Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "sola-scriptura"
Magi Tricks - Part 1
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh [Matthew 2:1-2, 11].
Let’s have a pop quiz today! How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Don’t be bashful now. You won’t flunk the course if you get it wrong. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.
“I know! I know! Pick me!” splutters an overly eager reader in the back of the room, his hand bobbing up and down like apples in a bucket of water. Unable to control his excitement, he blurts out the answer without waiting for an acknowledgment, “Three! There were three wise men!” Gasping for air our learned scholar then sits back down, satisfied he can do no wrong. Then he waits for the accolades to come pouring in from around the world.
Well, I’ll give it to him. The traditional answer is “three magi”. He is right traditionally. But I am a Christian, so I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, not man’s traditions. Which prompts the question, “What does the Bible say about it?” That is Question #2 on the pop quiz. Any takers?
“I know the answer to that one, teacher,” a rather calm and composed fellow announces. His demeanor is in stark contrast to our overly eager brother who answered “three”. “The Bible says that magi or wise men came from the east. How many came is not stated, so we don’t really know how many.” And then he quietly retires to his seat, making no waves and waiting on no fanfare.
Thank you, kind sir. Your answer, both verbally one and by example, teach us truth. There can be no more fitting an answer than to quote the Bible. It is infallible. It is inerrant. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. My words and yours are, contrariwise, fallible, errant, and inspired by sinners. Nothing could be further from the truth than to proclaim the wit and wisdom of tradition. As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, The Word of God is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
We will continue this pop quiz in our next posting. See you then.
To further research this issue,
I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Let’s have a pop quiz today! How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Don’t be bashful now. You won’t flunk the course if you get it wrong. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.
“I know! I know! Pick me!” splutters an overly eager reader in the back of the room, his hand bobbing up and down like apples in a bucket of water. Unable to control his excitement, he blurts out the answer without waiting for an acknowledgment, “Three! There were three wise men!” Gasping for air our learned scholar then sits back down, satisfied he can do no wrong. Then he waits for the accolades to come pouring in from around the world.
Well, I’ll give it to him. The traditional answer is “three magi”. He is right traditionally. But I am a Christian, so I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, not man’s traditions. Which prompts the question, “What does the Bible say about it?” That is Question #2 on the pop quiz. Any takers?
“I know the answer to that one, teacher,” a rather calm and composed fellow announces. His demeanor is in stark contrast to our overly eager brother who answered “three”. “The Bible says that magi or wise men came from the east. How many came is not stated, so we don’t really know how many.” And then he quietly retires to his seat, making no waves and waiting on no fanfare.
Thank you, kind sir. Your answer, both verbally one and by example, teach us truth. There can be no more fitting an answer than to quote the Bible. It is infallible. It is inerrant. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. My words and yours are, contrariwise, fallible, errant, and inspired by sinners. Nothing could be further from the truth than to proclaim the wit and wisdom of tradition. As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, The Word of God is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
We will continue this pop quiz in our next posting. See you then.
To further research this issue,
I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Magi Tricks - Part 2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh [Matthew 2:1-2, 11].
Because the gifts given to Jesus by the magi were identified as gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, someone assumed that one magi gave gold, another frankincense, and still a third myrrh, making for three magi. But there could just as well have been two magi, with one giving gold and franincense and the other myrrh. Or both could have given all three varieties of gifts. Then again, there could have been 317 magi with some giving gold and others giving…
Well, you get the point. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi came to visit Jesus, so we cannot possibly know the answer to that question. If we assume we know based upon our own wit and wisdom, we will create traditions to take the place of the Bible. And that can’t be a good thing!
Oh, by the way, we began with the question, “How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?” It’s really a trick question. You see, even if the Bible had recorded that exactly three wise men came to see Jesus, nonetheless the answer is still not “three”.
“Huh?” mumbles a befuddled reader as he shakes his head and looks lost. “Come again, teacher.”
Let’s read some more Scripture and you will understand.
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared…Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi [Matthew 2:7, 16].
It happened like this. Jesus was born and a special star appeared in the sky. During that period of history all the world was watching for the Jewish Messiah to appear. These Gentile easterners, perhaps from Persia, were stargazing, being astronomers and watching for that special star. They saw it, prepared provisions for the long caravan journey to Jerusalem, then arrived two years later. That is the meaning of Matthew 2:16, as quoted above.
So you see, no magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day. They came two years later! And there was no baby any longer because Jesus was two years old. Aha. Gotcha. Trick questions rule!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book <>iNumbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Because the gifts given to Jesus by the magi were identified as gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, someone assumed that one magi gave gold, another frankincense, and still a third myrrh, making for three magi. But there could just as well have been two magi, with one giving gold and franincense and the other myrrh. Or both could have given all three varieties of gifts. Then again, there could have been 317 magi with some giving gold and others giving…
Well, you get the point. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi came to visit Jesus, so we cannot possibly know the answer to that question. If we assume we know based upon our own wit and wisdom, we will create traditions to take the place of the Bible. And that can’t be a good thing!
Oh, by the way, we began with the question, “How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?” It’s really a trick question. You see, even if the Bible had recorded that exactly three wise men came to see Jesus, nonetheless the answer is still not “three”.
“Huh?” mumbles a befuddled reader as he shakes his head and looks lost. “Come again, teacher.”
Let’s read some more Scripture and you will understand.
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared…Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi [Matthew 2:7, 16].
It happened like this. Jesus was born and a special star appeared in the sky. During that period of history all the world was watching for the Jewish Messiah to appear. These Gentile easterners, perhaps from Persia, were stargazing, being astronomers and watching for that special star. They saw it, prepared provisions for the long caravan journey to Jerusalem, then arrived two years later. That is the meaning of Matthew 2:16, as quoted above.
So you see, no magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day. They came two years later! And there was no baby any longer because Jesus was two years old. Aha. Gotcha. Trick questions rule!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book <>iNumbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Long Live the King! – Part 1
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes [Judges 17:6; 21:25].
We have two constructs expressed in those words, words which appear twice in the Book of Judges. Let’s enumerate them.
1. there was no king in Israel
2. every man did what was right in his own eyes
A king is a central authority. A king makes the laws for his kingdom, enforces his laws, and judges the lawbreakers. He determines what is right and what is wrong.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by marching into Egypt and whupping Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The mighty King of kings put the puny king of Egypt in his place.
Then the Lord marched the Israelites out of Egypt in martial array (cf., Exodus 13:18). The Lord was King YHWH and the Israelites were King YHWH’s subjects, you see. The Lord brought His subjects into His land, the Promised Land, defeated the denizens of the land, and bequeathed the land to His people.
The Lord was King of His land, the new citizens were His subjects, and He laid down the Law as the legal code to govern His subjects. The Lord was King, and the Law expressed His Word for His people. They were not free to do whatever they pleased. In fact they were micromanaged, so to speak, in every facet of living.
This brings us to the second construct contained in the quoted text with which we began this study: every man did what was right in his own eyes. They did this because there was no king in Israel. Without a king, without a central authority, each person has his own opinion of what should be done. So everyone is off somewhere or other doing whatever pleases him.
If the Lord was King of Israel, and if His Law defined every aspect of living in minute detail, that left no room for anyone to do what was right in his own eyes. This brings us face-to-face with a conundrum, dear friends.
• what happened to King YHWH?
• what happened to His Law?
King YHWH, the Lord, led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. When the Israelites came to the Jordan to cross to the west bank (i.e., Canaan), the Shekinah cloud ceased to appear.
Thenceforth the ark of the covenant became the visible symbol of the Lord’s presence. It symbolized the throne of King YHWH, but there was nothing visible atop the ark any longer. King YHWH no longer led His people visibly. In the Promised Land He led them by means of His Law.
Let us draw this study to a close. The hour is late. The night is falling. We must needs meet with the Lord Jesus before we fall asleep.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We have two constructs expressed in those words, words which appear twice in the Book of Judges. Let’s enumerate them.
1. there was no king in Israel
2. every man did what was right in his own eyes
A king is a central authority. A king makes the laws for his kingdom, enforces his laws, and judges the lawbreakers. He determines what is right and what is wrong.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by marching into Egypt and whupping Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The mighty King of kings put the puny king of Egypt in his place.
Then the Lord marched the Israelites out of Egypt in martial array (cf., Exodus 13:18). The Lord was King YHWH and the Israelites were King YHWH’s subjects, you see. The Lord brought His subjects into His land, the Promised Land, defeated the denizens of the land, and bequeathed the land to His people.
The Lord was King of His land, the new citizens were His subjects, and He laid down the Law as the legal code to govern His subjects. The Lord was King, and the Law expressed His Word for His people. They were not free to do whatever they pleased. In fact they were micromanaged, so to speak, in every facet of living.
This brings us to the second construct contained in the quoted text with which we began this study: every man did what was right in his own eyes. They did this because there was no king in Israel. Without a king, without a central authority, each person has his own opinion of what should be done. So everyone is off somewhere or other doing whatever pleases him.
If the Lord was King of Israel, and if His Law defined every aspect of living in minute detail, that left no room for anyone to do what was right in his own eyes. This brings us face-to-face with a conundrum, dear friends.
• what happened to King YHWH?
• what happened to His Law?
King YHWH, the Lord, led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. When the Israelites came to the Jordan to cross to the west bank (i.e., Canaan), the Shekinah cloud ceased to appear.
Thenceforth the ark of the covenant became the visible symbol of the Lord’s presence. It symbolized the throne of King YHWH, but there was nothing visible atop the ark any longer. King YHWH no longer led His people visibly. In the Promised Land He led them by means of His Law.
Let us draw this study to a close. The hour is late. The night is falling. We must needs meet with the Lord Jesus before we fall asleep.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Long Live the King! – Part 2
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes [Judges 17:6; 21:25].
We concluded our last study by noting that the Lord led His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah no longer appeared atop the ark of the covenant, once the Israelites came to the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. Thenceforth King YHWH’s subjects were to be governed by means of His Law.
The period of the Judges began at the death of Joshua bin Nun and all the second generation of Israelites who conquered the land under Joshua. A new generation came on the scene and didn’t place much stock in Torah (i.e., the Law of Moses). That is what happened to the King YHWH’s Law.
Why didn’t the second generation rear their kids to fear the Lord and love His Law? Why did the second generation leave their kids to their own devices, to detemine for themselves what they wanted to believe and do? That, dear people, goes to the heart of the matter. That was the deciding factor.
In today’s antichrist society, there is no king in the good ol’ USA. The Bible has been lost in the Temple somewhere, while the citizens are out and about, worshiping the gods of the shopping malls and restaurants. This behavior defines what is right in our own eyes today.
If we take a time-telescope and look backward at prior generations, we can trace a downward spiral from one generation to the next to the next. The founders of our country were much more committed to the Word of God. They left the old world to get away from state churches. They longed to read the Word of God and decide for themselves what it says and what the Lord wants from each person.
Gradually from generation to generation, each new generation accepted the doctrines of men instead of reading their own Bibles. It wasn’t long before the Bible was lost in the church building someplace, and doctrinal statements and denominational dogma about the Bible sufficed for knowing King Jesus.
Trouble was, this isn’t knowing King Jesus! It amounts to knowing some man’s ideas about King Jesus. Does anyone really think the Lord went through so much effort over the past two millenia to commit His Word to writing, and then to preserve it from adulteration through thick and thin, only to have it replaced by man’s ideas? Perish the thought! That is blasphemous, dear soul!
If we truly want to know the Lord Jesus personally, and want the same for our spouses and children and extended family, nothing can substitute for daily time alone with the King Jesus and His authoritative Word.
We must commit to a regimen of quiet time each day, both we and our spouses and our kids. We must spiritually discipline ourselves to keep our scheduled time with the Lord Jesus each day. If we put Him first, everything else that matters will fall into place. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added unto you.
What say ye? Will you be one of those who do what seems right in your own eyes? Or will you be a loyal subject of King Jesus by learning His Word and obeying it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by noting that the Lord led His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah no longer appeared atop the ark of the covenant, once the Israelites came to the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. Thenceforth King YHWH’s subjects were to be governed by means of His Law.
The period of the Judges began at the death of Joshua bin Nun and all the second generation of Israelites who conquered the land under Joshua. A new generation came on the scene and didn’t place much stock in Torah (i.e., the Law of Moses). That is what happened to the King YHWH’s Law.
Why didn’t the second generation rear their kids to fear the Lord and love His Law? Why did the second generation leave their kids to their own devices, to detemine for themselves what they wanted to believe and do? That, dear people, goes to the heart of the matter. That was the deciding factor.
In today’s antichrist society, there is no king in the good ol’ USA. The Bible has been lost in the Temple somewhere, while the citizens are out and about, worshiping the gods of the shopping malls and restaurants. This behavior defines what is right in our own eyes today.
If we take a time-telescope and look backward at prior generations, we can trace a downward spiral from one generation to the next to the next. The founders of our country were much more committed to the Word of God. They left the old world to get away from state churches. They longed to read the Word of God and decide for themselves what it says and what the Lord wants from each person.
Gradually from generation to generation, each new generation accepted the doctrines of men instead of reading their own Bibles. It wasn’t long before the Bible was lost in the church building someplace, and doctrinal statements and denominational dogma about the Bible sufficed for knowing King Jesus.
Trouble was, this isn’t knowing King Jesus! It amounts to knowing some man’s ideas about King Jesus. Does anyone really think the Lord went through so much effort over the past two millenia to commit His Word to writing, and then to preserve it from adulteration through thick and thin, only to have it replaced by man’s ideas? Perish the thought! That is blasphemous, dear soul!
If we truly want to know the Lord Jesus personally, and want the same for our spouses and children and extended family, nothing can substitute for daily time alone with the King Jesus and His authoritative Word.
We must commit to a regimen of quiet time each day, both we and our spouses and our kids. We must spiritually discipline ourselves to keep our scheduled time with the Lord Jesus each day. If we put Him first, everything else that matters will fall into place. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added unto you.
What say ye? Will you be one of those who do what seems right in your own eyes? Or will you be a loyal subject of King Jesus by learning His Word and obeying it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 1
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 2
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us in the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us in the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 3
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 4
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not out of the blue utter directions in his ear.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not out of the blue utter directions in his ear.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Magi Tricks – Part 1
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh [Matthew 2:1-2, 11].
Let’s have a pop quiz today! How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Don’t be bashful now. You won’t flunk the course if you get it wrong. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.
“I know! I know! Pick me!” splutters an overly eager reader in the back of the room, his hand bobbing up and down like apples in a bucket of water. Unable to control his excitement, he blurts out the answer without waiting for an
acknowledgment, “Three! There were three wise men!” Gasping for air our learned scholar then sits back down, satisfied he can do no wrong. Then he waits for the accolades to come pouring in from around the world.
Well, I’ll give it to him. The traditional answer is “three magi”. He is right traditionally. But I am a Christian, so I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, not man’s traditions. Which prompts the question, “What does the Bible say about it?” That is Question #2 on the pop quiz. Any takers?
“I know the answer to that one, teacher,” a rather calm and composed fellow announces. His demeanor is in stark contrast to our overly eager brother who answered “three”. “The Bible says that magi or wise men came from the east. How many came is not stated, so we don’t really know how many.” And then he quietly retires to his seat, making no waves and waiting on no fanfare.
Thank you, kind sir. Your answer, both verbally one and by example, teach us truth. There can be no more fitting an answer than to quote the Bible. It is infallible. It is inerrant. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. My words and yours are, contrariwise, fallible, errant, and inspired by sinners. Nothing could be further from the truth than to proclaim the wit and wisdom of tradition. As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
We will continue this pop quiz in our next posting. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Let’s have a pop quiz today! How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day? Don’t be bashful now. You won’t flunk the course if you get it wrong. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.
“I know! I know! Pick me!” splutters an overly eager reader in the back of the room, his hand bobbing up and down like apples in a bucket of water. Unable to control his excitement, he blurts out the answer without waiting for an
acknowledgment, “Three! There were three wise men!” Gasping for air our learned scholar then sits back down, satisfied he can do no wrong. Then he waits for the accolades to come pouring in from around the world.
Well, I’ll give it to him. The traditional answer is “three magi”. He is right traditionally. But I am a Christian, so I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, not man’s traditions. Which prompts the question, “What does the Bible say about it?” That is Question #2 on the pop quiz. Any takers?
“I know the answer to that one, teacher,” a rather calm and composed fellow announces. His demeanor is in stark contrast to our overly eager brother who answered “three”. “The Bible says that magi or wise men came from the east. How many came is not stated, so we don’t really know how many.” And then he quietly retires to his seat, making no waves and waiting on no fanfare.
Thank you, kind sir. Your answer, both verbally one and by example, teach us truth. There can be no more fitting an answer than to quote the Bible. It is infallible. It is inerrant. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. My words and yours are, contrariwise, fallible, errant, and inspired by sinners. Nothing could be further from the truth than to proclaim the wit and wisdom of tradition. As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
We will continue this pop quiz in our next posting. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Magi Tricks – Part 2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”...After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh [Matthew 2:1-2, 11].
Because the gifts given to Jesus by the magi were identified as gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, someone assumed that one magi gave gold, another frankincense, and still a third myrrh, making for three magi. But there could just as well have been two magi, with one giving gold and frankincense and the other myrrh. Or both could have given all three varieties of gifts. Then again, there could have been 317 magi with some giving gold and others giving…
Well, you get the point. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi came to visit Jesus, so we cannot possibly know the answer to that question. If we assume we know based upon our own wit and wisdom, we will create traditions to take the place of the Bible. And that can’t be a good thing!
Oh, by the way, we began with the question, “How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?” It’s really a trick question. You see, even if the Bible had recorded that exactly three wise men came to see Jesus, nonetheless the answer is still not “three”.
“Huh?” mumbles a befuddled reader as he shakes his head and looks lost. “Come again, teacher.”
Let’s read some more Scripture and you will understand.
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared…Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi [Matthew 2:7, 16].
It happened like this. Jesus was born and a special star appeared in the sky. During that period of history all the world was watching for the Jewish Messiah to appear. These Gentile easterners, perhaps from Persia, were stargazing, being astronomers and watching for that special star. They saw it, prepared provisions for the long caravan journey to Jerusalem, then arrived two years later. That is the meaning of Matthew 2:16, as quoted above.
So you see, no magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day. They came two years later! And there was no baby any longer because Jesus was two years old. Aha. Gotcha. Trick questions rule!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Because the gifts given to Jesus by the magi were identified as gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, someone assumed that one magi gave gold, another frankincense, and still a third myrrh, making for three magi. But there could just as well have been two magi, with one giving gold and frankincense and the other myrrh. Or both could have given all three varieties of gifts. Then again, there could have been 317 magi with some giving gold and others giving…
Well, you get the point. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi came to visit Jesus, so we cannot possibly know the answer to that question. If we assume we know based upon our own wit and wisdom, we will create traditions to take the place of the Bible. And that can’t be a good thing!
Oh, by the way, we began with the question, “How many magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?” It’s really a trick question. You see, even if the Bible had recorded that exactly three wise men came to see Jesus, nonetheless the answer is still not “three”.
“Huh?” mumbles a befuddled reader as he shakes his head and looks lost. “Come again, teacher.”
Let’s read some more Scripture and you will understand.
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared…Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi [Matthew 2:7, 16].
It happened like this. Jesus was born and a special star appeared in the sky. During that period of history all the world was watching for the Jewish Messiah to appear. These Gentile easterners, perhaps from Persia, were stargazing, being astronomers and watching for that special star. They saw it, prepared provisions for the long caravan journey to Jerusalem, then arrived two years later. That is the meaning of Matthew 2:16, as quoted above.
So you see, no magi came to see the baby Jesus on Christmas Day. They came two years later! And there was no baby any longer because Jesus was two years old. Aha. Gotcha. Trick questions rule!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
