Category Archives: Bible Study

Other Men’s Brains

Posted by Dan C. on

“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. – 2 Peter 1:19-20 (Emphasis mine)

The above passages can refer to the words of the Prophet of God not being of his own invention, or that the interpretation of Scripture is not just a matter of one’s own imaginings. These words are also not saying individuals aren’t to read and study the Bible for themselves but instead rely on an special ‘Church’ body to tell them what it means. We are all exhorted to ‘study to show ourselves approved’ (2 Tim 2:15)

I clearly remember a time when we frequently attended small group Bible studies in which we all sat around the table or living room, read scripture and then shared what each of us thought the passages meant, as if each one of us had great personal insight. Rather than carefully study the Bible for what it actually was saying in the context in which it was written and the context of the Bible itself, we would congratulate ourselves for whatever the little voices in our heads was telling us.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading and studying the Bible for ourselves. When we engage in personal Bible study however, we need to follow certain rules of proper interpretation, the first three of which are context, context, CONTEXT.

At the same time, we can also avail ourselves of what other men have thought and written over time. It’s not that the minds of other men are always spot on about everything, but they can be quite useful as we strive to know God more fully.

Food for thought on a Saturday morning. A certain preacher once said:

“Give yourself unto reading. The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. You need to read.” – Charles Spurgeon

So study on my friends, knowing the Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher, and that ‘old dead men’ (tribute to my friend Ed) also have a lot to say to us!

God Speaks to Me, but Not Like He Speaks to Priscilla Shirer

Posted by Dan C. on

God speaks to me through the written Word. He speaks through the words on the pages and the illumination by the Holy Spirit of that same written word.

God speaks directly to Priscilla Shirer, with personal messages and revelations; not just via ‘someone else’s hand-me-downs’ (her words about the written word).

Apparently I’m just not tuned in to God’s ‘personal’ frequency. It’s not that God doesn’t want me to have this personal communication; I’m just not tuned in. Ms. Shirer (and others I have heard about, listened to and read) has evidently reached a higher level of spiritually than this old guy.

I have come to a decision point. I need to either take steps to reach the higher level of spirituality so I too can experience the ‘relational’ presence of God (I heard a Chaplain use that term recently), or remain at my current level of spiritual growth.

In support of pursuing a higher level of spiritually, I guess I’m fortunate. I’ve recently listened to several messages on Sunday mornings in which the speaker has taught us that if we begin each day sitting quietly with pen and journal, listening for God’s voice, we can eventually get the hang of it. At first we are to just write down what the ‘voices’ we hear say to us and eventually we will be able to isolate God’s voice and only need to write down what He says. Since our teacher used the same ‘frequency’ terminology as Ms. Shirer, it must be true! Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that whenever two or more believers agree on a thing, it’s true?

On the other hand, I can maintain my current habit of beginning the day prayerfully reading God’s Word and know that I am hearing God speak to me as I read. I can also continue spending time in inductive Bible study, on merely a personal level and in preparation for Sunday School at the Chapel I attend.

But, according to Ms. Shirer (and others) I could be having an even deeper and more meaningful ‘relational’ experience with God if I can tune into God’s special frequency for ‘direct’ communication!

What to do………what to do?

Eisegesis Unplugged – Proverbs 29:18

Posted by Dan C. on

Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.

The Passage

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

This short passage is often used to promote the need for either a special vision for a church or a personal vision for an individual believer’s life. In fact, just a few days ago I heard it used in a sermon concerning the second reason – the need for ‘personal’ vision.

Specific questions were asked by the Pastor preaching the sermon. “Do you have a ‘vision’ to be healthier, be in better shape physically, have a better job or marriage, enjoy material prosperity & be debt free, or have godly children?” These are all things God wants for us, and if you don’t have a corresponding personal vision, you just miss out!

The Pastor’s prime example of a fulfilled personal vision was Walt Disney and his grand vision for Disneyland. We all know how that turned out! But is a need for personal vision what our passage is actually teaching? Let’s take a look. Here it is again, but this time the entire verse:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (KJV)

The first thing we notice is that there is more to it than perishing for lack of a vision. We have a small ‘but’ that connects ‘vision’ with obedience to God’s law. You might be asking: “Can’t it still be about having a personal vision for one’s life?” Let’s look again, specifically about the meaning of ‘vision’. A few other translations will be helpful.

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” (NIV)
“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” (NLT)
“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (ESV)

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.” (NASB)

Now for a few commentaries on the use of ‘vision’ in our passage:

“no vision —no instruction in God’s truth, which was by prophets, through visions (JFB)

“No vision – No prophecy; no public preaching of God’s word.” (Wesley’s Commentary)

“Vision – The word commonly used of the revelation of God’s will made to prophets.” (Albert Barnes)

If we are to trust the additional translations of the entire passage, as well as the commentaries, it seems that our passage has absolutely nothing to do with specific visions for an individual church or individual believers! Rather, it’s all about the lack of sound Biblical teaching, specifically from the Old Testament Prophets. If we can correlate that to today, it would refer primarily to sound Biblical preaching and teaching from gifted pastors and teachers, and even from believers reading and studying the Bible for themselves.

The New Living Translation expresses the thought of the original

“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” (NLT)

Once again, when we take a closer look at a familiar and often misused passage of scripture, we find that it doesn’t mean what we want it to mean. Here’s a bit of food for thought. Is misusing scripture, even somewhat harmlessly, something we as believers ought to be doing?

Food for thought . . . J

The Word of The Cross

Posted by Dan C. on

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “1 Corinthians 1:18

The question this passage begs is this:

WHY is the cross  foolishness to the perishing but the power of God to those who are being saved?

Three reasons are contained in the following passages. I’m challenging anyone to read them and give us the reasons. Let’s discuss.

John 3:19

Romans 8:7

2 Corinthians 4:4

Young Earth Creationism, Faith, and a Few Random Thoughts

Posted by Dan C. on

The teaching of young earth creationism (YEC) to Christian kids in homeschooled environments causes many of them to doubt or lose their faith, especially if YEC is taught as being foundational to our faith. The blog posited that YEC was taught as a primary ‘salvation’ issue – that Heaven or Hell depends on it.

That was the major theme of a ‘Christian’ blog post I found recently. I actually joined the discussion. I learned some amazing things!

Part of the initial post discussed a research project in 1997 that was conducted by a half dozen PhDs of various sorts to study the age of the earth. It seems they were proponents of YEC and resourced other YEC proponents in their study. Because they didn’t use resources ‘outside’ the YEC camp, their work was just a lot of circular reasoning. That caused a young lady to begin to doubt her faith and she has never recovered.

There were other accounts in the comments section saying the same thing; that the teaching of YEC cause some to doubt/lose their faith, nearly all because of having been taught in a homeschooled environment that believing in YEC was a salvation/gospel issue, as if one could lose his/her faith if they didn’t believe in YEC. .

While I can understand why exposure to ‘Evolution as fact’ in school/college venues might cause some doubt (and it does), I couldn’t understand why exposure to YEC would cause anyone to doubt their faith. At the same time, I assumed that the subject of young people doubting/losing their faith might be an important one to address in response.

Therefore, I initially responded that I didn’t think that genuine faith would never tossed out the window, that one having doubts would not completely abandon their faith; because it was a gift from God and whom God saves He keeps by his power. That was considered off topic and one of those nasty Calvinism things.

I decided to bring it down a level and suggest that there might be an issue of not being solidly grounded in the faith once professed for these young people who doubt/abandon their faith. That lack of grounding. might come from a lack of individual Bible reading/study, or having sat under good Bible teaching. Well, That idea completely flabbergasted the site host, who thought the things I was suggesting as causes for doubting one’s faith were ‘works-based’ It took awhile to process that one! How else do we become stronger in our faith without being immersed in sound Biblically teaching?

After a couple more back-and-forth exchanges I think I finally got it – the prevailing ‘theology’ of the majority of this particular group of bloggers. They seem to be into the ‘just me and Jesus – don’t really need anything else’ demographic that is rather large these days. We just need our ‘personal relationship’ with Jesus and we can dispense with old dead guys/creeds/ and the foundational truths that we’ve been told are significant for our spiritual growth and maturity. Focusing on our ‘relationship’ is not works based like studying the Bible and therefore it’s the ‘relationship’ that’s ‘ real faith.

I never did get to the point of suggesting that I don’t know of any advocates of young earth creationism that would tell anyone that their very salvation depended on believing in a young earth, including the founders of Answers In Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research. What I did suggest, to no avail, was that the bigger issue at stake is the inerrancy and authority of scripture, and that the young v. old earth debate really points to that bigger issue. I did that while presenting the main issues that were addressed during the rise of the fundamentalist movement in America in the early 20th century, which had already been soundly bashed (fundamentalisms). That didn’t go well, maybe because believing in a young earth as essential for salvation wasn’t on the list.

So here I sit on a Sunday morning, still wondering just how far the ‘me and Jesus’ mantra has spread and just how badly young believers today have been deceived by other ‘Christians’ and are victims of very real ‘spiritual abuse’. How does any believer end up in the ‘me and Jesus is all we need’ camp? Maybe I’m just getting old, but for a lot of years now, my ‘relationship’ with my Savior has deepened through being immersed in His written word, and just believing it’s true going in. There are other things that have also helped deepen the relationship – studying church history and the creeds and thoughts of dead guys (and some living), but those are only secondary to being personally immersed in the written word.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim 3:16-17

If I don’t believe in the inspiration, inerrancy and authority of scripture, I might as well toss my faith out the door. Wasn’t the first lie that the serpent told Eve “Did God really say……?”

So much for Sunday morning thoughts. This was more for my own clarity than trying to actually teach anyone anything. I had to wade through over a hundred comments that were all over the map, but mostly bashing fundamentalism, homeschooling, John Calvin and anyone who says that that when and how God created our planet impacts our ‘salvation theology’ (although they wouldn’t use the word ‘theology’ – too many syllables and who needs it?)

Thanks for being patient in reading my ramblings. If you have any thoughts, please share. If you are reading and from the above referenced blog site, feel free to share, but not if you are just importing your ‘bashing’. Intelligent, thoughtful discussion is always welcome here.

Eisegesis Unplugged – 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Posted by Dan C. on

Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.

The Passage

“test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 )

In recent weeks, in a ‘bologospheric’ encounter concerning a current issue in the church, I was told that the above passage authorizes, if not commands believers to examine everything going on in the church and expose all of the ‘dirt’ we find using whatever means we have, including the blogosphere.

While the ‘current issue’ being discussed is very real and the need for justice great, it’s not the issue of this little article, nor will it be named. Rather, we need to find out exactly what the above passage really says about testing/proving things. For that, we need to look at the context.

First of all, our ‘out of context’ passage is part of a larger thought beginning in verse 20:

20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything (prove all things-KJV); hold fast what is good.” (ESV)

Sometimes the chapter and verse numbers men inserted into the text(s) hinder the best understanding of passages in the Bible. This might be one of those times. If we take out the verse numbers, we are left with:

“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.”

Note that we are talking specifically about ‘prophecies’ (and not to despise them), then told to test ‘everything’. To what does ‘everything’ refer?

From a couple of good commentaries concerning ‘prophecies’:

“…the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Christ, concerning his person, office, and work, his obedience, sufferings, and death, his resurrection from the dead, ascension and session at God’s right hand…there are many prophecies which regard things to be done, and yet to be done under the Gospel dispensation, …also the predictions of Christ concerning his own sufferings and death, and resurrection from the dead,… the prophecies of private men, such as Agabus, and others, in the apostle’s time… the explanation of Scripture, and the preaching of the word”[i]

“…whether exercised in inspired teaching, or in predicting the future. “Despised” by some as beneath “tongues,” which seemed most miraculous…”[ii]

The above interpretations are just a few of the many similar commentary notes concerning our passage that clearly limit ‘prophesies’ to biblical topics and spiritual matters. Therefore , the ‘everything’ following the ‘but’ is contextually limited to biblical topics and spiritual matters.

But what if we remove the ‘but’? Would that change the interpretation of ‘everything’?

We offer that it probably doesn’t change the intended meaning, and here’s why. The letter was written by Paul to believers in the Thessalonian church, sometime after he and Silas had spent some time there, in order to encourage them to spiritual growth/sanctification, address some eschatological issues, and how to properly respond to ‘prophesies’.

Also, if we look at the post-resurrection NT letters and writings for other examples of ‘testing’/’proving’ things, they seem to always concern biblically discerning the truthfulness and trustworthiness of what we are being taught by spiritual leaders. Perhaps the best example is the account of Berean believers examining the teachings of the Apostle Paul under the light of Scripture that was available to them (See Acts 17). A secondary purpose of examining what we are being taught is being able to identify wolves hanging out in the sheep pens.

Conclusion

Whatever ‘test everything’ means, it is NOT a directive to believers to air the ‘dirty laundry of the church’ in the public square. Our chief role in the public square is to present the crucified and resurrected Christ as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of men. As for ‘doing our laundry’, we have sufficient guidance for that also within the pages of Scripture. That however, is a discussion all its own.

[i] John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible Commentary

[ii] Commentary, Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Jamison, Fausset and Brown

Eisegesis Unplugged – Psalm 37:4

Posted by Dan C. on

Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.

The Passage

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

I remember when this was an often quoted passage with the primary focus on the last half – “and he will give you the desires of your heart”. All I have to do is delight in the Lord and he will give me everything my little heart desires! It was a given that I delighted in the Lord, since this prodigal had come home to Jesus.

When I wasn’t seeing ‘the desires of my heart’ actualized however, it was necessary to rethink the matter a bit, in spite of other believers ready and willing to affirm my chosen interpretation of such a wonderful promise. What was going on? Were we guilty of a wrong interpretation, or what?

I’ve concluded, wisely I think, that our interpretation wasn’t wrong, but our focus on the last half of the passage is not what the original author (David) intended. Let’s put the passage into context, shall we?

1Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

From just the first few verses of this Psalm it’s not difficult to see that rather than a prescription for obtaining our personal wishes and desires, what we have is a contrast between evildoers and the righteous. As the ESV Study Bible explains:

The opening stanza sets forth the overall theme: “fret not yourself because of evildoers” (esp. when it seems that they are prospering), “trust in the Lord, and do good.” The reason not to fret is the assurance that justice will come in the end: the evildoers “will soon fade like the grass” (v. 2) and “shall be cut off” (v. 9), while the faithful—those who “wait for the Lord”—“shall inherit the land”

Rather than worrying about evildoers and unjust seeming to prosper all around us, we are told ‘delight in the Lord’, but not in order to satisfy the desires of our hearts, but so that our hearts will desire the right things!

To ‘delight’ in the Lord is to find happiness and pleasure in “the perfections of God, his power, goodness, faithfulness, wisdom, love, grace, and mercy; in his works of creation, providence, and redemption; in his word, his Gospel, the truths and ordinances of it” (John Gill).

When we truly find our ultimate delight and happiness in our Lord, our still flawed and selfish hearts will be so wonderfully changed that many of our heart’s desires will become dim, if not vanish entirely, as we are conformed to the very image of God’s own Son!

The contrast between the two outcomes, those who shall be cut off and those who shall inherit the land, recurs throughout the psalm: vv. 11, 22, 28–29, 34. “Cut off” generally refers to divine judgment, which removes a person from the people of God (e.g., Gen. 17:14; Lev. 7:20); in this psalm, it looks forward to the “future of the wicked” (Ps. 37:38), which likely refers to his afterlife (since it contrasts with one’s “hope” in Prov. 23:18; 24:14 (ESV Study Bible)

Have you ever found yourself envious of those around you who seem to prosper in spite of being unrighteous, unjust, or who even blaspheme our Lord and God? In all honesty, I can only plead guilty. I have at times needed an attitude adjustment, however those times have become fewer and fewer as I have grown spiritually through the years.

So rather than worrying about those around us who know not Christ yet are prospering, let us pray for God to open hearts to receive the message of the Gospel and for opportunities to share the only truth that gives hope to mankind!

And may Philippians 2:13 become more of a reality in our lives every day.

“. . . for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”.

Eisegesis Unplugged – Isaiah 54:17

Posted by Dan C. on

Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.

The Passage

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)

Thanks to the 2013 Super Bowl and a famous professional football player, the above passage now has worldwide recognition! Initially, I thought it was just a Super Bowl occurrence, but I found out that it was also used after a previous 2012 playoff game, by the same player, in a post-game interview. Having had my curiosity piqued, I Googled it and found out I can even buy a t-shirt with the passage and the players face! How cool is that?

A little more Web searching revealed that there’s a popular Christian song that has as the chorus:

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, it won’t work
No weapon formed against me shall prosper, it won’t work”

A well known and very popular preacher uses the verse in a personal testimony, preaching it to a thunderous applause and applying it to everyone in the congregation, meaning that no weapon formed against any of them has a chance of success either.

I mentioned a few celebrities, but I also suggest that we ordinary folks have a tendency to just grab on to what they tell us just because they say it. That can get us in trouble if we are being fed a bill of goods and we don’t play the role of good Bereans (See Acts 17) and test what we are being fed no matter how sweet it sounds!

So what about “No weapon formed against me shall prosper”? Does it mean, as is often assumed, that all of our earthly plans and desires will meet with success just because we are children of God? Does it mean that obstacles to those plans and desires are ‘weapons formed against us’ by personal enemies or diabolical forces? Let’s take a closer look.

The Context

Having described the great provision of vicarious atonement through the Suffering Servant (Isa. 53), in chapter 54, Isaiah the prophet announces the consequent blessings: the expansion of Israel, the blessings of safety and peace, and anticipates the salvation and restoration of Israel, This chapter contains awesome descriptions of the everlasting love of God toward His covenant people and promises of a glorious future (vv. 11-17). Verse 17 concludes the chapter, and should be considered in its entirety, along with verse 16:

16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord. (NKJV)

We can summarize these two verses together as follows:

The city of God is secure because (1) all the powers of evil are under God’s control and (2) he will defend his people. Behold, I. God alone accomplishes the promised victory. This is the heritage (all the promises of chapter 54) no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed. God will protect his people and defeat every enemy, no matter how powerful.[i]

The promised heritage (no weapon formed against them shall succeed) is for ‘servants of the Lord’, those who serve him faithfully and obediently, and whose righteousness is found from Him and not of their own. There may even be obstacles (enemy weapons) along the way like the Babylonian captivity Isaiah spoke of, but the enemies of Israel will not ultimately succeed. Isaiah 54 points to the final culmination of all of God’s covenant promises at the end of the age, the destiny of God’s covenant people, whom God created for His glory (Isa 43:1-7). There is a much bigger picture here than our personal plans, desires and schemes!

So how do we apply these verses?

I’m glad you asked! There certainly is an application for Christians today and it is found in the pages of the New Testament.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

(1 Peter 2:4-6)

Peter reminds us that “we are an elect nation, a holy priesthood, living stones built on the foundation stone, a people that has obtained mercy and will not be put to shame; and that we are to show forth our praise of Him as we live in righteousness before all people who will see our good works and glorify the Father. So the message for us today is the same as the message for the returning exiles spoken of in Isaiah 54. God has begun a new work in Christ and called us as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation displaying the mercy and righteousness of God. Great promises of the blessings of peace, safety, prosperity and victory are held out to those who obediently walk in God’s perfect will for their lives.”[ii]

Dear friends, the passage we tear its context and claim for personal glory and gain (no weapon formed against me shall prosper) has nothing to do with winning football games, or any of the other selfish plans and schemes of men.  And yes, I am among the guilty! However, now knowing that this passage is about the goorious restoration of the people of God and the city of God,  we will surely have opportunities to explain to others the Master’s eternal plan, maybe even someone wearing the t-shirt!

I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying the t-shirt!

[i] ESV Commentary

[ii] The Book of Isaiah, By Allen Ross, Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary

Ignorance of the Bible Is the Root of All Error

Posted by Dan C. on

“Does any one ask me, ‘What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?’ I answer in one word, ‘The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied.’ We must go back to the old prescription of our Master: ‘Search the Scriptures’ (John 5:39). If we want a weapon to wield against the devices of Satan, there is nothing like ‘the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.’ But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is a point on which, I fear, many fail. In an age of hurry and bustle, few read their Bibles as much as they should. More books perhaps are read than ever, but less of the one Book which makes man wise unto salvation. Rome and neology could never have made such havoc in the church in the last fifty years if there had not been a most superficial knowledge of the Scriptures throughout the land. A Bible-reading laity is the strength of a church…. ”

“If we would not be carried about by ‘diverse and strange doctrines,’ we must remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Search the Scriptures.’ Ignorance of the Bible is the root of all error. Knowledge of the Bible is the best antidote against modern heresies.”

— J.C. Ryle, Warnings to the Churches, (Banner of Truth Trust: 2007), 77–79.