Category: King James Bible Authority

An Eternal Word, To Be Preached Forever

Sunday, March 19, 2017

“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; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1,2 KJV).

In light of the abounding error (3:13), and considering the Scriptures can equip Christians to do God’s will (3:14-17), we are to never cease “preach[ing] [that] word!”

Two older friends of mine, a pastor and his wife, are celebrating their 30th year of ministry. I sent them a brief note voicing my appreciation of their faithfulness to upholding God’s Word rightly divided. The lady wrote back that they were thankful to Father God that younger men such as I would continue the work of the ministry once they graduated to Heaven. (Amen!)

No matter the point in human history, God has always had a testimony on Earth. Whether Noah, Elijah, or John the Baptist—all conducting ministries when so precious few believers were around—someone, somewhere, has always been preaching Almighty God’s Holy Word. They did not have a completed, written Bible, but they were faithful in sharing what divine revelation they had. How much more (!) should we—who do have a completed Bible—be faithful in declaring its truths to this lost and dying world?

Today’s Scripture makes an assumption. By commanding Timothy to “preach the word,” he would have to have the “Word” in the first place! As someone said, “There are many Bible agnostics today.” This is especially true of people in the ministry. They often do not believe they have a perfect Bible, just a “mere translation of flawed manuscripts.” While they in secret tell you that you do not have the Apostles’ original Bible in any language or version today, they publicly declare, “I believe, love, and defend the Bible.” As they privately discourage belief in Scripture, they preach from the pulpit, “The Bible is our final authority.” What foolishness!

Beloved, let us preach the “Word,” for we have the “Word” (King James Bible). Just as God’s words will last forever (Matthew 24:35), those words will always have a testimony in a human somewhere. If not us, God will have someone else do it! 🙂

Resolute to Speak in Christ!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17 KJV).

Despite all the corrupters, we will keep God’s Word pure!

I periodically receive emails from discouraged grace believers, people “beaten up” by denominationalists. Whether in-person or on social media, they have encountered much opposition. (I know!) Individuals constantly attack the King James Bible as “faulty” and “a mere translation.” Jesus Christ’s crosswork means nothing to them because their religious works mean everything to them. There is much anti-grace rhetoric (legalism). Individuals viciously ridicule the Apostle Paul. Dispensational Bible study is questioned and denigrated as “nutty” and “cultic.”

This should neither surprise nor discourage us. Whether today, or throughout Bible history, very few follow Father God. Never forget, my dear brethren, Noah preached for 120 years, and all he converted was seven precious souls (2 Peter 2:5)! Untold millions mocked and refused to hear him, thus perishing in the Great Deluge. Pride kept them from entering that Ark, eternally damning them. Even today, pride keeps billions of lost people from being saved by trusting Christ as personal Saviour (1 Timothy 2:4). Moreover, pride prevents millions of Christians from “coming to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Some 2,000 years ago, people were “wresting” (perverting) the Scriptures—especially Paul’s epistles—to their spiritual destruction (2 Peter 3:15,16). When we learn of so many people today vilifying Jesus Christ, the King James Bible, Paul, and dispensational Bible study, we recall today’s Scripture: “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

A disheartened grace believer recently wrote to me concerning the hostility: “After it’s done beating me up a bit I tend to try to redouble my resolve to know the word of grace.” In other words, the opposition motivates him to endeavor to learn about God’s grace even more! (It took me years to gain that same attitude, but I agree 1000 percent!!) The more they question God’s truth; the more we reinforce it in our minds, over and over and over again. Daily, constantly, eternally! 🙂

Sifted Saints #5

Monday, March 13, 2017

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32 KJV).

What is Satan’s goal here?

In his final meeting with the Ephesian church elders, Paul through the Holy Spirit issued a grave warning in Acts chapter 20: “[28] Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. [29] For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. [30] Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. [31] Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. [32] And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”

Notice how Satan “sifts” members of the Body of Christ by having them overlook “the word of [God’s] grace” (verse 32). Thus they follow the Law, available in many forms—that is, 38,000 denominations! Splinter group after splinter group develops, until the distinction is no longer “Christian versus non-Christian,” but increasingly “this denomination versus that denomination.” So many precious Christian souls are entangled in such confusion and division!

As Satan attempted to “divide and conquer” the Little Flock, Israel’s believing remnant, so he uses a similar strategy with us the Church the Body of Christ today. Remember, he attacked the Little Flock by focusing on its chief Apostle (that is, Peter). With Peter discredited, the Little Flock would collapse. Likewise, we see Satan attacking the Church the Body of Christ by concentrating on its leading Apostle (namely, Paul). There are “doctrines of devils” today aimed at questioning Paul’s grace doctrines, Romans through Philemon (1 Timothy 4:1-16)—people using the Bible but not “rightly dividing” it (2 Timothy 2:15). With the Bible not rightly divided, the Christians are divided and conquered!

Sifted Saints #4

Sunday, March 12, 2017

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32 KJV).

What is Satan’s goal here?

“Simon, Simon” underscores the seriousness in Jesus’ voice. After delivering to Peter the grim news about Satan wanting to split up the Little Flock—mainly by attacking its leadership, the 12 Apostles—the Lord comforts His chief Apostle. Not many people notice, but the Lord, in today’s Scripture, revealed that He had prayed specifically for Peter ahead of the impending ordeals. “But I have prayed for thee….” (We do not read the actual prayer, although it preceded today’s Scripture.) Jesus prayed for Peter (remember, “thee,” singular), rather than the whole group (“you,” plural, as in modern versions).

“[T]hat thy faith fail not….” We are not to suppose that Peter’s faith will be unwavering (because, as we know, it was not). The implication is that he will fall; hence, his “converting,” or turning around, will be necessary. However, because of Jesus’ prayer, Peter’s denial of God’s only begotten Son will not be continuous. “[A]nd when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” We know that, after he denied Christ, Peter went out and “wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62; cf. Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72). Although not recorded in the Bible, we can assume that Peter was “converted” (moved from denier to embracer) sometime after.

When Peter would be turned around, re-oriented toward the right way, Jesus told him to strengthen his brethren. Those brethren would be vulnerable to Satan’s further assaults, but with Peter, their leader, now restored in faith, they would be also rescued from additional spiritual harm. Peter could encourage them to remain having faith in Christ. In fact, he will go on to declare to them the news of the resurrected Christ (Luke 24:34)! As a powerful, Holy-Spirit-filled Apostle, he will go on to lead the 11 Apostles of Jesus Christ into the Book of Acts. Except Judas, none of the Apostles were permanently lost to Satan. In short, the Lord Jesus’ prayer was effectual!

The Devil, however, still employs “divide and conquer” to hinder believers in Christ today….

Sifted Saints #3

Saturday, March 11, 2017

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32 KJV).

What is Satan’s goal here?

It is the night of the Lord Jesus’ arrest; He has less than 24 hours left to live. In today’s Scripture, He issues some very solemn statements to His 12 Apostles. As He speaks, He bears in mind that Satan’s schemes against Him are already coming together in other parts of Jerusalem. There is worse news to come, but He does not tell His disciples yet.

According to the succeeding verses, Jesus and His Apostles will finish eating. Suddenly, and mysteriously, Judas will leave the meal. (The 11 Apostles will assume he is going out to purchase items for the feast, or to give something to the poor—John 13:21-30.) Jesus and His disciples, singing a hymn, will go out to the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39; cf. Matthew 26:30). They will see Judas return, leading a mob, coming to the Garden of Gethsemane to take Jesus into custody (Luke 22:47-53). In other words, this is how the 11 Apostles will learn that Judas is the traitor. As Jesus is arrested, the Bible says that all of His followers will flee in fear: “Then all his disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).

During the Lord’s trial, Peter, hiding afar in the shadows, will publicly deny knowing Christ not once, not twice, but THREE times (Luke 22:53-62; cf. Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; John 18:15-18). Peter was the leader of the 12 Apostles (see Matthew 16:19), and often their spokesman. Now, he will gravely stumble. With one Apostle (Judas) the traitor, and another Apostle (Peter) now the denier, the remaining 10 Apostles will be severely tested to cave in as well. Potentially, all of them, being fallible humans, can permanently forsake Christ Jesus. This is a very real possibility that the Lord Jesus foresees in today’s Scripture, well in advance. His Apostles will, not surprisingly, be unfaithful. However, He reminds them that He has been loyal to them, and that, consequently, Satan will not conquer or destroy them….

Sifted Saints #2

Friday, March 10, 2017

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31,32 KJV).

What is Satan’s goal here?

Friends, Satan (Hebrew, “Adversary”) is very strategic in his endeavors. Yea, he is much more intelligent than most of us give him credit for; he employs whatever underhanded means he can to accomplish his end. The Lord Jesus explains to us in today’s Scripture that Satan has “desired”—begged intensely—to “sift” these Messianic Jews. We can see the Devil employing here the age-old military strategy “divide and conquer.”

But, before we proceed any further, we will take time to acknowledge the superiority of the King James Bible to modern English versions. Notice the second-person pronouns found in today’s Scripture. While many have been conditioned to complain about the Authorized Version’s usage of “thee,” “thou,” and “ye,” they have not been trained in the original Bible languages to know enough about the issue to comment.

Today’s Scripture again: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Please notice that, while Jesus is clearly speaking to Simon Peter, he is speaking about more than Peter. The word “you” in older English is plural (a group); the word “thee/thou/thy” is singular. As with biblical Hebrew or biblical Greek, older English distinguishes between second-person singular (one person) and second-person plural (two or more). Contemporary English, however, does not—it simply uses “you” in both cases. Thus, modern English versions obscure the King James distinction in today’s Scripture.

Mindful of the above facts, now we see Satan wants to “sift as wheat” not simply Peter—as modern English versions teach—but rather the group of Jewish believers in Jesus Christ. Scripture already chose wheat as symbolic of Messianic Jews in Israel (Matthew chapter 13, verses 24-43, for example). In addition to what has already come before today’s Scripture, Satan will see to it that Jesus’ Apostles are further separated….

Understanding to the Simple

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130 KJV).

God’s words give light; they give understanding to the simple!

A Christian sister recently told me that she had greatly benefited from a grace Bible conference she and her husband had just attended. They had learned much about their Heavenly Father’s plan for them and His words to them. The conference had encouraged them to start reading their Bibles more earnestly. She had spent many years earlier in life being forbidden by her (cultic) denomination from reading the Bible at all. Then, she heard the Gospel of Grace and trusted Christ Jesus as her personal Saviour. Unfortunately, she then spent some decades in yet another denomination, learning some Bible truth but not much. When she met her husband, he too had trusted Christ and been confused in denominations. I had the privilege of telling them about dispensational Bible study a few years ago.

Recently, I spoke with some people about the Gospel of Grace and dispensational Bible study. Whether unsaved and needing life in Christ, or saved and not understanding life in Christ, they were very eager to hear the Bible verses speak for themselves. I could sense that they were being enlightened and greatly enjoying the Bible. They too had spent years in denominations—amazed that they had attended “Christian church services” and yet never heard those helpful verses until now!

There is nothing wrong with God’s words. Today’s Scripture says they will provide light in the midst of spiritual darkness; they will give understanding to the simple (“simple” being “inexperienced; uninformed”). Confusion in religious circles remains because people do not read the Bible for themselves. They rely too heavily on preachers, priests, denominational hierarchies, theologians, and religious tradition. Instead of reading news and watching televisions and smartphones all day, church members need to take time and just read the Holy Bible for themselves. Absolutely, if they started reading the Bible, it would change their lives… and where they go to church! The spiritual confusion will go away. While they will not have all the answers, they will at least have more than they had before they opened the Bible!

Unappreciated Truths

Thursday, March 2, 2017

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6 KJV).

As dogs reject sanctified objects, and swine trample pearls under foot, so Bible scoffers turn away from its truths.

Sometime back, I posted in an online forum the fact that I received some very negative emails in response to our online Bible studies. These emails were from people interested only in denying the Bible verses and truths we provided. Denominational teaching meant more to them than God’s Word, and they would relentlessly fight to keep their traditions!

Recently, I received the following email: “You should listen to some of those people sending emails. You are in a nutty cult.” (That was literally all he wrote to me.) While he was speaking of the critical emails, he also was sending one of them. Rather than engaging in meaningful discussion, or a substantive rebuttal, telling me precisely where I was wrong, he rejected our studies and resorted to mere name-calling—“you member of a nutty cult!” When they hate the message, but cannot refute it, they attack the messenger. It is precisely these people that we do not waste our time addressing. Brethren, if they rebel in reading Bible verses, we can do nothing more for them. There is nothing we can say to convince them if the Bible did not persuade them. In fact, we are not even obligated to reply with an email saying, “I am not interested in arguing.” Frankly, I just delete those emails without responding. I keep a mental file of names, ready to delete future emails from them.

As the Lord Jesus said in today’s Scripture, while some hypocrites can be reached with the truths of God’s Word (verses 1-5), others will reject those truths and refuse to be corrected. They will see no value in divine words any more than a dog loves something sanctified in God’s eyes, or any more than pigs see the value of pearls. While we go to great lengths (!) to guide people in the Word of God, we are to let them have their way if they persistently reject it.

Just Read the Book!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

“And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12 KJV).

How can today’s Scripture help us avoid a lifetime of “weariness?”

In concluding the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon made a very famous confession: “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

Recently, I dealt with a confused woman who I have been ministering to for some years. She has attended our Bible studies, asked questions, and even came to one of our grace conferences. Over the years, she has been tossed back and forth with various ideas. She also attends local denominational churches where perverted doctrine is taught. Her overall problem is not that she is lost. I believe she is a saved woman. No, her problem is that she reads too many best-selling “Christian” books rather than reading only the Book.

Reading non-biblical religious books is okay, provided that you first know how to rightly divide the Word of God. Friend, you CANNOT afford to expose yourself to hundreds upon hundreds of books written by people who do not even know how to use God’s Word, God’s way. You will disorient and exhaust yourself. Just think about the poor woman. Looking for the will of God in “books, books, books, books…” will tire and defeat you. Remember today’s Scripture!

There are billions of weary people today in religion. Why? They have spent so much time reading confessions, catechisms, and commentaries. Since their church authorities have not taught them how to use the Bible, they do not know how to use it. Thus, they rely on the church authorities to “interpret” it for them. Many of these precious souls are not even told the truth about the Bible anyway because the “authorities” do not know the truth either!

While this lady I reach still has a long way to go in Bible understanding, she was recently exposed to rightly divided Bible verses yet again. She needs to believe those verses, and push aside all of the books competing for her allegiance! Let us by faith do the same! 🙂

Bible Q&A #355: “Do some things happen by ‘chance?’”

You may also see our archived Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?”

333’s 2100th – God’s Grace on Parade

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

“…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20 KJV).

Saints, we celebrate devotional #2100! (We also briefly address Mardi Gras.)

Here in (predominately Roman Catholic) southern Louisiana, Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is a popular religious holiday. For centuries, this revelry has been advertised in the name of “Jesus Christ.” Lost people are certainly expected to act like lost people. We do not suppose they will behave like Christians. But, for them to misbehave—to engage in drunkenness, gluttony, and vulgarity—and unashamedly refer to it as a Christian holiday, is most outlandish and stupid!

So many people have great difficulty in reconciling how a loving God could let evil remain unpunished. They see endless murder, thievery, rape, oppression, malfeasance in office, dishonesty, and wonder if a “god” even exists. Still, there is a more obvious problem. How can a righteous God permit people to continuously (annually) engage in disorderly parades and lewd parties in the name of His dear Son? Why does He allow people to continue to disrespect Jesus Christ year after year?

God once judged sin most harshly on Earth: fire from Heaven consumed sinners, the earth opened and swallowed sinners, a Great Flood destroyed sinners, and on and on. For the last 2000 years, sinners have done just about anything they wanted on Earth—oppressed the poor, lied, cheated, stole, taken innocent lives, et cetera—yet there was no fire, no flood, no cleaving of the earth to punish them. Even today, God is silent. Why this major change in operation?

For the last 2100 days, we have considered the Word of God rightly divided. We have learned about the drastic dispensational change that occurred with the Apostle Paul’s salvation and ministry. Through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork—His dying for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4—God offers to all the world salvation from their sins. Rather than judging them, He is offering His grace, His unmerited favor to them. His Son was punished, that we might be saved from eternal damnation.

Whether at hundreds of Mardi Gras parades, or here at “333 Words of Grace,” God’s grace is clearly seen. May we not be foolish in rejecting it! Let us enjoy God’s grace by faith!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see our archived Bible study Q&A, “Should Christians celebrate Mardi Gras?”