Call me wacky, but I believe God and His word.
As someone who is frequently among Jews and has tasked myself with witnessing to them of the truth of the risen Lord, I am often asked about the merits of the Bible as a whole. Interestingly (at least to me), it is largely Christians who inquire what, exactly, I share with Jews with regard to the entirety of God's word.
So...Is the entire Bible for everyone?
It would be rather self defeating to desire greater understanding of the Bible by poking, prodding, corralling, and chopping portions out. This is not, in fact, greater understanding. It is simply taking what is written in God's holy word and shrinking it and molding it into something that is on our level.
God forbid that we ignore one word, syllable, or phrase from the complete sacred text of God's perfect word.
Rightly dividing the word of truth is not cutting off Scripture for our profit. By separating the parts into their appropriate context, we are in a better position to understand the whole.
The entire Bible is written for us, but not every verse is addressed to us or about us. In other words, all Scripture is profitable (Scripture tells us as much), but not every passage is for our participation or obedience.
I believe there is a grave danger in misconstruing what it means to rightly divide the word of truth. By right division, I mean acknowledging that the doctrine concerning the church today is found in the epistles written by Paul by the revelation of Christ Jesus.
God chooses His words carefully. What is gained from an understanding of right division is the proper interpretation of every verse into its dispensational context. While every book and testament is written for us, not every book and testament is written to us or about us.
Choosing not to rightly divide a passage into its dispensational context is the root of the majority of Biblical misinterpretation and errors taught today across so many pulpits. Vegas is a hotbed of them. I'm sure your own town is full of them as well. It gets my goat and often makes me weep for those who buy into so much drivel.
We should hold this in the highest priority, in my opinion, so as to not be led astray by the diverse and errant voices floating across the prairie.
It would behoove us to follow the precedent of 2 Timothy 2:15...
My heart breaks when I see and hear too many people trying desperately to somehow earn grace. No one can do more than what the Messiah did for us on the cross. To do so, in my opinion, is to spit on Him and His sacrifice. I for one have no intentions of doing that. It doesn't sit well with me when others try in vain to complete something that is already complete.
Since my return, I see many still throwing that tired old verse out there onto the table with a smug grin...James did indeed say that "faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." What too many fail to realize is that James was teaching justification to the 12 tribes under their law covenant. This was not written with the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, the gospel of God's grace.
There is nothing else that need be done (or, dare I say, there is nothing else that CAN be done). Colossians 2:10 should put to bed this notion of an earned salvation for good.
Christ did it all! Your only response is faith.
May the Lord God bless you all richly.
As someone who is frequently among Jews and has tasked myself with witnessing to them of the truth of the risen Lord, I am often asked about the merits of the Bible as a whole. Interestingly (at least to me), it is largely Christians who inquire what, exactly, I share with Jews with regard to the entirety of God's word.
So...Is the entire Bible for everyone?
It would be rather self defeating to desire greater understanding of the Bible by poking, prodding, corralling, and chopping portions out. This is not, in fact, greater understanding. It is simply taking what is written in God's holy word and shrinking it and molding it into something that is on our level.
God forbid that we ignore one word, syllable, or phrase from the complete sacred text of God's perfect word.
Rightly dividing the word of truth is not cutting off Scripture for our profit. By separating the parts into their appropriate context, we are in a better position to understand the whole.
The entire Bible is written for us, but not every verse is addressed to us or about us. In other words, all Scripture is profitable (Scripture tells us as much), but not every passage is for our participation or obedience.
I believe there is a grave danger in misconstruing what it means to rightly divide the word of truth. By right division, I mean acknowledging that the doctrine concerning the church today is found in the epistles written by Paul by the revelation of Christ Jesus.
God chooses His words carefully. What is gained from an understanding of right division is the proper interpretation of every verse into its dispensational context. While every book and testament is written for us, not every book and testament is written to us or about us.
Choosing not to rightly divide a passage into its dispensational context is the root of the majority of Biblical misinterpretation and errors taught today across so many pulpits. Vegas is a hotbed of them. I'm sure your own town is full of them as well. It gets my goat and often makes me weep for those who buy into so much drivel.
We should hold this in the highest priority, in my opinion, so as to not be led astray by the diverse and errant voices floating across the prairie.
It would behoove us to follow the precedent of 2 Timothy 2:15...
My heart breaks when I see and hear too many people trying desperately to somehow earn grace. No one can do more than what the Messiah did for us on the cross. To do so, in my opinion, is to spit on Him and His sacrifice. I for one have no intentions of doing that. It doesn't sit well with me when others try in vain to complete something that is already complete.
Since my return, I see many still throwing that tired old verse out there onto the table with a smug grin...James did indeed say that "faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." What too many fail to realize is that James was teaching justification to the 12 tribes under their law covenant. This was not written with the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, the gospel of God's grace.
There is nothing else that need be done (or, dare I say, there is nothing else that CAN be done). Colossians 2:10 should put to bed this notion of an earned salvation for good.
Christ did it all! Your only response is faith.
May the Lord God bless you all richly.
