every decision. There are principles here that guide and direct our paths and this often includes trusting in God and relying on the Spirit of God to direct our paths.
Promise: Scripture provides us God's will for our lives - completely. It is all we need. It is sufficient to give us what we need to please God doing good works in order to be made complete.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for this Word of Truth and reminding me that it is sufficient. It is everything that I need and this is why I continue to come to it each day to enrich my life and equip me. I never want to grow dull of this study and I trust that you will continue to equip me.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
2 Timothy 3:16 - God Breathed Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
Message: God Breathed Scripture
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - The revelation of God comes to us as natural and special revelation. The creation testifies of who God is and the Word of God speaks directly to us about the way of the Lord - salvation. With the death of the apostles God's revelation to man ended. We have all that we need though in the Holy Scriptures.
Paul sets forth that All Scripture is inspired (or breathed out) by God. I prefer the word breathed out because it sounds more complete. The Greek word for breathed out is theoneustos and it is the only time this word is used by the Apostles. Thus, Scripture has a unique of coming forth to man and nothing but Scripture is the Word of God.
Even as God breathed out all of God's word, he did through different writers and each writer, in a way gives a unique personality to the words that he pens. Nevertheless these words of Scripture are as spoken of by God and so we can think of them as God's word.
All scripture -- all Canon - is God's Word, yet at the time of the writing scripture consisted of the words primarily of the Old Testament. The Greek word for All is actually better translated as every. I like every because it seems more specific to each Scripture. The Canon of Scripture did not come together until the 5th century. There were many leaders and theologians from the death of Christ up to the Canon that enumerated the inspiration of the words of Scripture - men like Clement, Bishop of Rome, A.D. 70-96, Polycarp of Smyrna, A.D. 108, Ignatius of Antioch, A.D. 107, Barnabas of Alexandria, probably A.D. 140-160, Justin Martyr, A.D. 140-150, Athenagoras, A.D. 160-180, Irenœus, A.D. 180, Tertullian, A.D. 200, Clement master of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, A.D. 199-200, Hippolytus of Portus, A.D. 218, Origen, A.D. 230.
It is important to remember that all Scripture is breathed and spoken by God. We can never play cafeteria with our Bible, picking things we like and passing on other words. It is an all or nothing approach because once we start picking and choosing, how do we decide what is right.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
Message: God Breathed Scripture
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - The revelation of God comes to us as natural and special revelation. The creation testifies of who God is and the Word of God speaks directly to us about the way of the Lord - salvation. With the death of the apostles God's revelation to man ended. We have all that we need though in the Holy Scriptures.
Paul sets forth that All Scripture is inspired (or breathed out) by God. I prefer the word breathed out because it sounds more complete. The Greek word for breathed out is theoneustos and it is the only time this word is used by the Apostles. Thus, Scripture has a unique of coming forth to man and nothing but Scripture is the Word of God.
Even as God breathed out all of God's word, he did through different writers and each writer, in a way gives a unique personality to the words that he pens. Nevertheless these words of Scripture are as spoken of by God and so we can think of them as God's word.
All scripture -- all Canon - is God's Word, yet at the time of the writing scripture consisted of the words primarily of the Old Testament. The Greek word for All is actually better translated as every. I like every because it seems more specific to each Scripture. The Canon of Scripture did not come together until the 5th century. There were many leaders and theologians from the death of Christ up to the Canon that enumerated the inspiration of the words of Scripture - men like Clement, Bishop of Rome, A.D. 70-96, Polycarp of Smyrna, A.D. 108, Ignatius of Antioch, A.D. 107, Barnabas of Alexandria, probably A.D. 140-160, Justin Martyr, A.D. 140-150, Athenagoras, A.D. 160-180, Irenœus, A.D. 180, Tertullian, A.D. 200, Clement master of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, A.D. 199-200, Hippolytus of Portus, A.D. 218, Origen, A.D. 230.
It is important to remember that all Scripture is breathed and spoken by God. We can never play cafeteria with our Bible, picking things we like and passing on other words. It is an all or nothing approach because once we start picking and choosing, how do we decide what is right.
Promise: We do not know exactly how God moved the human authors of Scripture to give us His Word, but we can still trust it and to know God's will for us, we turn to the Scripture for divine authority and inspiration.
Prayer: God, thank You for speaking to me in the way you have. You are perfect in your presentation and may I remain excited and plugged in to always read and study Your Word. Thank you for the faithful men that have come before me who you always moved in to determine the Canon of Scripture. To think that this occurred 1600 years ago is amazing to me, but it also reminds me Lord that you do not change. You are the same yesterday, today and forever.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Friday, January 11, 2019
Hebrews 1:1-4 - God's Final Revelation
Hebrews 1:1-4
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Message: God's Final Revelation
Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution.The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - In these lessons thus far, the focus has been on the doctrine of authority/scripture alone/revelation. I've looked at the difference between natural revelation and special revelation. Natural revelation is revealed through God's creation. It provides a testimony of God, but is not meant to save us. It hopefully helps lead us into a personal identification of our own sin, but often for the non-Christian, although it is there and God gave it, a person exchanges that revelation for a lie and worships the creation rather than the creator. God has given us special revelation through the prophets and apostles and also through the work of sending God, the Son, to earth to speak to man and provide man a physical representation of God, like himself.
As I study these forms of revelation, it is no mystery that many people still believe God can speak through special revelation today and after the revelation that ended with the Apostles. This study from Tabletalk comes from the Reformers of 500 years ago and they believed in the doctrine of sola Scriptura -- the only source of special revelation for the church today is the Bible. God does speak in many ways, but this passage in Hebrews voices that He has spoken finally and definitively in His Son. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. I can see the struggle because once it opens up the idea that God speaks through special revelation today, then who has final authority or which brand is the best. Instead of Christianity, is it Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Jehovah's Witness - who is it because all believe in special revelation today.
There is a three-fold designation of special revelation: God's Son (Jesus), other New Testament revelation/Apostles, and the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms - Jesus said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
Beyond Jesus and his earthly ministry, there are other New Testament writers that speak beyond the Lord's earthly ministry, following His resurrection. These words come though from direct eye-witnesses of the resurrection. And only direct eye-witnesses can confirm other Apostles. Thus, special revelation ended with the death of the Last Apostle in the first century. Acts 1:12-26 records the candidates of Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias to the group of Apostles. The idea presented was a man was to be selected, but he had to be one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. The lot fell then to Matthias to join the group of Apostles and restore it to 12 after the departure of Judas Iscariot. It is interesting that the Gospel of Matthias is a lost book, so there was a writing by Matthias. So the Apostles were important and significant. Peter quotes from Psalm 109:8 to apply the words there of Let another take his office to support the replacement of Judas Iscariot.
Yet, we have the words of Paul written to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. It is spoken that Paul went to visit Cephas (Peter) and spent time with him - Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days (Galatians 1:18) and then also Paul with Titus is mentioned visiting Barnabas - Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me (Galatians 2:1). Paul had received a revelation from Jesus to visit them. It started with Jesus revealing himself to Paul at his conversion.
The conclusion is that God's final revelation came by way of the Apostles after Jesus was resurrected. In addition Paul testifies of a personal revelation from Jesus. I must admit confused a little by this, not from the sake of questioning anything he said, but because there are others that stated a personal revelation and have been rejected. I believe Paul's authority is not based though on this personal revelation but rather the thought that the eyewitness apostles commissioned him or confirmed him.
Promise: We should be content with what we have as after the dying of eyewitness apostles, the passing on of confirming authority ended.
Prayer: Lord, I do thank you for the study of doctrine. It is helpful for me to understand thinking and conclusions on these subjects that in many ways I have not pondered. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit in speaking to me. Help me to filter out my own understanding and trust instead in You Lord only. Give me wisdom in trusting Your word each day and being confident in your truth. Give me wisdom and understanding Lord.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Message: God's Final Revelation
Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution.The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - In these lessons thus far, the focus has been on the doctrine of authority/scripture alone/revelation. I've looked at the difference between natural revelation and special revelation. Natural revelation is revealed through God's creation. It provides a testimony of God, but is not meant to save us. It hopefully helps lead us into a personal identification of our own sin, but often for the non-Christian, although it is there and God gave it, a person exchanges that revelation for a lie and worships the creation rather than the creator. God has given us special revelation through the prophets and apostles and also through the work of sending God, the Son, to earth to speak to man and provide man a physical representation of God, like himself.
As I study these forms of revelation, it is no mystery that many people still believe God can speak through special revelation today and after the revelation that ended with the Apostles. This study from Tabletalk comes from the Reformers of 500 years ago and they believed in the doctrine of sola Scriptura -- the only source of special revelation for the church today is the Bible. God does speak in many ways, but this passage in Hebrews voices that He has spoken finally and definitively in His Son. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. I can see the struggle because once it opens up the idea that God speaks through special revelation today, then who has final authority or which brand is the best. Instead of Christianity, is it Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Jehovah's Witness - who is it because all believe in special revelation today.
There is a three-fold designation of special revelation: God's Son (Jesus), other New Testament revelation/Apostles, and the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms - Jesus said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
Beyond Jesus and his earthly ministry, there are other New Testament writers that speak beyond the Lord's earthly ministry, following His resurrection. These words come though from direct eye-witnesses of the resurrection. And only direct eye-witnesses can confirm other Apostles. Thus, special revelation ended with the death of the Last Apostle in the first century. Acts 1:12-26 records the candidates of Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias to the group of Apostles. The idea presented was a man was to be selected, but he had to be one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. The lot fell then to Matthias to join the group of Apostles and restore it to 12 after the departure of Judas Iscariot. It is interesting that the Gospel of Matthias is a lost book, so there was a writing by Matthias. So the Apostles were important and significant. Peter quotes from Psalm 109:8 to apply the words there of Let another take his office to support the replacement of Judas Iscariot.
Yet, we have the words of Paul written to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. It is spoken that Paul went to visit Cephas (Peter) and spent time with him - Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days (Galatians 1:18) and then also Paul with Titus is mentioned visiting Barnabas - Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me (Galatians 2:1). Paul had received a revelation from Jesus to visit them. It started with Jesus revealing himself to Paul at his conversion.
The conclusion is that God's final revelation came by way of the Apostles after Jesus was resurrected. In addition Paul testifies of a personal revelation from Jesus. I must admit confused a little by this, not from the sake of questioning anything he said, but because there are others that stated a personal revelation and have been rejected. I believe Paul's authority is not based though on this personal revelation but rather the thought that the eyewitness apostles commissioned him or confirmed him.
Promise: We should be content with what we have as after the dying of eyewitness apostles, the passing on of confirming authority ended.
Prayer: Lord, I do thank you for the study of doctrine. It is helpful for me to understand thinking and conclusions on these subjects that in many ways I have not pondered. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit in speaking to me. Help me to filter out my own understanding and trust instead in You Lord only. Give me wisdom in trusting Your word each day and being confident in your truth. Give me wisdom and understanding Lord.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
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