Category: spiritual immaturity

Bible Study 102 #13

Tuesday, March 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 understand the Bible!

Beginning in Acts chapter 9 with our Apostle Paul’s salvation unto eternal life, but also throughout his ministry, the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ directly revealed Himself to him (Acts 26:12-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1; Galatians 1:11,12; Ephesians 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:10,11)—Christ’s heavenly ministry. The Holy Spirit, through our reading and studying of Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, reveals those Pauline (grace) doctrines to us, enabling us to understand them (Ephesians 1:17,18; Ephesians 3:4,5).

According to God the Holy Ghost, the test for true spirituality today is Pauline doctrine: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37). If someone is speaking on God’s behalf (called a “prophet” in Bible days) and/or if someone is “spiritual” (led by the Holy Spirit), then he or she will magnify the Lord Jesus Christ’s heavenly ministry, Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Those who emphasize Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew through John), Hebrews through Revelation, Genesis through Malachi, or even early Acts, as doctrine that we should follow and apply today, the Bible says they are not led by God’s Holy Spirit and they are not speaking on God’s behalf! (Just as Jews who rejected Moses’ writings were not led by God’s Spirit or speaking for God.)

Beloved, any church, any minister, any seminary, or any literature or media that does not instruct you to follow God’s grace doctrines as found in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, the Bible says “avoid them” (Romans 16:17,18) and “from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5)—God says avoid 99.9999 percent of so-called “Christianity!!!” Regardless of their sincerity or appeal, God the Holy Spirit insisted through Paul and Peter that we are not to hinder or destroy our spiritual growth with non-dispensational Bible doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:3,4; Colossians 2:4,8; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; 2 Peter 3:15,16). We need not do Satan’s work for him….

Bible Study 102 #11

Sunday, March 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 understand the Bible!

Scripture clearly states, “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33), yet look at the professing Body of Christ. It is just as confused and misinformed about the Bible’s teachings as the people who do not even use the Bible! This Bible confusion is not God’s fault—Christendom has utterly failed to appreciate the dispensational layout of Scripture as God instructed.

One of my Christian friends and ministry co-workers was born and raised in a false religious system. For the first 30-plus years of his earthly life, he was never told the truth, that his religious performance could never merit God’s favor. Once he came to trust Jesus Christ alone as his personal Saviour, he spent the first 40 years of his Christian life never fully understanding his Bible. As a deacon and a Bible teacher in a local Bible church, religious tradition was still robbing him of God’s truth as it had when he was lost! (This is true of many Christians today!)

Years ago, I was privileged to teach him dispensational Bible study. Today, he still reminds me, “All those years I did not understand the Bible, all those passages that puzzled me and yet I had no answers to all those questions! The Bible makes so much sense now!” This dear brother in Christ is no longer “taken captive by [the devil] at his will” (2 Timothy 2:26): God had given him “repentance [change of mind] to the acknowledging of the truth,” and he “recovered [himself] out of the snare of the devil” (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4b). Now, he knows what God is doing (described in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon), he knows and enjoys his Bible like never before, and he can enjoy the eternal life that God gave him over 40 years ago, the life religion never told him about!

Indeed, dispensational Bible study is crucial, for it can salvage the lives of Christians….

Bible Study 102 #9

Friday, March 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 understand the Bible!

When Paul outlined how “we are labourers together with God,” how “the grace of God which is given unto [him] as a wise masterbuilder [architect],” how he has laid the foundation “Jesus Christ [that is, “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery;” Romans 16:25],” he cautioned, “But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). The admonition is clear: we do not usurp Israel’s program and attempt to build what God has built and will build with Israel.

Verses 12-15 elaborate: “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

If our Christian service is to be acceptable to God, if the doctrine we believe is to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we must have “gold, silver, precious stones” (symbolic of spiritual wisdom, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual understanding; Proverbs 3:14,15; Proverbs 8:11; Proverbs 16:16). The Corinthians were building human viewpoint (philosophy) into their Christian lives, so Paul warned them (quoted in the above paragraph) not to ignore the blueprints (his epistles), not to construct with worthless “wood, hay, stubble!”

Beloved, unless we are following the doctrine Jesus Christ committed unto the Apostle Paul, we are using worthless building materials, and God is sure to reject, not us—we are saved and secure in Christ (Ephesians 4:30; 2 Timothy 1:12)—but our Christian service. In order to reign with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places one day, we need to learn His doctrine to us now….

Bible Study 102 #8

Thursday, March 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 understand the Bible!

When Scripture says we Christians are “workmen” (today’s Scripture), Ephesians 2:10 (“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”) and 1 Corinthians 3:9 (“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building”) explain that God has saved us unto eternal life so we could join Him in accomplishing His will (which we could not do when we were lost, headed for eternal hellfire, participants in Satan’s policy of evil).

Recall that God has a two-fold will: save all people from their sins and Satan, and then save all Christians from all false doctrine (1 Timothy 2:4). Satan has a two-fold will that counters God’s: hide the Gospel of Grace from all people, and hide sound Pauline (grace) doctrine from all Christians. Religious tradition—a non-dispensational approach the Scripture—furthers Satan’s policy of evil, for it keeps lost people lost, and it keeps Christians ignorant of God’s will, His Word to them.

Satan, “the god of this world,” “hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,” by causing lost people to ignore Paul’s Gospel and trust in their own religious performance to gain a right standing before God (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). Moreover, Satan misleads Christians to introduce into their lives everything but God’s grace to them in Christ—the wrong “Jesus” (His earthly ministry in Matthew through John, rather than His heavenly ministry as revealed through Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon), the wrong “spirit” (law rather than grace, Romans 6:14 cf. Romans 8:15), and the wrong “gospel” (Israel’s kingdom gospel rather the Gospel of Grace of 1 Corinthians 15:3,4) (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).

We Christians are “workmen” when we “study… rightly dividing the word of truth,” and our faith in those verses causes the Holy Spirit to bring them to life in our lives, thus aligning us with God’s will for us….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?“

Bible Study 102 #5

Monday, March 10, 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 understand the Bible!

God’s will is not simply that we “read and study Scripture” (Satan does that too, Matthew 4:5,6!), but that we “rightly divide” it. God’s will is not simply that we “believe the Gospel” (most Gospels in Scripture are not given to us), but that we believe the Gospel of Grace revealed to us through Paul’s ministry. God’s will is not simply that we “believe Bible doctrine” (there are many truths in Scripture not true about us), but that we believe Bible doctrine that He revealed to us through Paul. God’s will is not simply that we “follow Jesus,” but that we follow the Apostle Paul as he followed Christ.

Religious tradition—that is, a non-dispensational approach to Scripture—makes the Christian life confusing, frustrating, and futile. For years, yea decades, many souls who have trusted Jesus Christ alone as their personal Saviour never have peace about why the Bible instructs something in one passage and says something completely opposite in another. (Where are the pastors and teachers to guide them into God’s truth [Ephesians 4:11,12]? As Colossians 2:8 says, religious tradition has robbed nearly all of them, too!)

We can understand and enjoy the Bible if we simply remember today’s Scripture when studying any Bible passage. God has made distinctions in His Word. We should not blend all Bible passages together—there are programs to be “rightly divided,” apostleships to be “rightly divided,” operating systems to be “rightly divided,” time periods to be “rightly divided,” gospels to be “rightly divided,” and they make perfect sense when we keep them separate as God instructs. What is spoken to Israel is spoken to Israel, not to us. What is spoken to us through Paul is spoken to us, not to Israel.

Dispensational Bible study is the only method of Bible study that will ever lead you to sound conclusions about Scripture. It allows us to find out what God is doing today, and by faith, we can join Him in doing the same….

Bible Study 102 #3

Saturday, March 8, 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 understand the Bible!

Many professing Christians spend their whole earthly lives struggling to discern God’s will. They observe their circumstances and attempt to “read between the lines and discern road signs,” they listen for instruction from “still, small voices” in their heads, they ask preachers and teachers (who rarely understand God’s will themselves), they purchase “Christian” literature and “easy-to-read” modern “bible” versions, they attend retreats and Bible conferences, they pray, and it is truly unfortunate that, despite all the effort, they often leave this life without ever getting a solid grasp of God’s Word to them. Most tragically, many not only die without understanding the Bible, but they even die in their trespasses and sins, having never realized they could have had those sins forgiven in and through Jesus Christ!

God’s will for each and every person is clearly delineated in 1 Timothy 2:4: “[God our Saviour; verse 3] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” There are two specific phrases to note: “Who will have all men to be saved” and “Who will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (Remember, “men” is a generic term that includes all people—man, woman, boy, and girl.)

Firstly, God wants all people to be saved from their sins and eternal hellfire. The Apostle Peter elaborated on the Apostle Paul’s words: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Secondly, God wants all Christians to be saved from false teaching. “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).

Let us now briefly examine the first aspect of God’s two-fold plan for man….

Bible Study 102 #1

Thursday, March 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 understand the Bible!

You can only enjoy what you understand. If you do not understand something, then it becomes burdensome and you tend to avoid it. This describes the attitude many have toward the Bible, lost and saved alike. While most professing Christians usually know that the Bible is an important Book, they often really do not know what to do with it, so they usually do not expose themselves to its contents unless at church when a preacher or priest “explains” (read that, complicates) it for them. Even then, familiar Bible passages are read over and over and over, and then the Bible becomes boring and even despised.

The goal of dispensational Bible study is to make the Bible understandable—it is the way to understand and enjoy the Bible. When considered dispensationally, the Bible literally becomes an open Book. Its “contradictory” verses are no longer bothersome because it is understood that these opposing verses are written to different peoples living in different time periods under different circumstances. However, if somebody discourages you from dispensational Bible study (and many denominations and churches do in order to keep you coming, giving, and supporting their program!), then they are taking from you the key God gave you to understand His Word! It is that serious, dear friend.

While many theologians and preachers never even partially grasp its meaning, today’s Scripture is very simple. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Of course, you have to have a King James Bible for it to read in this manner, for modern English “bible” translators demonstrate they have no regard for the dispensational layout of Scripture, and by retranslating the verse (which you will then read and believe), they encourage you to join them in their unbelieving scholarship.

Let us proceed to advanced right division….

God’s Family #1

Saturday, February 1, 2014

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19 KJV).

How enjoyable it is to fellowship with other members of God’s family!

Recently, I met an out-of-state individual who was distributing Gospel tracts on my university’s campus. Although we had never met before, and there was a considerable age difference between us, this Christian brother and I had such wonderful fellowship around the King James Bible rightly divided. It was very edifying for both of us, so I was sorely disappointed that I could not stay longer. Beloved, this is exactly how Christian fellowship should be, since the same Holy Spirit indwells us both.

The Bible says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). As in any family, we should be especially kind to and caring for fellow saints (our spiritual siblings). Unfortunately, as in any family, there is petty bickering, immaturity, sibling rivalry, and even more serious issues in the Body of Christ, so this fellowship can be greatly hindered or even impossible.

In the context of today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul is reminding us that, when God was dealing with the nation Israel, we Gentiles were “without Christ… without God in the world” (verses 11,12). As lost people headed for eternal hellfire, we were “of [our] father the devil” (John 8:44), we “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and we were under “the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13).

That all changed when the Dispensation of Grace began and when we realized our lost estate. We decided to trust exclusively in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins. The day we were saved unto eternal life, God became our Father (Galatians 3:26), and other people who had trusted Christ prior, whether living or deceased, became our spiritual brothers and sisters (today’s Scripture; cf. Ephesians 3:15).

Saints, let us remember to get to know each other now, because we, as God’s family, are living together, both now and forever….

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….