Our
number one desire for these Bible lessons are for them to be understandable,
defendable, and for the Holy Spirit to bear witness that the conclusions are
the true, and correct interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.
Guidelines
for our Bible studies on this website:
1.
We treat the living words of the living God as spoken by the Lord Jesus and
given to the Apostle Paul for the Body of Christ the same importance, as the words of the Lord
Jesus recorded in red letters in the books of
Matthew – Acts Chp. 8, as what should be known as the instructions to the
nation Israel.
2. We will not be wresting the scriptures
against each other, we will look at the verses in their context, and will not
try to make the scriptures say anything, but what they say.
3. We will be using the verses out of the
Authorized Version, commonly known as the KJV. It is fine if you want to look
the verses up in other translations if you like, but we will consider the
Authorized Version as our final written authority.
4.
We do not and will not use the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, or Latin languages to
prove any points, or give any indication that the Authorized Version has been
incorrectly translated.
I
hope these studies are interesting enough to provoke you to study your Bible
and for you to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matt.15
[1] Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of
Jerusalem, saying, [2] Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the
elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. [3] But he answered
and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your
tradition? [4] For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He
that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. [5] But ye say, Whosoever
shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou
mightest be profited by me; [6] And honour not his father or his mother, he
shall be free. Thus have ye made the
commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. [7] Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, [8] This people draweth
nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their
heart is far from me. [9] But in vain
they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
In
this lesson we look at some reasons people when confronted with sound doctrine
have a tendency to reject it.
I
personally have experienced the difficulty of unlearning unsound doctrine and believe
I have a good understanding on this subject.
In
the passage above we see the scribes and Pharisees question the Lord Jesus
about one of the traditions of the elders concerning eating without washing
their hands first. To which Jesus responds with a question as to why they
transgressed the commandment of God by their tradition.
One
of the most common reasons that people tend to reject sound doctrine is because many
times the traditions which they learned from their parents, teachers in school,
preachers, seminary professors, religious leaders, etc. is in direct opposition
to sound doctrine.
We
all have a tendency to respect people who have authority over us, which is not
a bad thing. The problem comes in when we reach a point where we cannot think
or reason for ourselves and just blindly follow traditions and doctrines of men. When we are confronted with truth from the word of God that differs from things that we have been taught and believed for years we all have a tendency to reject the truth of God's word.
Jesus told that group of people, that they were worshipping
the Lord in vain by “teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.”
I
was reading an article about the Amish recently and thought it was a good
example of what happens when people are taught to blindly follow their leaders
and not have the liberty to question why they believe the things they believe.
“The
Pennsylvania Amish believe that community harmony is threatened by secular
values such as individualism and pride, which permeate the modern world. Thus,
the Amish of Pennsylvania curb interaction with outsiders and insulate
themselves from modern technology and mass media. They also prohibit habits
that feed individualism and greed, as displayed through their plain dress style
and prohibition of personal photographs. Personal Bible study and devotions are discouraged because
individual interpretations may challenge traditional doctrine.”
Notice
in the quote which I did not write or change in any way but only copied and
pasted for this lesson.
Personal Bible study and
devotions are discouraged because individual interpretations may challenge
traditional doctrine.
This
statement is the heart of how all the different denominations are able to
maintain their particular set of false doctrine.
They
like the Pharisees have their particular set of beliefs which they defend even
when confronted with the truth from God’s Holy Word.
They
all have an established hierarchy that keeps and protects their particular
doctrines. They all have a system to discredit anyone in their particular
denomination when confronted with the truth of God’s Holy Word where it disagrees
with their traditions or doctrine.
1Cor.1
[10] Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment.
The
only way we can follow the Apostle Paul's admonition is when we Christians are able to reason together, study the same Bible, in the same way. I have had the privilege to study the Bible with many different
Christians from many different denominations. It has been my experience, that more often than not we are able to come to the same understanding, when we look at the Bible verses in
context, and do not wrest the scriptures against each other.
As
I approach my 43rd birthday as a Christian, in the Body of Christ, I would like
to share that when I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I
had no loyalty to any one denomination, but only to the Lord Jesus Christ and the
truth of his Holy Word.
I
had such an eye opening experience after being saved, I fell in love with
studying and memorizing the Bible.
It
was in those early days that I set out to discover why there are so many
different Christian denominations, all teaching so many different doctrines,
while all claiming to believe the same book.
My
conclusion after all these years is all the denominations are based on one simple platform. They all pick out a set of Bible verses, from all over the Bible, Old
Testament, New Testament and then document it as the “Things They Believe”! They then defend those things even when they can easily be disproved with a
little Bible Study.
The entire Bible is for our learning, but the entire Bible
does not apply to the Body of Christ doctrinally, as defined in the Pauline
Epistles. If
you believe the entire Bible applies doctrinally to Body of Christ, you’ll be
confused and unable to discern truth from false doctrine.
Example;
we can learn about King David’s experiences with the Lord, but that does not
mean our experiences with the Lord will be the same as his.
Psalm 37
[25] I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
I
have heard many people claim and quote verse 25 in Psalm 37 which I love, but
just because King David didn’t see the righteous begging bread doesn’t mean it never
happens.
Luke 16
[19] There was a certain
rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously
every day: [20] And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores, [21] And desiring to be fed with the crumbs
which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his
sores. [22] And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and
was buried; [23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Jesus
here in Luke 16 identifies Lazarus as a beggar, who ends up with Abraham in heaven,
but if we had judged Lazarus based on David’s Old Testament statements we would
have concluded that he was not a rightness man, because he was a beggar.
Also
notice where the rich man ended up, in Hell in torments. Here again many people
have made the mistake of looking at people who seem to have everything as being
righteous and having God’s favor when in fact just the opposite may be true.
The
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the wicked or unrighteous don’t have anything to worry about, and will not know anything after they die. They teach
that the dead cease to exist and base this train of thought on an Old Testament
verse out of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 9
[5] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know
not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them
is forgotten.
Here
again the Lord Jesus in Luke 16 gave further information on what happens when
the living die. To ignore his teachings on this subject is to reject the
Lord Jesus as God in the flesh.
Now another example is to look at the Old Testament
restrictions God (Jesus) gave to Moses concerning the eating certain meats such
as swine or pork, they are one in the same.
Lev.11
[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and to
Aaron, saying unto them, [2] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These
are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. [3]
Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among
the beasts, that shall ye eat.
[7] And the swine, though he
divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is
unclean to you. [8] Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their
carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Then compare this with the instructions the Lord Jesus
(God) gave the Apostle Paul for the believers living today in the dispensation
of grace.
1Tim.4
[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath
created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know
the truth.
[4] For every creature of God is good,
and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: [5] For it
is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
[6] If thou put the brethren in
remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of
Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good
doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. [7] But refuse profane and old
wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
There are many religious organizations today that forbid
people to marry and many of those groups command people to abstain from meats, they
usually use the Old Testament to get their list of meats to abstain
from.
The
apostle Paul said that people who do these things are “giving
heed to seducing spirts and doctrines of devils.” These words were
written literally thousands of years ago and yet many religious organizations
and people continue to ignore them so they can follow the traditions and
doctrines of their particular group.
I
encourage you to turn on your TV this Sunday watch and listen to all the
different doctrines that are being taught by supposed Christian preachers and
ask yourself how you can make sense of it all.
Some
of them will be teaching you have to keep the Sabbath, you can’t eat pork, you
got to be baptized, you have to speak in tongues, you can lose your salvation,
you got to dress a certain way, you can only be saved if you join their group,
and on and on it goes!
Now I am not saying
everyone in these groups are lost. In fact I have found many people have
come to know the Lord Jesus as their savior in-spite of their particulate
religious affiliation. They trust in the Lord Jesus for their
salvation and not their denomination.
There
is only one way you can ever understand the Bible, it is by faith letting the
Lord Jesus dwell in your heart. Start studying the Bible for yourself and let the Holy
Spirit of the Lord Jesus help you to discern truth from error.
2Tim.4
[1] I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2]
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] 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.
What
a great day that will be when Jesus Christ returns in all his glory, friend
don’t let that day take you unawares. Today Jesus has his arms outstretched and
open to sinners to put their trust in him. One day we will all stand before him
either as our savior or our judge, don’t put it off invite Jesus to save you today!
"The crowd
that will not accept one truth will decay to the point that it does not accept
one God: many denominations, many translations, many gods."
All
of the confusion among Christianity/Christians today can be attributed to the
simple fact that the church, the Body of Christ, does not recognize the
separate, distinct, and unique apostleship, ministry, and message of the
apostle to the gentiles the Apostle Paul.
If
you fail to understand, or fail to learn how to rightly divide the word of
truth, you can never come to the knowledge of the truth, and sound doctrine.
If you have never trusted the Lord Jesus as your savior, I encourage you to believe in him and invite him to save you today! All one needs to do is to trust and believe in the Lord Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins to be made new in him.
Gal.2
[16] Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of
the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified
Eph.3
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye,
being rooted and grounded in love, [19] And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of
God..
The
words of our Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles!
2Tim.2 [15] Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.
Come
join with us as we study God’s Holy Word!
Remember
most unsound Bible Doctrine, is sound Bible Doctrine misapplied to the wrong
time period, or wrong group of people.
The
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