Category: reproof

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 #9

Monday, January 13, 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!

Many vehemently oppose dispensational Bible study. “Paul is just a man. I go by what Jesus said.” “So, you believe Paul’s epistles alone are inspired of God?” “Dispensational Bible study was invented in the 1800s.” “You only study Paul’s epistles.” How should we answer these objections?

Firstly, the Holy Spirit said Paul’s writings are “the commandments of the Lord.” God the Holy Spirit believed that Paul’s Bible books were “the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37)—Paul’s words are Jesus’ words! Paul’s writings are not inferior to Jesus’ words in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus Himself said, during His earthly ministry, He was not speaking to us Gentiles anyway (Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; Romans 15:8). Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13); Jesus is Israel’s Apostle (Hebrews 3:1).

Secondly, Paul himself wrote, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). We agree with the Holy Spirit here too—every Bible book, not just Paul’s epistles, came from God’s mouth, so we study all of the Bible.

Thirdly, Paul mentioned the term “dispensation” four times (1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25). Dispensational Bible study existed with the Apostle Paul 2,000 years ago. Actually, it was necessary even in Moses’ day (Genesis 9:1-4 and Leviticus chapter 11 could not be followed simultaneously; these two dispensations had to be “rightly divided”). God Himself invented dispensational Bible study.

Following God’s Word to Israel (the non-Pauline books) is not faith—it is doubting what the Holy Spirit through Paul wrote to us. The “words in red” are not the only words of Jesus, for after His ascension, Jesus Christ also spoke to the Apostle Paul (Acts 26:16-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1; Galatians 1:11,12). The same Lord Jesus Christ who spoke to Israel on earth (Four Gospels) also spoke to Paul from heaven to speak to us. Sadly, many ignore what God is doing and saying today and follow what He did and said in the past….

Bible Study 101 #8

Sunday, January 12, 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!

Ephesians 2:11,12 explain that the “Old Testament” Scriptures (Genesis through Malachi), Matthew through John (the Four Gospels), and Acts chapters 1-8 are “time past,” and thus have no direct application to us. Verse 13 says we are in the “but now,” and that distinction between Jew and Gentile is currently rescinded (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon). Ephesians 2:7 speaks of the “ages to come,” the future (discussed primarily in Hebrews through Revelation [for the nation Israel], but also throughout Paul’s epistles [for us, the Church the Body of Christ]).

Thus, we cannot steal Israel’s Old Testament passages and promises and pretend they belong to us. We cannot go into Christ’s earthly ministry and follow His teachings as though He was speaking to us Gentiles (when He said He was speaking to Israel only; Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; cf. Romans 15:8). We cannot grab passages in Hebrews through Revelation and conclude they are talking to or about us, when their contexts indicate they are not. And yet, the professing Church has done just this for the last 2,000 years, and created over 38,000 rival denominations in the process!

In the context of today’s Scripture, Paul writes that false teachers, Hymenaeus and Philetus (verse 17), “concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some” (verse 18). These men were mixing our mystery program with Israel’s prophetic program. They had misled Christians to believe that they had missed the rapture (“the resurrection”) and caused them to believe that they were now living in Israel’s seven-year Tribulation (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14). Even today, many do not “rightly divide the word of truth” (today’s Scripture)—that is, they fail to recognize the distinction between prophecy and mystery—so, they confuse doctrines (here, confusing the timing of the rapture).

Again, we must stop mixing the dispensations in God’s Word if we are to understand God’s Word….

Bible Study 101 #5

Thursday, January 9, 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!

Dispensational Bible study causes us to recognize dispensations, or sets of instructions God dispenses to mankind throughout the Holy Bible (different peoples living in various time periods). God’s nature never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), but His dealings with man do change because man changes. (You can verify this by simply comparing God’s “contradictory” directions about diets in Genesis 1:29-31, Genesis 9:1-4, Leviticus chapter 11, and 1 Timothy 4:3-5.)

Our King James Bible uses the term “dispensation” four times (1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25). The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:1-5: “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation he [Jesus Christ] made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Scripture says that the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ directly revealed and committed to the Apostle Paul a special body of information to give to us Gentiles (non-Jews): Scripture calls that body of truth “the Dispensation of the Grace of God.” We learn this doctrine only in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Hence, even the Apostle Peter, near the end of his life, acknowledged that he did not understand everything Paul wrote (2 Peter 3:15,16).

Most of the Church the Body of Christ today is doctrinally unsound and spiritually weak because it often neglects the Bible books—Paul’s epistles—written to and about it. Undoubtedly, the professing Church is largely ignorant of God’s will for it because it largely ignores the books of the Bible that explain God’s will for it….

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….

Bible Study 101 #1

Sunday, January 5, 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!

Every church member reads the Bible to some extent. From the cults to the mainline denominations, a “Bible of some sort” is used. Strangely, however, this one Book is used by over 38,000 denominations to teach some or much of what they believe (and all those groups teach different doctrines!). How can we avoid this, the Bible ignorance that has so gripped Christendom, the spiritual destruction (heresies, apostasy, et cetera) that befalls so many professing believers within Christian assemblies?

The “Christian” bookstore—a spiritually-dangerous place!—offers a wide range of allegedly “helpful” Bible study tools. Bible commentaries, lexicons, “easy-to-read” “scholarly” modern Bible versions, interlinears, study guides, and workbooks are just some of the products the Bible student is urged to buy if Bible comprehension is being sought. However, when we go beyond the expensive and extensive advertising campaigns, and evaluate the text of those items, very rarely do their authors and translators speak on God’s behalf. After nearly 20 centuries of increasing doctrinal error, we should not expect to find many sound Bible study tools anyway.

Due to frequent personal communication with graduates of seminaries and Bible colleges, I can assure you that they rarely and consistently take a stand on Bible infallibility (inerrancy), and they usually deny Bible preservation (its text’s pure transmission through history). They claim to be Bible believers, but I have personally witnessed how they argued against Bible verses. How sad it is that many lead churches and Bible study groups!

Scripture is very clear when it says, “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33), so the Bible confusion that exists today is man’s fault, not God’s. Beloved, if we want to use God’s Word and understand it, we are going to have to follow His directions. Today’s Scripture tells us how God wants His Word to be studied, so we will now examine what God has to say about Bible study….

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]!”

Redeem the Year!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).

What great advice for 2014!

Despite 2,000 years of Bible schools and seminaries, 2,000 years of a completed Bible canon, 2,000 years of Bible reading in churches, several decades of “Christian” television and radio, and just over a decade of widespread use of “Christian” websites, how sad that Bible ignorance is still quite extensive (it is as if God never gave His Word to start with!).

Frankly, the Church the Body of Christ needs to wake up! The verse previous to today’s Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (verse 14). Paul, loosely quoting Isaiah 60:1, reminded us that the spiritual ignorance that gripped Israel in Isaiah’s day seized Christians in his day—and it still grips Christians 20 centuries later. Feel-good sermons, enjoyable “worship” services, and rites, rituals, and ceremonies will NOT solve this problem—they exacerbate it!

“[God] will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:4a). Do you want this New Year to count for God’s glory? First, you need to get saved from sins and hell! You need to become a Christian by trusting in and relying on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). That is only part of God’s will for you, for 1 Timothy 2:4b continues, “[God] will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Now, God’s will for your Christian life is daily, personal Bible study to renew your mind, so your faith in those verses can cause God to work in your life—it will be His life, thus making you “perfect [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Today’s Scripture urges us to buy back the time Satan has robbed from God (time created for God’s glory). By faith, we need to make that time glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by applying His Word, particularly Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, to our lives.

You can download our free “One-Year Bible Reading Schedule.”