Category: religious bondage

Bible Study 101 #15

Sunday, January 19, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

Taking even a brief survey at the overwhelming doctrinal confusion in Christendom, one can be quite startled. What is more unfathomable is that all of it could have been avoided by applying a single verse (today’s Scripture). Alas, sin greatly complicates God’s creation. The human mind that thought it acceptable to disobey God that first time and usher in this current period of suffering, despair, and confusion, is the same mind that approached God’s Word without regarding His instructions on how to use it, and brought in yet another wave of suffering, despair, and confusion!

As it is said, the Bible is truly the world’s most marvelous Book. After all, God has “magnified [it] above all [his] name” (Psalm 138:2). God’s name is above all, and He set His Word even above that! As it is said, “A man is only as good as his word.” Unless we approach the Bible dispensationally, bearing in mind the distinctions God has made in it, we magnify it not, we stumble over the “contradictions,” and then we become vulnerable to such apostasy and heresy because we begin to wonder if God ever told the truth in it!

For the troubled Christian soul who struggles with discerning God’s will, and for the lost soul who struggles with what Gospel in the Bible to believe, turn not to religious tradition! Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, have the answers you seek. Start reading your Bible in Romans to learn God’s will for your eternal salvation and daily sanctification.

May we trust Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour, that His death, burial, and resurrection are sufficient payment for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4; cf. Romans 4:24,25). May we find a King James Bible and trust it alone. May we study that Holy Bible rightly divided, as God instructs us. Finally, may we believe it, and thereby have joy and peace (Romans 15:13)! 🙂

Note: At least four more 15-day devotionals arcs—“Bible Study 102,” “Bible Study 103,” and “Bible Study 104”—are in development, and will be posted in the near future. Stay tuned for these increasingly advanced studies.

Bible Study 101 #14

Saturday, January 18, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

Scripture says little about the Christians who lived in Berea (a town neighboring Thessalonica, in present-day Greece), but its brief description of them is quite noteworthy: “These [in Berea, verse 10] 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 17:11). Jesus Christ told the religious leaders of His day, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). Some of Israel’s religious leaders encouraged Nicodemus to “search” the Old Testament scrolls (John 7:52). The Old Testament prophets “searched [the Scriptures] diligently” (1 Peter 1:10).

Similar concepts to “search” are “examine” (Luke 23:14; Acts 24:8), “discern” (1 Corinthians 2:14), and “judge” (1 Corinthians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 4:3). God “searches” our hearts (Romans 8:27; Revelation 2:23), the Spirit of God “searches” the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).

The Bible exhorts us to search it: we should study it in-depth, “consider” what we read in it (2 Timothy 2:7), and “meditate” on it (1 Timothy 4:16), make a mental effort and think about what it says. People—even many Christians—are not thinking clearly when they go to church, and the Bible doctrine they know is so shallow; they are not grounded in the Bible. Thus, they participate in the widespread nonsense (deception) that occurs within the average church building today (Ephesians 4:14). We need to study the Bible, and most importantly, need to study it “rightly divided,” understanding that Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, describe what God is doing today. This is the only way we can walk by faith in God’s Word to us, and work with God (1 Corinthians 3:9) to do what He is doing in this the Dispensation of Grace.

Let us now summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Bible Study 101 #13

Friday, January 17, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

Religious tradition has completely destroyed the clarity of the rightly divided Word of God. Hence, many apostasies and heresies (denominations, sects, cults, et cetera) afflict Christendom. By following what God did in the past, we are not doing what God is doing today, and if we are not doing God’s will today, then Satan’s work is accomplished. Thus, dispensational Bible study is critical to understanding God’s plan of salvation for today as well as recognizing his plan for the Christian today.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). All of the Bible is God’s Word, so we study all 66 books of the King James Bible (Genesis to Revelation). But, unlike most churches and professing Christians, we study the entire Bible according to the “revelation of the mystery” (in light of Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon; Romans 16:25,26).

We must stop grabbing and claiming Israel’s verses (Genesis through Malachi, Matthew through John, early Acts, and Hebrews through Revelation), and we must get into the meat of the Scriptures written to us (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon). All of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us (remember, most of Scripture is written to and is about the nation Israel, not us). We follow God’s design for Christian edification, and we seek God’s approval, not man’s approval (today’s Scripture).

When studying a particular Bible passage, you first need to establish the following, in this order:

  1. who is writing/speaking,
  2. to whom are they writing, and
  3. what are they writing.

Again, remember that Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, are what God has to say to you, and the rest of the Bible deals with another program, Israel’s program. If Paul does not instruct you to do it, then God does not expect you to practice it in your life. This is the key to doing God’s will for you….

Bible Study 101 #12

Thursday, January 16, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

While we study all of the Bible, Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, have direct application to us as people in the Dispensation of the Grace of God.

Want to know how to be saved from your sins and eternal hellfire? Read Romans chapters 1-5. Want to know how to have victory over daily sins? Read Romans chapters 6-8. Want to know what happened to the nation Israel and what will happen to her in the future? Read Romans chapters 9-11. Want to see the grace life applied in specific situations? Read Romans chapters 12-16.

Wondering what a Christian congregation looks like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces philosophy (humanism)? Read 1 Corinthians. Want to see Paul defend his apostleship? Read 2 Corinthians.

What does a Christian congregation look like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces Mosaic Law-keeping (legalism)? Read Galatians. Curious to know what Jesus Christ will do with us Christians in the ages to come? Read Ephesians. Want to see how Christians should work together for the Gospel’s sake? Read Philippians. What does a Christian congregation look like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces religious “self-denial” (asceticism)? Read Colossians.

Wondering what a Christian congregation looks like if it applies by faith the doctrine of Romans, thereby becoming a model assembly of mature grace living? Read 1 Thessalonians. What is our relationship to Israel’s prophetic program? Read 2 Thessalonians.

Want to address and correct issues involving the local church—its organization and administration and our participation in its ministry? Read 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Desire to see Christian brotherly love displayed? Read Philemon.

Regarding life issues, these 13 epistles of Paul should be consulted first, and if they are silent about a matter, then seek advice from other Bible books. Dear friends, God’s will for us is not complicated like religion makes it….

Bible Study 101 #11

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

God desires to “stablish” (stabilize) the Christian’s life and inner man by using a three-fold process. He wants the Christian to understand the life He gives in Christ Jesus, so the Christian can, by faith, work with God in accomplishing His will.

The Bible says in Romans 16:25,26: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:”

Notice the three-fold process of Christian edification:

  • “my gospel”—Paul’s Gospel, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, is the foundation of the Christian life
  • “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery”—this is Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, the sound doctrine (building materials) which we use to build on that foundation
  • “the scriptures of the prophets”—this is all of the Holy Scriptures, in light of the doctrine revealed to Paul.

This is why studying the Bible rightly divided is so important. We study all of the Bible, Genesis through Revelation, but we follow the design of Christian edification as laid out in Romans 16:25,26. If we refuse to follow the dispensational layout of Scripture, and most people do refuse it, then we will be going against what God is doing today, and our Christian lives will be in shambles (which is why Christendom is in such pitiful shape!).

Dear friend, if you want to be spiritually “edified” (“strengthened”) and spiritually “perfected” (“matured”), you need to study and believe the Pauline epistles of Romans through Philemon (Ephesians 4:12). Again, dispensational Bible study is critical to your spiritual health. Let us further demonstrate this….

Bible Study 101 #10

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

Some two billion people worldwide—on “Christian” radio, television, and websites, and in “Christian” Bible colleges, seminaries, churches, and Bible study groups—are quoting the Bible. Most of them are also outside of God’s will: they are following verses that have nothing to do with what God is doing today. They are causing such extensive confusion in an already-lost and dying world. In a society that is starving for the truth, these Bible-quoters contribute to that spiritual malnutrition by “deceitfully handling” (2 Corinthians 4:2) and “wresting” (twisting) (2 Peter 3:15,16) God’s Word. They need to be quiet and study God’s Word, and especially study it “rightly divided” (today’s Scripture).

Satan, by quoting non-rightly divided Scripture (out of its context), attempted to destroy the work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ (even before His ministry began!). Never forget that Satan is still using God’s Word to hinder God’s purpose and plan. The lack of dispensational Bible study, especially a failure to see the Apostle Paul’s unique ministry to us, has so confused and divided Christians. So much time is wasted arguing about such elementary topics that God’s will for the Church the Body of Christ is rarely grasped.

God intended the Holy Bible to be beneficial to man. However, when not rightly divided, it is a weapon that further damages man’s spiritual body. For example, the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-16) and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) are preached as though they describe Christian living today. How sad! The most critical passages that actually describe grace living in this the Dispensation of Grace—Romans chapters 6-8 and 12, Ephesians chapter 4, and Colossians chapter 3—are ignored.

Again, no wonder the Body of Christ is so ineffectual in reaching the lost world for Jesus Christ, and no wonder the life of the average Christian is so confusing and burdensome. Christendom has stolen Israel’s doctrine and pretends it belongs to the Church the Body of Christ….

Bible Study 101 #3

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

One can hardly ever find a sound local church today (I speak from experience). Many churches advertise enjoyable “worship” services, some very emotional (hour of loud music, toe-tapping, pew-jumping, tongue-talking) and others extremely solemn and almost silent (ceremonial correctness, eloquent prayers and benedictions, meditation). There are plenty of fleshly activities, but how much Bible study? No, not churches where a few familiar Bible verses are read and then followed by stories and jokes for the rest of the hour, but churches where the congregation actually flips pages in printed Bibles to compare verses? Very rare indeed! (Bible study is “boring,” so the average church feigns like the world in order to cram the world into the pews.)

Beloved, God’s power is in God’s Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12), so if God’s Word is not being studied, then we need not wonder why the Body of Christ is so ineffectual in reaching the lost for Jesus Christ’s glory! People today quote and follow the Bible, and yet, they are usually outside of God’s will. Daily, I deal with individuals—Christians and lost people—who read the Bible, but they seldom understand it and rarely know God’s will for their lives. People who have attended “church” for decades but who are still unfamiliar with even basic Bible concepts. Dear friends, how can we do God’s will if we do not know His will (what He is doing)? This is why Bible study—not simply verse reading, verse skimming, or verse memorization—is so critical!

The Bible tells us what God is doing today (His will for us), but we cannot just go to any part of the Bible to find God’s will for us. We must study the Bible to find the verses that describe God’s current operations, His present-day dealings with mankind. This is the goal of dispensational Bible study….

Bible Study 101 #2

Monday, January 6, 2014

“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 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to study the Bible!

Let us begin by addressing three common misconceptions about Bible-studying and Bible-quoting. Firstly, everything in the Bible does not belong to us—we cannot grab any verse, rip it out of context, and attempt to claim or apply it (this is how a denomination begins). Secondly, just because someone quotes the Bible does not mean that he or she is serving the God of the Bible. Thirdly, even false churches quote the Bible to some extent, so a “Bible-preaching” church is not necessarily a church worth attending or joining.

Did you know that Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus Christ? In Matthew 4:5,6 and Luke 4:9-11, Satan demonstrated that he knows the Bible, and if it furthers his policy of evil, he will actually quote Scripture and encourage others to quote it (of course, Satan also ignores the context of the verses he quotes). Upon studying the passage Satan quoted to Jesus (Psalm 91:11,12), we learn that angels will come at Jesus’ Second Coming (Satan quoted the passage as though it applied to Christ’s First Coming, but Jesus knew better and was not misled).

How many deceived souls have gone to hell after having trusted Acts 2:38—“repent and be baptized” (Scripture!)—as though it were our plan of salvation today? How many Christians have used the Mosaic Law (Scripture!) to follow the Galatians into apostasy, making naught the grace of God in their lives and causing themselves misery and defeat (Romans 6:14,15; Galatians 2:21; Galatians 3:1-3)? How many church members follow Peter and the other eleven apostles’ teachings (Scripture!), and completely miss that the Apostle Paul’s epistles are written to them as Gentiles (Romans 11:13)?

One cannot simply be Scriptural, for even Satan is “Scriptural;” one must also be dispensational. God has more than one people, one program, and one operating system in His Word. Today’s Scripture says we must understand the divisions God has made in His Word….

A Life That Will Please

Saturday, January 4, 2014

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can live a life pleasing in God’s sight!

Everyone does “good” deeds. Yet, doing “good” is not necessarily good. For instance, people often do “good” just to receive praise/reward, make up for their wrongs, feel good, et cetera. Furthermore, despite our “good” deeds, we have plenty more bad ones! Pride, lying, evil thoughts, being a false witness, and being contentious are some of the things the LORD hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Mankind cannot even keep 10 simple rules from God. However, religion continues to urge us to keep seven sacraments, utter various prayers, give assorted offerings and “tithes,” attend numerous feasts and festivals, and perform sundry other tasks to “hopefully” please God and avoid hellfire. Whether we attempt to keep a church’s laws, our laws, or God’s laws, our flesh is far too weak to ever measure up. Just look at what God’s religion did to Israel—how much worse some man-made religion does to us!

As Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, a religious leader of Israel. He was a nitpicker concerning Law-keeping, and yet, after his soul salvation, he admitted that all of his religion was “but dung” compared to Jesus Christ’s righteousness (Philippians 3:3-11). Even for the Christian, to live a perfect life is impossible (read of Paul’s miserable existence in Romans chapter 7). Paul had to forsake his vain religion and learn today’s Scripture: the Christian life is NOT the performance of the Christian, but the Lord Jesus Christ living and working in the Christian, as the Christian walks in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word to him or her!

If we trust a Saviour who will save—the Lord Jesus Christ—and trust a Book that will teach—the King James Bible—we can redeem the year for the great God and our Saviour, “who loved [us], and gave himself for [us]!”

A Saviour Who Will Save

Thursday, January 2, 2014

“…Jesus Christ of Nazareth… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10,12 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can save man from the everlasting hellfire he deserves!

A frequent objection made against Christianity is that every religion has “good” members, and to ignore them and limit heaven to a few Christians is unfair. This is a defected notion. How does one arrive at a definite conclusion when there is no one standard to gauge everyone’s “goodness?” They are “good” according to whom, according to what standard? Remember, relative morality actually does not help the sinner—he may be a “better” sinner than another, but he is also a “worse” sinner than yet another, and whether “better” or “worse,” he is still a sinner!

The God of the Bible has a simple method for determining righteousness. Today, He sees two types of people—saints and lost people. While both groups were born in sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), “shapen in iniquity [in the womb]” (Psalm 51:5), and “condemned already” (John 3:18), only the saints have come to realize their lost state. Job asked in Job 9:2, “How should a man be just [righteous, acceptable] with God?” Saints have come to the acknowledgement that they needed God’s righteousness, that they had a massive sin debt that they could never satisfy, that their “righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), that they could never possibly make themselves right before a holy God (He is the standard; Romans 3:23). The lost people, however, do not realize they are lost, for they believe their religious works “score points” with God and make up for their sinful deeds (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). They ignore the finished crosswork of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).

Saints have come by faith to Jesus Christ, whose name literally means, “Anointed Saviour” (cf. Psalm 2:2; Matthew 1:21). As the writer of the book of Hebrews said, “[Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (7:25). Literally, no world religion has such a “Saviour” as Jesus Christ!