Category: bibliology / study of the Bible itself

I Have Finished the Work! #4

Monday, March 13, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

Doubtless, today’s Scripture summarizes the best human life ever lived: it was the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There was never any sin, and never any chance of sin. What Father God had sent Him to do, He did it without fail and without hesitation (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 12:18; John 8:29).

Firstly, He faithfully gave His Father’s words to a believing remnant in Israel, manifesting all that the Father is and does (see John 17:6,8,14,26). By the time of today’s Scripture, that work was finished. He had one final task to accomplish. Secondly, on Calvary’s cross, He faithfully gave up His life: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30). That too was now completed, and note well Hebrews 10:4-14, recalling this as the fulfillment of Psalm 40:6-8.

Re-read today’s Scripture: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” When this earthly life is over, could we honestly say those words with our Lord? Did we glorify Father God on the Earth? Did we finish His work which He gave us to do? Were we walking by faith in His words to us, the Pauline epistles of Romans through Philemon? Of course, for us, it would not be 100% as it was for Christ. For a great many of us, we could say nothing more than, “I glorified thee on the earth a little here, and a little there, but it was not much.” Maybe it would be 50%, or even as low as 1%! We let religious tradition and philosophy interfere with our spiritual growth, we refused personal Bible study, and we allowed sin to master us.

In order to maximize that percentage, we need to pay attention to certain Scriptures and apply them to life by faith in the heart while we still have time to make things right….

I Have Finished the Work! #3

Sunday, March 12, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

In his farewell epistle, the Apostle Peter wrote to Israel’s believing remnant: “[12] Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. [13] Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle [physical body], to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; [14] Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. [15] Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance” (2 Peter chapter 1). Peter knew he was soon to leave this life, but the Holy Spirit would not let him depart until he penned this second and final Bible Book that bears his name. He still had something to teach these saints (and he did it throughout these three chapters)!

The Apostle Paul, penning his farewell epistle to the Church the Body of Christ, remarked: “[6] For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. [7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy chapter 4). Paul was aware that his parting was near, yet the Holy Spirit would continue to use him to complete the Bible with this last Book, and then he could move on.

Both Peter and Paul left this world only when they had written their last words and preached their final sermons. They had brought saints to a place of doctrinal maturity, as the Lord Jesus Christ had taught them (these Apostles), so they trained others. We can learn much from this….

I Have Finished the Work! #2

Saturday, March 11, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

For three years, Christ Jesus was the Spokesman for the triune Godhead (Trinity). During that time, He manifested the life and words of Father God to the nation Israel, especially the Little Flock (believing remnant): “[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. [8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John chapter 14).

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:16,17). “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28,29).

At the head of that Little Flock were the 12 Apostles, whom Christ had trained in His Father’s words (check John 17:6,8,14,26 and notice verse 12). Now, those men in their own ministry were to teach the same words to others….

I Have Finished the Work! #1

Friday, March 10, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

The true “Lord’s Prayer” is not in Matthew chapter 6 or Luke chapter 11, but John chapter 17. Here, in the Gospel Record of John alone, we are afforded the privilege of peering into the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ—what He is thinking and feeling as He now talks to Father God in the hours leading up to Calvary’s cruel cross. He is reflecting on the last three years… and what is in store in the future based on that finished work.

When we reach the close of this earthly sojourn, will we be able to honestly say to Father God, “I have glorified thee on the earth?” Would we in our lifetimes have said and shown all we could have stated and displayed about Him, what He values and what He works? The perfect Son of God did just that, and He explains it as, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” To “glorify” God on the Earth is to complete the work that He gave us to do.

Continue reading in John chapter 17: “[6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word…. [8] For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me…. [14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world…. [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

The above verses prove Christ’s ministry was finished in that He had delivered to His disciples all the words intended for them….

333’s 4300th – We Want More Light!

Thursday, March 9, 2023

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him” (Acts 8:29-31 KJV).

Dear friends and saints, we have reached devotional #4300 today!

Indeed, we do not have all the answers. If we did, we would be God. However, the Bible has all the answers we need—not all we want, but all we need. The Holy Spirit could have given us a record of everything in minute detail—all that God thinks and does and all that man thinks and does—but the Bible would not be mobile. We would never reach the end, and would never be able to read everything in it. In this world of darkness, what God has revealed to us is usually ignored anyway.

Long ago, I often came across the television program of a certain preacher. His theology was greatly perverted—he actually seemed to be an unsaved man—but even liars tell an occasional truth. He said how it always pleased God when we opened our Bible and read it. I disagreed with 99.9% of his statements, but he was right about that. Furthermore, if we are receptive to the spiritual light that we have, the Holy Spirit will provide more light.

The Ethiopian eunuch of today’s Scripture was reading his copy of Isaiah, but could not make sense of it. Nevertheless, since he was a sincere seeker of the truth, the Holy Spirit sent the Evangelist Philip to teach him about Jesus Christ (read verses 26-39). In chapter 10, Cornelius was another lost man, but he was walking in the light that he had, so the Holy Spirit sent the Apostle Peter to teach him about Jesus Christ (verses 1-48). The God of the Bible sent the Apostle Paul to teach us Gentiles about Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16-18; Romans 11:13; Ephesians 3:1-11). We with open hearts (hopefully!) are still learning to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). By God’s grace, we have done this now for 4,300 days—so let us keep on keeping on!

Onward to devotional #4400! 🙂

Dearth!

Monday, February 20, 2023

“And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread” (Genesis 41:53,54 KJV).

What is a “dearth?”

Upon encountering an archaic or unfamiliar term in our King James Bible, we have three options to overcoming the obstacle. Firstly, we can throw up our hands, shedding tears and shouting, “Poor translation!,” and proceed in our arrogance to correct the text because we presume we know more about the English language than our English Bible does. This is quite tempting, for it is extremely easy to do (and, thus, done repeatedly). Secondly, we can use a dictionary to learn a new vocabulary word and its meaning. This is a little more difficult, for it requires effort to flip pages. Lastly, we can scan the surrounding Bible words or verses for “context clues.” This is the most challenging, as the Scriptures become the final authority (and our flesh will not submit without a bitter protest!).

“Dearth” is definitely not in our everyday speech, but its strangeness should not discourage us. Seven years of “dearth” are contrasted with seven years of “plenteousness” (today’s Scripture). You do know what “plenty” means, yes? “Dearth” is just the opposite. Whereas there was abundant food (“bread” being generic), there is now a scarcity of food—a famine. “Dear” is an obsolete English word meaning “difficult to obtain,” and the “–th” suffix added to the end suggests “a quality or condition.” We have therefore broadened our understanding: “dearth” (rhymes with “birth”) indicates “the state of food shortage.”

If you back up even further in Genesis chapter 41, you will see seven years of “great plenty” are to be followed by seven years of “famine” (verses 29-31). Having confirmed our deduction as being sound, we now have a key to interpreting related verses—2 Kings 4:38, 2 Chronicles 6:28, Nehemiah 5:3, Jeremiah 14:1, Acts 7:11 (Stephen quoting Genesis above), and Acts 11:28. Indeed, what a rewarding course we have taken by using the Bible’s built-in dictionary we have been given.

A Book That Will Teach

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

“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 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone we can trust to teach us God’s truth!

Once, I heard a minister give his self-proclaimed “prophetic” message about top headlines that would appear in the coming year. While he reassured his audience that he received this information directly from “the Lord” (?), he gave a disclaimer: “I do not know, but at the end of this year, we will see if what I say came to pass.” Unlike the inner impressions and hunches of this “Christian” preacher, the Holy Bible is infallible, and we can trust its information completely.

Long, long ago, God Almighty wrote a Book, and He preserved it through history through a multiplicity of manuscript copies, so that it could eventually be translated into English, so we could read it even today! (Of course, Satan, the master counterfeiter that he is, most certainly had his own manuscripts—they still circulate today as corrupt Bible translations.) God promised to preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6,7; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). Consequently, every person will stand before Him one day to give account as to what he or she did with that Bible. Did we reject it in favor of counterfeits? Did we re-translate it to fit our denominational beliefs? Did we apply it to life by faith? Did we even read it at all?

As English-speaking people, we understand—or, at least, we should understand—that we can trust the 400-year-old King James Bible. Sadly, even in many church circles, we are often cautioned not to trust God’s preserved Word. Unfortunately, footnotes, study notes, and seminarians usually attempt to claim that authority by offering “better” readings or “better” manuscripts. Beloved, we can do without unbelieving textual critics and their “scholarship.” God does not need lost people to explain His Word to His children; He never did and He never will (1 Corinthians 2:14). Never forget that!

The Holy Spirit will teach us the King James Bible if we “read” (Ephesians 3:4), “study” (2 Timothy 2:15), and “consider” it (2 Timothy 2:7)!

For What Saith the Scriptures?

Thursday, December 15, 2022

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3 KJV).

Today, our Bible Q&A website, “For What Saith the Scriptures?,” celebrates its ninth anniversary!

A question rarely asked in Christian circles, “What saith the scripture?” is found twice in the Bible—today’s Scripture, and Galatians 4:30, “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

God’s will for our lives is summed up in 1 Timothy 2:4, “[God our Saviour] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” There are two issues here—soul salvation from sins and everlasting hellfire, and soul salvation from false teaching unto sound Bible doctrine. Firstly, God wants everyone to become Christians by trusting in and relying exclusively on His Son Jesus Christ and His finished crosswork at Calvary as sufficient payment for their sins. Secondly, God wants Christians to trust in and rely on the grace doctrines found in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

Amazingly, both occurrences of “What saith the scripture?” have a special application to us—each instance correlates to one of the issues in 1 Timothy 2:4! The question “What saith the scripture?” in today’s Scripture uses the Bible to answer the question of soul salvation from sins and everlasting hellfire (faith instead of works, “all men to be saved;” 1 Timothy 2:4). The question “What saith the scripture?” in Galatians 4:30 uses the Bible to answer the question of soul salvation from false teaching unto sound Bible doctrine (grace instead of legalism, “come unto the knowledge of the truth;” 1 Timothy 2:4).

For these past nine years, we desired you to have a clear understanding of how to have forgiveness of sins and justification unto eternal life, and for you to have a clear understanding of what God’s Word has to say about issues in your Christian life. We were honored to serve you in this additional capacity; thank you for the prayer and support this past year. As always, we welcome your Bible questions, and hope to serve you in that way for years to come! 🙂

NOTE: As special-edition Q&A article #1000 is still in development, “For What Saith the Scriptures?” is not being updated at the moment. However, remember, we still have 999 other Bible study articles archived at https://forwhatsaiththescriptures.org.

 

The King and the Copy

Sunday, November 27, 2022

“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:18-20 KJV).

Behold, Israel’s King and God’s Word!

Sin, unfortunately, causes people to have an extremely negative view of government. Whenever individuals oversee others’ affairs, there will always be the high risk (and presence) of abuse of power—leaders taking advantage of or not seeking the wellbeing of those under them, governmental officials allowing evildoers to go unpunished, and the like. God took great care in minimizing that possibility in today’s Scripture.

Centuries prior to their demand for a king (see 1 Samuel 8:1-9), the LORD in today’s Scripture foresaw the day when Israel would have a monarch. The LORD God could not be clearer through Moses’ parting instructions. Once a new king came into power, that king was to “write… a copy of this law in a book.” That is, whatever Bible had been written up to that point, the king was required to have a copy of it himself so he could study it. Whereas the Levitical priests kept the original manuscripts in the Ark of the Covenant, the king was to have a copy of these sacred texts and he was to read and study that copy of the Bible his entire life. “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life.” As long as that king valued God’s words, God’s blessing would be upon his kingdom.

“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just [fair, righteous], ruling in the fear of God” (King David in 2 Samuel 23:3).

NOTE: In case you have not noticed, concerning our New Testament Survey Project, we are now studying Acts verse-by-verse. The introduction to Acts video can be watched by clicking here. Stay tuned for additional studies!

How to Have Faith

Friday, October 28, 2022

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 KJV).

Dear friend, do you suffer from a lack of faith? Today’s Scripture is the remedy!

Remarking on the dire spiritual conditions he observed 55 years ago, a preacher penned: “One reason so many church people have so little faith today is because they hear so little Gospel—and the average church member rarely—if ever—takes time to study the Bible. What church folk know about the Bible today is what they hear from the pulpit in Sunday services and at an occasional Wednesday night prayermeeting.” If that gloomy description was applicable five decades back, how much more at this present hour?

In the context of today’s Scripture (read the entire chapter), the Apostle Paul is commenting on how national Israel has remained in unbelief throughout the Acts period (he is likely writing during Acts chapter 20). Whether it was the Apostle Peter preaching during the opening chapters of Acts (prophecy), or the Apostle Paul during the latter chapters (mystery), most Jewish people were content with their works-religion. Paul’s argument in Romans chapter 10 is that they have had numerous opportunities to hear the Word of God, and yet remain in unbelief and adamantly refuse to trust the Lord Jesus Christ! They have heard the Word, but they have not believed what they have heard. In other words, they are without excuse.

Today’s people are usually not so fortunate. When they go to church, they hear the traditions of men (which will not lead to faith). They hear philosophy and vain deceit (which will not lead to faith). They hear the rudiments or basic principles of this world (which will not lead to faith). They hear non-rightly-divided Scripture (which will not lead to faith). Colossians 2:8 has been ignored, so they are not “[following] after Christ!” No wonder they are apostate (departed from the truth), disappointed, weak, confused, and spiritually ruined!

Beloved, unless we take the Holy Bible (King James in English!) in our own hands and read it rightly divided for ourselves (2 Timothy 2:15), and (above all) believe it in our heart, our spiritual understanding will be limited and we will be easily deceived (Ephesians 4:14). Here is how we have faith!