The Book of Colossians
Summation Statement: Jesus Christ is the supreme God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer of all things and worthy of your life’s worship. Serve Him – being rooted and built up in Him (1:16-18; 2:6-7).
Do you yet have a favorite life verse in this glorious 4 chapter jewel epistle?
Introduction (Paul, Appr 60-65 AD)
“The Church was suffering from the teaching of a false philosophy which combined Oriental mysticism with Jewish ritualism, and turned the disciples from simple faith in Christ. The object of this Epistle, therefore, is to set forth the majesty and glory of our Lord’s person and character. … Colosse was an important city in Asia Minor, not far from Laodicea and Hierapolis. The church there had been planted by Epaphras.” E-Sword
“To go into (Colossians) itself, to rethink its inspired thought that is clothed in inspired language, to let the light and the power of this thought fill the soul and mold the life, this is enrichment for time and for eternity.” Lenski
“Although the place was insignificant, the Letter that the apostle sent there is very important. Along with John 1 and Hebrews 1, Colossians 1 presents the most marvelous exposition of the absolute deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since this doctrine is fundamental to all Christian truth, its value cannot be over stressed. The letter also has rich instruction on relationships, cultic religion, and the Christian life.” William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary
The apostle Paul wrote Colossians to combat the dangerous false teaching at Colosse that was unseating, displacing, and usurping the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ in creation, revelation, redemption, and in His church. Colossians explicitly details the doctrines of devils which seek to dethrone Christ, stripping the divine, nail-scarred risen Savior of His Headship in His body. In fact, all false leaders have this one thing in common and can be known by such: They rob the glory from Christ alone to whom it is due by not elevating Christ to His rightful place by reason of His uniqueness and perfect redemptive sacrifice. As was the case in Colosse, distractions abound in today’s modern church world. Today there is no end to the programs, paganism, pop psychology, and people that have been lifted up above the “Head” of the body of Christ, Jesus Christ. In Colossians Paul establishes the divinely-ordained, non-negotiable centrality of Christ in creation, redemption, and Headship among His beloved people.
Defending the faith is a standard, a mandate, and a vital part of the Christian life. The faith of the original Gospel must be defended by its adherents. We must die to self and obey the One we claim to serve. To prepare Jesus’ people for His soon return, the apostle Paul did 3 things: PWT = Preach, Warn, Teach (Colossians 1:28).
Chapter Breakdown
Chapter 1: The redemption, deity, supremacy, centrality, and uniqueness of Jesus Christ, who is Creator and Sustainer of all He made.
Chapter 2: The defense of the Gospel against various attacks – which seek to remove centrality and worship from Christ alone.
Chapter 3: The Christian life. The believer’s duty to the supreme LORD and Savior. Eternal living perspective, now. Living in light of eternity with Christ.
Chapter 4: Prayer nuggets, Paul’s fellow labourers in the Gospel, salutations, greetings.
Some of the heresies in Colosse and today’s church world:
- Ceremonialism. It held to strict rules about the kinds of permissible food and drink, religious festivals (2:16–17) and circumcision (2:11; 3:11).
- Asceticism. “Touch not; taste not; handle not” (2:21; cf. 2:23).
- Angel worship. See 2:18.
- Depreciation, demotion of Christ who is God Almighty (1:15-18; 2:18-19). This is most insistently implied in Paul’s emphasis on the supremacy of Christ (1:15–20; 2:2–3:9).
- Secret knowledge. The Gnostics boasted of this (see 2:18 and Paul’s emphasis in 2:2–3 on Christ, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”).
- Reliance on human wisdom and tradition. See 2:4,8.
More from FB Meyer: Colossians 2:1-12 – ESTABLISHED IN THEIR FAITH: If you know Christ, you can lay your hand on the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. They are matters of daily experience. The Apostle’s aim in this chapter is to put his converts on their guard against those who might divert them from their simple faith in Jesus, and their sufficiency in Him. The keynotes are Take heed and Let no one. The first act of the Christian life is to receive Christ, and every moment afterward we must continue receiving Him. The act must become an attitude. Breathe in the love and power of Jesus. Take deep breaths. Then we shall be rooted in Him in secret, and built up in Him in our outward walk and behavior. If we have Christ, we have all God’s fullness, and this is easily accessible. Like Jacob’s ladder, He links us with God. What need have we for celestial beings, like those invented by the Gnostics, or for the rite of circumcision, as insisted on by the Jews? We have everything in Jesus. He has fulfilled the Law in all respects on our behalf. Let us put the waters of entire surrender and consecration between our past, our sins, and the world, and rise into His life, the life of resurrection glory and power.
Colossians 2:13-23 – AVOIDING ERRORS: The reiteration of the prepositions in and with emphasizes our close identification with our Savior. Such we are in the purpose of God, and so we should be in daily experience. In union with Him we have once and forever put away the sins of the flesh, have lain in His grave, have passed to the heavenside of death, and are living under the blue sky of acceptance with God. Our Master’s victory is potentially ours. He won it, but we may share its fruits. Yet faith must apprehend and affirm these blessings. The land of Canaan is ours by right, but every inch has to be claimed by faith. “Faith is an affirmation and act that bids eternal truth be fact. We must not allow our religious life to become a piece of outward ritual, Col_2:16-17; nor permit the supposed mediation of angels to obscure the supreme majesty of our Lord, Col_2:18-19. We who have died with Christ must not be always regulating ourselves by the dont’s of the Law. Let us enter Christ’s more intimate fellowship and live on the positive side. Ours should be the freedom of a full life, and the ampler vision of the mountains. Nothing else really avails against the indulgence of the flesh.”
One website noted:
“Gnosticism was perhaps the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first three centuries. Influenced by such philosophers as Plato, Gnosticism is based on two false premises. First, it espouses a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.
Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated, secret knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from the Bible, but acquired on some mystical higher plane of existence. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God. Christ is Creator and “the Almighty.” (Colossians 1:16; Revelation 1:8) There is nothing or no one on His divine level, much less superior to Heaven’s KING.
To discredit the idea of any compatibility between Christianity and Gnosticism, one has only to compare their teachings on the main doctrines of the faith. On the matter of salvation, Gnosticism teaches that salvation is gained through the acquisition of divine knowledge which frees one from the illusions of darkness. Although they claim to follow Jesus Christ and His original teachings, Gnostics contradict Him at every turn. Jesus said nothing about salvation through knowledge, but by faith in Him as Savior from sin. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Furthermore, the salvation Christ offers is free and available to everyone (John 3:16), not just a select few who have acquired a special revelation.
Ever seen how today’s gnostics advertise that they have “the secret teachings of Jesus”?Some claim to have “the hidden teachings of Jesus.” But Jesus’ teachings are fully available in HIS Word, in the Bible, so they aren’t hidden or secret. This is a deception from the very wolves the Son of God so often warned us about. Jesus doesn’t do things in the darkness – because He is the light of the world and has nothing to hide (John 8:12). Jesus came and taught extensively then died, was buried, and rose again from the dead high on a hill for everyone to see. “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.” (Acts 26:26) You must repent and receive Jesus or you are not His (Lk 13:3; Jn 1:12, etc.).
These same vile frauds who claim to have secret knowledge are the very people who refuse to obey Christ’s plain, openly given knowledge – beginning with His command to repent or perish (Luke 13:3). That’s why they are looking for an alternative way as they attempt to sidestep or go around Jesus. But Jesus nails them when He says “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:23-24)
Christianity asserts that there is one source of Truth and that is the Bible, the inspired, inerrant Word of the living God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12). It is God’s written revelation to mankind and is never superseded by man’s thoughts, ideas, writings, or visions. The Gnostics, on the other hand, use a variety of early heretical writings known as the Gnostic gospels, a collection of forgeries claiming to be “lost books of the Bible.” Thankfully, the early church fathers were nearly unanimous in recognizing these Gnostic scrolls as fraudulent forgeries that espouse false doctrines about Jesus Christ, salvation, God, and every other crucial Christian truth. There are countless contradictions between the Gnostic “gospels” and the Bible. Even when the so-called Christian Gnostics quote from the Bible, they rewrite verses and parts of verses to harmonize with their philosophy, a practice that is strictly forbidden and warned against by Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19).”
Colossians 1-2
- NOTHING replaces Bible reading – prayerfully reading through a book 10-20 times to gain a grasp of the divine message and transmission
- John 12:21; Heb 12:1-2
- What is God saying to us, His body, through the book of Colossians?
- Every individual chooses the type, the quality of heart soil they will have
- Not an exhaustive study but definitely to launch the student of Christ into a deeper study of this ultra important New Testament book to find out what God is saying to us through it.
- The kingdom of Christ is all about KING Jesus! He alone came, died, was buried, and raised from dead to purchase a people unto Himself and the Father.
Content of the Letter
Colossae is in the region of the seven churches of Revelation. In Colossians there is mention of local brethren in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Colossae was approximately 12 miles (19 km) from Laodicea and 14 miles (23 km) from Hierapolis. Members of the congregation at Colossae had incorporated pagan elements into their practice, including worship of elemental spirits. The Epistle to the Colossians declares Christ’s supremacy over the entire created universe and exhorts Christians to lead godly lives. The letter consists of two parts: first a doctrinal section, then a second regarding conduct. In both sections, false teachers who have been spreading error in the congregation are opposed.[5]
Outline
- Introduction (1:1–14)
- Greetings (1:1–2)
- Thanksgiving (1:3–8)
- Prayer (1:9–14)
- The Supremacy of Christ (1:15–23)
Paul’s Labor for the Church (1:24–2:7)
- A Ministry for the Sake of the Church (1:24–2:7)
- A Concern for the Spiritual Welfare of His Readers (2:1–7)
- Freedom from Human Regulations through Life with Christ (2:8–23)
- Warning to Guard against the False Teachers (2:8–15)
- Pleas to Reject the False Teachers (2:16–19)
- An Analysis of the Heresy (2:20–23)
- Rules for Holy Living (3:1–4:6)
- The Old Self and the New Self (3:1–17)
- Rules for Christian Households (3:18–4:1)
- Further Instructions (4:2–6)
- Final Greetings (4:7–18) [20]
Chapter 1
FB Meyer: Colossians 1:1-8
THE GOSPEL BEARING FRUIT
The saints are men of faith, for their holiness is derived from Christ, but they are also faithful men, and will not betray their trust. Grace is the Greek and peace the Hebrew greeting. We can do a great deal with those whom we desire to correct or instruct, if we begin by commending all that is worthy of being praised. Thus the Apostle rejoices in the evidences of the trinity of Christian graces-Faith, Hope, and Love. His prayer-book was filled with intercession. One marvels at the accomplishment of this extraordinary man, who, in addition to his travels, labors, writings, and toil for his daily bread, had time for such abundant prayerfulness. There is a note of triumph in his reference to the reception given to the gospel in all the world. The handful of corn on the top of the mountains was already beginning to shake like Lebanon. It seemed as though victory was assured; and if only the Church had possessed more men like him, the world would have been saved some sad experiences. Note the unaffected humility of the Apostle in classing Epaphras with himself as his beloved fellow-servant in the household of God.” F. B. Meyer
“In making us qualified to be partakers of the saints in light, God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (cf. 1 Jn 2:11). This can be illustrated by the experience of the children of Israel, as recorded in Exodus. They had been living in Egypt, groaning under the lashes of the taskmasters there. By a marvelous act of divine intervention, God delivered them out of that fearful bondage and led them through the wilderness to the promised land. Similarly, as sinners we were in bondage to Satan, but through Christ we have been delivered from his clutches and now we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom. Satan’s kingdom is one of darkness – an absence of light, warmth, and joy; while the kingdom of Christ is one of love, which implies the presence of all three.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1992
v15-23
“The Glories of Christ the Church’s Head: In the next four verses, we have the Lord Jesus described: (1) in His relationship to God (v15); (2) in His relationship to creation (v16-17); (3) in His relationship to the church (v18). The Lord is here described as the image of the invisible God. Image carries with it at least two ideas: First, it conveys the thought that the Lord Jesus has enabled us to see what God is like. God is Spirit and is therefore invisible. But in the Person of Christ, God made Himself visible to mortal eyes. In that sense the Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9). But the word image also conveys the idea of “representative.” God had originally placed Adam on the earth to represent His interests, but Adam failed. Therefore, God sent His only begotten Son into the world as His Representative to care for His interests and to reveal His heart of love to man. In that sense, He is the image of God. The same word image is used in 3:10, where believers are said to be in the image of Christ.
Christ is also “the firstborn of every creature”, or of every created being. What does this mean? Some false teachers suggest that the Lord Jesus is Himself a created being, that He was the first Person whom God ever made. Some of them are even willing to go to far as to admit that He is the greatest creature ever to come from the hand of God. The expression “firstborn” has at least three different meanings in Scripture. In Luke 2:7, it is used in a literal sense, where Mary brought forth her first born Son. There it means that the Lord Jesus was the first child to whom she gave birth. … Is not that exactly the thought of Colossians 1:15 – “the firstborn of every creature”? The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s unique Son. In once sense all believers are sons of God, but he Lord Jesus is God’s Son in a way that is not true of any other. He existed before all creation and occupies a position of supremacy over it. His is the rank of eminence and dominion. The expression “the firstborn of every creature” has nothing to do with birth here. It simply means that He is God’s Son by an eternal relationship. It is a title of priority of position, and not simply one of time.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, p 1993-1994
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Ephesians 3:9
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high … And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hand.” Hebrews 1:1-3, 10
Chapter 2
Any person claiming wisdom outside of Christ, is a deceived soul.
“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3
“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:24
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” 1 Corinthians 1:30
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” Psalms 111:10
Today the esoterics and gnostics pretend to have elevated knowledge above others – and more insidious are the seminarians among us who pretend to have superior knowledge, wielding their deception over the common people as they catapult and raise themselves over the people. Jesus says He hates this Nicolaitan witchcraft (Revelation 2:6, 15). Nico = Conquer and Laitan = the people. Nicolaitan simply means to conquer the people. Jesus is the only “head of the body, the church.” (Colossians 1:18; 2:18-19). No one else has that distinction but the One who came into His created earth to bleed and purchase His people unto Himself.
Satan’s wolves position themselves over the people, their prey:
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome (via deception), of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19
“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”1 Corinthians 7:23
“Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” 2 Corinthians 1:24
“And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” 2 Corinthians 8:5
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Antichrist frauds like Confucius, the priests and popes of Rome, Mohammed, and Buddha are all mere sinful men who all died and are in hell, irrevocably (2 Peter 2:1-3). The modern perpetrators of their teachings emphasize submission to them and mere head knowledge, meditation, mind-emptying, asceticism, contemplation, centering/contemplative prayer/ spirituality and prayer practices outside of the Person and name of Jesus. Yet, one and only God reserves the dispensing of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom for those who obey Him, beginning with true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In these heretical economies, there is no sin or repentance nor faith in someone infinitely greater than man (Jer 17:9; Lk 13:3, 5; Proverbs 3:5-7; Heb. 11:6).
God grants access to Himself and the treasures of His divinely granted salvation, wholeness, healing, and wisdom exclusively through Jesus Christ. We have in relationship with the Father bold prayer access as we approach Him through our LORD Jesus for all things (John 14:!3-14; 16:23-24; Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-26). In this relationship He’s brought us in through Christ.
The biblical word “antichrist” means both in place of Christ or against Him, the former being the most insidious. All who are not rooted and grounded in Christ will absolutely be led astray from Him. The root problem of these antichrist heresies is that they do not honor to Jesus Christ for access to God (John 5:23-24; 14:6). They present some other way which makes the perpetrators thieves and robbers according to Christ (John 10:1-10). Instead these philosophies and practices focus on things YOU do to conjure up or earn, merit to gain access to God to get what you want (Ephesians 2:8-9; Rom 4:4-5; 2 Cor 5:19, 21). These doctrines of devils are self-centered and not Christ-centered. Yet, we know that God will not have a relationship with any person or answer prayer outside of Christ (John 5:23; 14:6, 13-14; 16:23-24, etc.). Devils/demons will answer those emptyings, meditations, prayers and seekers and ultimately wreak havoc on the willingly deceived who partake. These occult practices were devised by devils for the exact purpose of enabling demon possession and destruction (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:11-12).
All of these same heresies seek to entice and move the believer away from Christ, the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2-5). Wolves who teach these things have invaded the church world through what is called contemplative spirituality/prayer, spiritual formation, soaking, etc. The NAR (New Apostolic Reformation), Word of Faith, and emergent church movements are basically humanism, New Age, yoga, eastern mysticism, and transcendental meditation with repackaged lingo/nomenclature.
Spiritual Formation – Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one’s spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. Again, spiriutal formation is just another trick of Satan to remove believers from “the simplicity that is
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” 2 Corinthians 11:2-5
The underlying common denominator of these ancient heathen, pagan practices is that they do not uphold Christ according to the record of Scripture – that He is Creator, God, and Redeemer (Is. 45:22; Colossians 1-2; Rev. 1:8). All these false religious techniques perpetrate the assertion of US in place of Christ – which reveals that “the spirit of antichrist” is behind all these methods to reach God or futily attempt to procure things like peace of mind for self (Titus 3:5-7). Jesus upends this self-effort, self-will rebellion which is witchcraft (1 Sam. 15:22-23). “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. … Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt. 6:7-8; 7:7-8) All men are sinners in need of the mercy of God which He pours out exclusively through Christ (Titus 3:5-7, etc.).
Seminaries today across America are now requiring courses in spiritual formation and contemplative spirituality. The seminaries were infiltrated by the Jesuits and led astray beginning in the 1950-60’s.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) – Transcendental Meditation technique: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“The Transcendental Meditation technique or TM is a form of silent mantra meditation,[1] developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The meditation practice involves the use of a mantra and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day while sitting with one’s eyes closed.[2][3] It is one of the most-widely practiced,[4][5][6] and among the most widely researched meditation techniques,[7] with over 340 peer-reviewed studies published.[8]:p 14[9] Beginning in 1965, the Transcendental Meditation technique has been incorporated into schools, universities, corporations, and prison programs in the USA, Latin America, Europe, and India.
The technique has been described as both religious and non-religious, as an aspect of a new religious movement, as rooted in Hinduism,[12]:p 188[13] and as a non-religious practice for self-development.[8]:p 4[14][15] The public presentation of the technique over its 50-year history has been praised for its high visibility in the mass media and effective global propagation, and criticized for using celebrity and scientific endorsements as a marketing tool.”
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:” 1 Timothy 6:20
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:8-10
What they have in common: These counterfeits all promise inner peace and wellness that Christ alone who made us can provide (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
God rewards those who obey Him, elevating Christ in worship and not self – which is the way of Lucifer/Satan and those who are his (Is. 14:12-15; Lk 10:18).
“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” John 7:14-18
Never be impressed with mere knowledge that is not shared in humility with a heart of love to help you learn of the LORD – to know, worship, and obey Him. The Bible tells us that “God is love” and those who are His have a relationship with Him and therefore no need to run around parading themselves as something they are not – and not mere human is (John 17:3; 1 John 3:1; 4:16-18).
In summation: In Colossians, the great apostle of Christ is warning us to be rooted in our relationship with Jesus and to beware of cheap counterfeits.
On that note of knowing and loving our LORD, recently a dear sister sent this prayer:
“Lord, may this be our daily prayer, that Christ alone be magnified.
Wow, bless us Lord to be captivated by Your love and Your will.
Change us, purify us, sanctify us according to Your Word and Your ways.
We delight to be a joy to You and bring glory to Your Name.
Please take us from where we are and grant that we would grow in grace and truth,
always abounding in Your work — FILLED with Your Spirit, Life and Love.
You must increase and we must decrease.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.” Debbie Lord
————-
notes
2:6-7 – 2 Discussion Questions
- What were you told by other Christians when you first got saved that helped or hurt you in the ensuing years of being saved?
- Looking back, what could other born again saints have told you that would have greatly helped you as you grew in the grace of Christ?
GOING to church once per week isn’t what the LORD has in mind for knowing, seeking, and growing in Him. Jesus says knowing and following Him is “daily.” (Lk 9:23-24; Acts 5:42)
NOTHING replaces Bible reading
What is God saying to us, His body through the book of Colossians?
every individual chooses the type, the quality of heart soil they will have
Heb. 1:10; 1 John 5:10-13;
“And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:” Hebrews 1:10
Ephesians 3:9
reading through a book 10-20 times
John 12:21; Heb 12:1-2
Eve added to what God said, right? “Neither shall ye touch it lest ye die”…..
Is this the first mention of “touch not, taste not” ? Col 2
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Articles
Ridiculous King James Bible Corrections
New Version Attack on the Deity of Christ….They remove the word “begotten” in John 3:16 …. The new versions are Gnostic!
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Jesus Christ could not be divine if He were born from an earthly father.
“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:20-23
On this account alone we know that the new versions cannot possibly be of God because they remove the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the one Messiah.
NEVER foolishly pretend to correct the Bible! No, correct your own foolish self!
Below is from by John Hinton, Ph.D.
jhinton@post.harvard.edu
John 3:16, Only Begotten
John 3:16 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 is quoted more than any other verse in the Bible, at least by Christians and other church-goers. There may be no verse that is more frequently perverted than this one, but most people still know the full verse as presented by the KJV. Why then, is it so hard to find the word ‘begotten’ in other versions? The word in question is ‘monogenes’. This is a compound of two words monos and genes, the latter being drawn from the verb genao, which means to beget or cause to be produced. Monos means only or single, as is clear by its many appearances in English, such as monotony, monopoly, monotone, etc. Genao has come into the English language as well in words like generation, genesis, genes, generate, and so forth. The two words together mean only-begotten! It could not possibly mean anything else. In spite of this obvious, uncontestable, and invariable meaning, it is perverted with great frequency. The perversion of this verse appears to have begun, not with Christians, but with Gnostics in Egypt. These Gnostics not only denied the nature of Christ, but rewrote much of the New Testament in order to pervert the truth. These Gnostics had to lie through their teeth in order to suggest that the second half of this compound word did not count. Followers of the Alexandrian heresies, such as today’s New Age Bible version translators, being unconcerned with integrity, were more than happy to follow the Gnostic lead. It should be noted that the Gnostics did not even speak Greek as a native language. Their language was Coptic, which is about as close to Greek as Turkish is to Arabic. This means that it is less close to Greek than English is to Polish. Coptic adopted and adapted the Greek for their form of Egyptian, and borrowed many New Testament Greek words, just as Turkish borrowed the Arabic alphabet (until modern times) and many vocabulary words, as did Malaysian, Swahili, Farsi, Urdu, and many other unrelated languages, but this makes for only the most superficial comparisons. In both cases this is as far as the similarities go. Their language families are unconnected and their grammars are entirely dissimilar. Why on earth would anyone with a half a lick of sense accept a nonsensical definition of a Greek word by heretical, non-Christian Coptic speakers for a Greek word that is completely clear in its meaning to start with?
The ASV was not bold enough to pervert this verse, but the RSV and almost every modern version since has done so.
RSV For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is not the only place where only begotten son is changed to only son. The modern versions do the same thing in the following verses.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1Jo 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him
Unfortunately, many foreign Bible translations no longer have legitimate translations of these verses, and there are many languages that have never had one. No translation in French history has failed to pervert this verse. Not only do the modern perversions like the Louis Segonde, which is below, fail to say begotten, but even the much better earlier versions, such as the Olivetan and the Martin do so.
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point, mais qu’il ait la vie éternelle.
They all say unique son, which is clearly wrong. The first French translation to include the whole verse is my KJV oriented revision of the Martin Bible, which I hope to make available soon.
The Arabic Bible is a fairly good Bible, but it botched this verse too. I suspect that the reason for this is that the Arabic translators may have used the French as their model. The Arabic says “ibn wahid”, which means unique son. I had to think about the French for a while, but the proper Arabic translation came to me instantly and quite naturally: “ibn wahid wulida bihi”. It sounds even more natural in Arabic than it does in English. I don’t understand why it didn’t occur to the original translators. I cannot believe that it had anything to do with technical issues. Most Gideon’s KJV Bibles include several translations of John 3:16 before the Bible text itself. I cannot read several of the languages at all, but among those that I can read the Arabic, French, Hindi, and Hebrew mistranslate it. If I were to compare verses from Bibles from all over the world the list of corrupted verses would go on for page after page.
I’ve had many people tell me that they see these verses as stating that Jesus is God’s unique Son in a very special way, but that is not even a relevant argument. It is irrelevant not only because the Greek does not say that he is unique, but because it is a subjective term with little meaning. Is Jesus God’s unique son? Yes, of course he is, but so is every other born-again Christian. As a born-again believer I am counted as a son of God. I also am unique. How many multilingual, KJV defenders who are Arabic translators, survival instructors, classical guitar players, wild critter gourmets, ex-hermitic mountain men, and former freight train-riding, chicken-farming Ivy League graduates who nearly flunked out of high school (due to truancy) are there out there? In the unlikely event that there are any, they are not going to look like me, sound like me, or share all of my other traits, faults and experiences. Everyone born-again Christian reading this can claim their own brand of uniqueness. We are all unique. Being unique is not unique and calling someone unique is not saying much of anything at all. Jesus is not just a unique son of God, but he is unique because he was his only-begotten Son!
Why is it so important to make such a big deal of this one word, some ask? There are many reasons, but the following come to my mind right away.
1) It is a lie to translate the word as “only” or “unique”. The word doesn’t mean unique. That is an attempt to rob Jesus of his true nature. This is a trick learned from Gnostics, Arians, and other heretics.
2) It is a lie that Jesus is the only son of God.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Ro 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Ro 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3) If translators can’t get a plain statement like John 3:16 right, what credibility does that give to the rest of their translation?
Finally, it needs to be pointed out that Jesus is not the only son to be described as an only begotten one. Isaac also is described as only begotten.
Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
We know that Abraham had another son, Ishmael, and the modern version translators were just as aware of it. In this example Isaac is his only begotten son because he was the only one to be born of his lawful wife through him, the same way that Mary begot the only Son to ever be begotten through God. So why did they, once again, ignore the word begotten, and translate this verse as “only son” as they did with the references to Jesus? This is surely an act of incompetence, but it was more a desire to follow Gnostic/New Age philosophy that dictated the modern version translation than it was one of incompetence. They knew that if they were to translate this correctly, and it were to be noted by anyone looking at the Greek, their corruption would be disclosed. They had to cover their tracks by corrupting the verse regarding Isaac for that reason. As a result they make the ridiculous error of saying that Isaac had only one son.
Whatever the motive for the modern perversions’ treatment of these verses, they are glaring proofs that their alleged superior knowledge of Greek is as phony as Bill Clinton’s repentance. It is most sad that they have been allowed to get away with it by so many church-goers throughout the ages. The emperors need to put on some clothes, because they are guilty of indecent exposure.
The preceeding is part of a series of examples of KJV verses that arrogant would-be scholars have tried to correct and showed themselves to be fools. These examples are for the benefit of those who would like more ammunition to defend God’s Word against the attacks of the arrogant Bible “correcting” modernists. I hope that some of you find them useful.
Your servant in Christ,
John Hinton, Ph.D.
Bible Restoration Ministry: A ministry seeking the translating and reprinting of KJV equivalent Bibles in all the languages of the world.
by Will Kinney
“Doesn’t the KJV talk about unicorns?”
Yes, the KJB and many others as well, both in English and other languages, refer to unicorns. Unicorns DO exist; they just aren’t what you think they are.
Are you willing to look into this a bit more and learn something?
https://brandplucked.webs.com/unicorns.htm
Question for you. Most Bible agnostics and unbelievers in the inerrancy of ANY Bible refuse to answer it because they are too dishonest to admit what they REALLY believe about “the Bible”. How about you?
Here is the question.
Do you believe there IS (present tense) ANY Bible in ANY language, translated or untranslated, that you can SHOW US (Give us a link to where we can see it) that you honestly believe IS the complete and inerrant (infallible, 100% true) words of God? Yes or No?
If Yes, which one
is it?
If No, or simply “I don’t know” are you honest enough to admit it.
Thank you.
THINK ABOUT THIS – ARROGANT, UN-REPENTANT REBELS MANIFESTED:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
Obviously some are foolishly arrogant and therefore refuse to receive the “correction” the real Bible brings. No wonder they love Satan’s corruptions and despise God’s preserved Word, the King James Bible.
If you don’t believe God kept His holy hand on the preserving His Word to us, all the way through to the King James Bible…..
“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalms 121:4
Oh what a great God and King Jesus we serve!
LET’S LEARN GOD’S WORD TOGETHER – ONE TRUTH AT A TIME: This message was sent out to each person who is on the Moments for My Master e-mail devotional list. In supplementation to your personal daily study of God’s Word, we would love to add you and have the privilege of nourishing your heart with God’s Word (Jn. 5:39; 1 Tim. 4:6, 16; Heb. 5:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:2). Sign up here.
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Articles
Darwin’s Demise: What they don’t want You to know about Charles Darwin! [podcast]
“Darwin’s theories are hardly irrefutable. He refuted them himself. This is how science works. Even he conceded that his theories would never be proven. Any actual learned Darwinist would have to concede the same. Also, we use the term ‘evolution’ so improperly that it’s become desensitized to actual facts of biology. We misuse it. Evolution is most often times intertwined with ‘adaptation’, which it is not. It’s like saying the term ‘free’ is the same as the term ‘no cost to you.’ Those are also obviously different. In any case, the ‘evolution of hominids’ is nonsense. These are nothing more than piles of various bones cherry picked to put the skeletons that they hope to display together. God made man in His image. Not in a monkey’s image. His.” Dave Fury
Darwin himself described the lack of transitional fossils as, “… the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.”
With the theory of evolution, we still lack much evidence. Where do we go from here?
Why do we not have unlimited fossil records of missing links of transitional forms if Darwin’s theory of evolution is true?
For example: If man came from apes, why are there still apes? And, where is the fossil record of the intermediary, transitional stages?
Shocking Charles Darwin Quotes
“But, as by this theory, innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?” (Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859).
“When we descend to details we can prove that no one species has changed (i.e., we cannot prove that a single species has changed): nor can we prove that the supposed changes are beneficial, which is the groundwork of the theory.” Charles Darwin, 1863
“To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree.” – Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1st Ed., p. 186.
“I have asked myself whether I may not have devoted my life to a fantasy . . . I am ready to cry with vexation at my blindness and presumption” Charles Darwin [12].
“Often a cold shudder has run through me, and I have asked myself whether I may have not devoted myself to a fantasy.” (Charles Darwin, Life and Letters, 1887, Vol. 2, p. 229)
“The number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed must be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory.” (Darwin, Charles, Origin of Species, 6th edition, 1902 p. 341-342)
“The FOOL hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalms 14:1
If “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God,” the wise people say in their hearts that “There is a God, you’re not Him – and we are all accountable to Him.”
“As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
Not one library the world over contains a stitch of proof that evolution is true.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” Romans 1:22
Atheism – The belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs. Makes perfect sense.
It simply doesn’t matter how many scientific sounding words or theories one uses, we know from the first law of thermodynamics that matter cannot appear accidentally, by chance. We didn’t need someone to coin a “law” to know what the very first law of thermodynamics admits – that something cannot come out of nothing.
In His Word, God warns us of “avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20). False science is designed to oppose true science which acknowledges that which is self-evident. Much of what presents itself today, that which comes in the mere name of “science” is nothing more than an atheistic religion designed to deny that creation has a Creator. Consider the source. The atheistic peddlers of the debunked mere theory of evolution can be found to be miserable deniers of the obvious. More in a moment on how it’s been rightly stated that evolution is a “fairy tale for grownups.”
Remember, science is the mere study of the creation of an Almighty infinite Creator by the mere finite human.
Making Peace with God – Before it’s too late. | Atheism/Evolution
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Apostasy
Beware of “Private Interpretation” [podcast]
NO MAN GAVE THE TRUTH AND NO MAN CONTROLS IT
ANY person who doesn’t uphold God’s Word as final divine authority on all matters of faith, is 100% “NOT of God” according to the Son of God (John 8:47).
“Let God be true and EVERY man a liar.” Romans 3:4
Is God or are mere men confused?
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33
Beware of those who violate, who speak contradictory to other parts of God’s Word in order to sell you on their “revelation.” Known truth, biblically stated truth must never be contradicted. The LORD is not confused and so we conclude that anyone upholding what they believe to be truth that contradicts known biblical truth, is confused at best. Beware of what the Holy Spirit calls “private interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:19-21) More in a moment on this.
Many seek to use commentaries, historians and the like to paint the picture, the outcome they desire because they do not love the LORD and therefore His truth. If God wanted us to have more it’d be in His Word…. I am not opposed to background information but that’s not divinely inspired Holy Scripture and many people try to change the outcome of biblical truth by using extra-biblical sources. Beware. They attempt to create a path to an unbiblical conclusion because they are “not valiant for the truth.” (Jeremiah 9:3)
It’s convoluted theology to speak against, contrary to the whole of the Word of God which among other things says “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Ignoring known, clearly stated Bible truth to perpetrate a certain view is bearing false witness against the LORD, is confusion, and is violence against the Holy Scriptures and the picture painted by the WHOLE of God’s Word. This is also a refusal to rightly divide the Word of truth but instead a deliberate, subjective ignoring of divine truth in order to perpetrate an agenda (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15).
Many today interpret the Bible for their own self-serving purpose or liking, based on being predisposed to certain traditions, philosophies, and clichés. This is exactly what Jesus cited the false religionists of His day for doing (Mark 7:6-9).
God gave His Word to us and will reveal Himself and His will to each of His saints as they seek Him, studying His words thoroughly, diligently, daily.
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:39-40
God gave us the Holy Scriptures to reveal to us who He is and yet, the individual must come to Jesus personally to know Him and understand His Precepts, His kingdom truths. Like the religionists Jesus is addressing above, many who think they know God are not known of God at all because they refuse to truly repent and seek His holy face.
Exactly as Jesus warned, there are “many false prophets” today to accommodate counterfeits, tares (Matthew 7:15; 24:11).
Many times we hear men stand up to speak, claiming they’ve been studying a topic in the Bible extensively – and insinuating that on the basis of THEIR study, you should just buy wholesale everything they’re about the say. There are “many deceivers” operating today (2 John 7-11). Out of the pride of their hearts we hear men preface their message this way, boasting of their study, to set up and snare the unlearned, the gullible when in reality many of them have simply borrowed the errors of other men. Yet we must judge all that is taught against our own personal, diligent study of the whole of God’s Word and never buy the subjective claims of mere men. This is the very reason so many are deceived today. Following man’s supposed revelation, interpretations, instead of getting God’s revelation for ourselves, firsthand, is the recipe to be deceived. There are no shortcuts to personally, thoroughly studying the whole counsel of God’s Word for ourselves. | The Importance of Personal, Organic Bible Study
This scenario often plays out when someone is teaching on the end times, claiming or insinuating that they have come up with special revelation. At times they will claim to definitely know and have figured out who the antichrist is, the specifics and timing of end time events, and secrets about these last days. Yet, at least some of those things they claim to have special knowledge of are not specifically, expressly written in the Bible. Beware of the “private interpretation” of mere men.
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19-21
God’s Word, the words of God recorded in Holy Writ, were inspired by the Holy Spirit and were not written from any mere man’s “private interpretation”, nor are the words of God to be twisted and done violence to by anyone today for their own “private interpretation” to promulgate their own view, doctrine, or agenda.
Notice in this passage above that through Peter, the Holy Spirit puts the personal responsibility upon the individual disciple to “take heed” to the Word of God, to study it daily, diligently as the revelation of Christ and His will rises in our hearts, dawns on us – “ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
God expects His people to study thoroughly and to know His Word for themselves.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
No man controls the truth nor does he control the interpretation of divine truth which is self-evident and to be first and foremost studied and understood by individual disciples. Yes, God calls elders out to teach HIS Word, to let God’s Word dwell richly among His people, and yet the LORD alone teaches the individual believers heart His truth (Colossians 3:16). This is the individual priesthood of each and every blood bought saint of Christ. Jesus saves the individual sinner first and foremost who is then and only then an individual member of His one body (Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12).
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. …26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” 1 John 2:20-27
Ultimately, and most importantly, God teaches each and every one of His individual saints – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)
Those who aren’t objective with the whole counsel of Scripture clearly prove their hearts are not honest, not authentic, and sincere before the LORD (Luke 8:15; John 7:16; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Peter 3:16, etc.).
Beware of Being a “Back it Up” Bubba
Personally studying God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation, organically, is ultra-important. | The Importance of Personal, Organic Bible Study
To “back up” a belief with Scripture seems to really mean: “I believe ABC doctrine and I’m hell bent on finding Bible verses to prove it!” In other words someone like this doesn’t really care what the whole of Scripture teaches as much as they care to hold on to some pet doctrine (it’s usually something to justify their sin such as the falsehood of eternal security).
Some put forth their subjective beliefs and defend those beliefs by saying “I can back everything up with scripture.” Satan can too as we see him do when tempting Jesus (Luke 4). The devil used Scripture out of context as many today do. Are we merely backing up what WE say and what WE currently believe with Scripture or are we simply reading and diligently studying the whole counsel of Holy Scripture and letting GOD speak for Himself as we “compare spiritual things (Scripture, known truth) with spiritual things”? (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15) Big difference. Think about that. Men and devils can deceitfully make the Bible say anything THEY want it to say but that doesn’t make it biblically sound and true. We must beware of our own tendency to espouse and hold on to philosophies, notions, and doctrines that do not line up with the whole counsel of God’s Word and we must be corrected (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The disciple of Jesus, without exception, will be ever more rooted and grounded in the final divine authority of the written Word of God.
Jesus told us exactly who is “of God” and who is “NOT of God.”
“He that is OF GOD heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are NOT OF GOD.” John 8:47
ALL who are “of God” uphold His Word as final divine authority, with no exception.
When discussing any matter, specifically spiritually, the main issue is what God’s Word says, which is His “truth” and when one is valiant for His truth, such a man will not rely on anything except God’s Word (Jeremiah 9:3; John 17:17). God says we can be CERTAIN about what He says concerning any topic revealed in His Word – “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee KNOW the CERTAINTY of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Proverbs 22:20-21)
We must honestly examine our own selves to see WHY we believe WHAT we currently believe. Discernment, “rightly dividing the word of truth” seem to be concretely connected to searching the Scriptures as we see with the Bereans who tested Paul and all that he taught, right? (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:10-11) Lots of people who talk about discernment trust their own subjective discernment instead of letting the written WORD be their two edged sword of discernment (Hebrews 4:12). Many believe they are discerning correctly and yet aren’t daily, diligently being grounded in the written Word, which God will never contradict (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
The Berean Saints are a Great Example to us Today
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10-11
May the reader be exhorted to become intimately familiar with the above passage, noticing that the Bereans didn’t even take Christ’s apostle Paul at his word. No, they “searched the scriptures daily” for themselves to see “whether those thing were so” that Paul was preaching.
As was the case with the Berean disciples who listened to Paul preach, God intends for us to partake in, to hear preaching and yet, all must be cross examined against our own personal searching of His Word for ourselves (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17). On that note, do you remember when the LORD Jesus spoke to the woman at the well and how when He revealed Himself to her as the Messiah she ran out and told everyone? Yet, those men didn’t fully embrace Christ till they personally went to see Him for themselves.
“The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. … 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” Acts 4:28-30, 42
No Greek or Hebrew is needed and is certainly not the main rule of interpretation. We must take God’s preserved Word for what it clearly states in our own language, as we compile, compound, put together Scripture with Scripture (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13). This is the method of priority in apprehending truth, the highest, stated rule of interpreting truth. A thorough gathering of all Scripture pertaining to the given study, is essential.
“TAUGHT OF GOD”
“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all TAUGHT OF GOD. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:45
“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are TAUGHT OF GOD to love one another.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9
The LORD alone is “the truth”, gave us His truth – His written Word – and presides over it, teaching it to His people (John 14:6; Psalms 146:6, etc.). His written Word is final divine authority and taught by Him to His people in abiding relationship (John 14:26; 16:13-14).
Beware of “Private Interpretation”
Being crucified with Christ means one is emptied of self, self-will, self-agenda, and abandoned to God’s will. This means that such a person searches out and embraces the biblical truth, no matter where it leads. He never bends the truth to try to fit a tradition or doctrine but rather reject any previous believed notion when the Word says differently (Romans 3:4; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17, etc.).
Those who engage in the sinful activity of privately interpreting Scripture, do so because …
- They themselves are un-repentant, not denying self, taking up the cross, and following Jesus (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Timothy 4:2-4)
- They refuse to let God be true and every man a liar – beginning with their own wicked hearts (Romans 3:4)
- They value tradition about divine truth (Mark 7:6-9)
- They do no hold God’s Word as final divine authority though they claim to (John 8:47)
- They refuse to be honest with the whole counsel of Holy Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17)
Beware of those who seek to control the interpretation of God’s Word – those who impose their own notions and doctrine onto God’s truth. There are many who read things into Scripture which are not in the Scriptures. Let’s read again our central passage:
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19-21
“Private interpretation” seems to point to the agenda and act of self application based on tradition or preconceived notions. Not allowing God to speak for Himself via a thorough study of the whole counsel of His written Word. Application or interpretation based on self desires or that which conforms to some extra-biblical notion or doctrine of men.
Here’s the Greek word for “private”
G2398
ἴδιος
idios
id’-ee-os
Of uncertain affinity; pertaining to self, that is, one’s own (agenda); by implication private or separate: – X his acquaintance, when they were alone, apart, aside, due, his (own, proper, several), home, (her, our, thine, your) own (business), private (-ly), proper, severally, their (own).
Greek word for “interpretation”
G1955
ἐπίλυσις
epilusis
ep-il’-oo-sis
From G1956; explanation, that is, application: – interpretation.
Total KJV occurrences: 1
Not only did the Holy Ghost give us God’s written Word, but also it’s the Holy Ghost that teaches individual saints. Here’s how:
“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which THE HOLY GHOST TEACHETH; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:13
Believers are “taught of God” as they study and collate Scripture. This is never to be infringed upon or controlled by elders. That’s one reason for the plurality of elders in the local expressions, the gatherings of Christ’s body. There’s safety in a plurality of elders who should thereby be held accountable and rebuked when needed (Titus 1:5, etc.).
As Christ’s saints continue “stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers”, they compare, put together, collate line upon line, Bible verse upon Bible verse, in ordain to be “taught of God” His truth (Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:16).
“Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine”
RED FLAG: When you witness a man, an elder, who dodges or doesn’t want certain BIBLE verses read, due to that truth contradicting his tradition/heresy, you know you have a man who is in need of repentance (Mark 7:6-9). Such a man’s heart is not captive to the Word of God. He has his own evil agenda. Such a wolf will seek to impose his doctrine of men and devils on others and must be rebuked.
“Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. 20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” 1 Timothy 5:19-20
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2
The root reason people choose the lie of OSAS is that they simply refuse to truly repent and lay down their lives in this fleeting world. So they are willing to wax over and avoid mountains of biblical truths and warnings. They have their own agenda they hold in reserve. They are not given over to Christ. They believed and were saved and yet didn’t continue in the truth – which Jesus says is essential.
Many times, the ones who cry “context, context, context” are those taking God’s Word out of context in order to perpetrate their heresy. They don’t want the real context because though they pose as Christians, they are not men of truth and so don’t honestly follow the Word of God honestly, no matter where it may lead. They don’t like the context of Holy Scripture – because it simply doesn’t say what they want it to say. They have a predetermined outcome, a doctrinal goal they want to reach and are willing to bait and switch, do acrobats, and ignore Scripture that doesn’t agree with their heresy. These are not honest people. Their goal is to reach their predetermined conclusion.
The Bible reveals that un-repentant people migrate to false teachers, false doctrines (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Counterfeits invent ways to excuse themselves from accountability to Scripture. Though they regularly and selectively refer to and read the Old Testament Scriptures, when you quote or read them Holy Scripture from the Old Testament to expose OSAS, they will scream “but that’s Old Testament!” Nice try. But “ALL scripture” is given to New Testament saints and we are told that we are taught by those very Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:17; Romans 15;4; 1 Corinthians 10:11). Also, this same truth as is taught in the passage below, is also taught and confirmed all over the New Testament and from Genesis to Revelation.
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.” Ezekiel 33:11-13
Eternal Security is a Lie from Hell.
The Ultimate Teacher is Divine
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13-14
GOD alone “keepeth truth”, is the Divine Source and Steward of His Truth
“…the LORD his God: 6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:” Psalms 146:6
Notice the Hebrew word for “keepeth” here….
H8104
שָׁמַר
shâmar
shaw-mar’
A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: – beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).
Total KJV occurrences: 468
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