Practical Ways to Learn the Bible III Guidelines VIII Read What Others Have Written Here we have the fifth element of how to properly, effectively and fundamentally learn and study scripture. It is very important to read what other people have written about the Bible. This will be a very brief article because I realize it is a dangerous rule. So many people rely on other people to write about God - and other books that give the wrong teaching; many quote no scripture at all – that we have to be extremely careful when selecting who and what to read and believe, not to mention support. However, we also have to be careful not to get into a vicious cycle because we need the insight and guidance from other perspectives to shed new light on our studies and on certain passages of scripture. Someone who has made a good commentary on every book of the Bible is usually a good indicator. Certain literature, certain authors and certain topics are not good for your spirit. I would never attempt to identify what is bad for you, personally, but I will identify what I think is good. Some teaching false doctrines and some that are very much liberally approached are among the worst of the worst available – and they abound. You’ll not find these very profitable, I can assure you; that is, not if you truly seek to understand what the Bible has to say. Obey the Bible Here we have number six in the elements required for a profitable study of scripture. Obedience is essential. It is actually number one on my list of all-importance, but we don’t go by my lists in these papers, we go by His list – at least, what I think His list is. You will recall in the life of Abraham where God called him to go to a land that He would show him. God did bring Abraham into the land but no sooner had Abraham gotten into that place than a famine came to the land. God appeared to Abraham in Ur, and Abraham had followed God. God took Abraham to a land in which He wanted him. But Abraham took off from there as quick as he could - because the famine came. God never told Abraham to leave the place He had put him. Many people will think it was only sensible for Abraham to leave because everybody else was going to Egypt. After all, you would want to do something about hunger, right? – The point is, I think God would have performed a miracle if Abraham had just obeyed him – but no. Abraham had to go where the food was plenty; and there was food-a-plenty in Egypt. Interestingly, God didn’t appear to Abraham while he was there. It didn’t take too long before Abraham felt the wrath of God. That is the ultimate wrath – God withdrawals far away. Okay, there’s no since being overly sensational, although it truly is frightening; Abraham knew and felt the emptiness of the absence of God from his life. God didn’t appear to Abraham again until he went back to where he was supposed to be. Obedience is essential to an understanding of the Bible. Until Abraham obeyed what had already been revealed to him - God would reveal no more. God will never give you new truth when you are in disobedience of Him. However, the moment we obey - the Spirit comes upon us with light and love. When we obey – God opens up new truths for us. Even the gospel, which is given to save our souls, is also given for the very definite purpose of obedience. The single greatest document ever written on the gospel is the epistle to the Romans. It would seem the whole book of Romans could be put in quotation marks. I can almost see Paul with his fingers in the air making the quotation mark gesture as he is giving these messages; all having to do with obedience. Romans 1: 5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: That’s where Adam and Eve went wrong - doing their own thing. Eve not only listened to the enemy of God - she disobeyed God. Romans 16: 26 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: “Obedience of faith” opens the truth of the Bible and “obedience of faith” closes the book of Romans; and what is in between? – many consider its content to be the greatest document in existence on what the gospel means – what it is – how it works. It contains a great doctrinal section; a great practical section; with the last part being the duty of the true and genuine believer; that is, what we’re to do! The important thing to recognize and always remember is that God cannot continue to reveal His truth to you if you are in disobedience of Him. Sin separates us from God and from the Bible. If we permit it in our lives it will eventually overtake and kill out the Word of God. You won’t have both in your life. Either the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible. Disobedience is a terrible thing. If we are to profit from reading and study we must obey. Paul says it was given for the obedience of faith. Hamilcar Barca, Carthaginian general of the Punic wars, once said of his own son, Hannibal, that he would be the best of all his soldiers because he best knew how to obey. That statement certainly proved true. Hannibal’s army was made up of paid mercenaries; African’s; Spaniard’s; Gaul’s; Italians – you name it – he had them. Yet he retained their complete and utter confidence for sixteen hard years; amazingly, through privation and extreme hardship there never arose a single mutiny in the camp. What was his ability? - He was an extraordinary organizer, but that’s not it. He trained these mixed bands into a most efficient power. How? He taught his men to be obedient. The Lord Jesus said we would know the doctrine if we will keep it. The Old Testament says to taste of the Lord and see if He is good. God tells us to just give it a try. That is our real test, by the way – the open book test. 2 Corinthians 3: 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; More harm is being done to Christianity by church members than by any other group. This is one reason we have so much rebellion against the establishment – it’s rebellion against the church. The church is the establishment – not government. Responsibility has been assigned to government because we are becoming a vile, godless nation. We need someone to blame and since we deny the existence of God, well, the next thing in line is government. Many preachers are so busy trying to get on some bandwagon instead of trying to call men and women to God that they fall off themselves. There is a group in and of the church that have completely turned their backs on the Bible and on the Word of God. A placard reads, “Jesus – Yes / Church - No”! The church has many good, faithful and dear Saints. Many enemies hide behind a denial of needing Christ today and they criticize the church in the name of free speech. There is no denying that the lives many people in the church are living turn others away from Christ. A Barrister was asked why he didn’t become a Christian? He made this statement, “I, too, might have become a Christian if I had not met so many who said they were Christians”. That is an indictment from a grand jurist. How unfortunate – it is so true today. We need to examine our own lives in that connection. How well do you and I represent Christ today? – The answer will be directly determined by the obedience you have to His Word to you. The world tells us the Word is not real – that the Bible is a pathetic, nonsensical rambling in a language that is gone. Man tells us continually that he can do much better with writing and even with speaking. Our next article starts Genesis. People are searching for answers and they measure Christianity by you, and by me, my beloved believer friend. It is so important to obey the Bible. Pass the Bible on to Other People The final, seventh sub guideline within our guidelines that I would like to pass on to you is to pass it on to others! I can send you these reports free of charge in a much better format than this article. Write to me at andrewchunt766@aol. Even if you don’t write - read the Bible, not only study the Bible, not only pray a sincere prayer for wisdom, not only meditate on and read what others have to say about the Bible – but if you are obeying the Bible you will pass it on to others. We have reached a saturation point in our study of the Bible itself. Like a sponge that can’t hold any more water – unless we pass it along to other people. Recognition of this fact is important to the believer. God won’t let you withdraw yourself from society in some monastery as if to become some super-duper-encyclopedia Bibliatannica. It ain’t gonna happen, friends. These people think they find all the answers and the rest of us remain ignorant. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together in a solemn (sober) assembly. We are to exhort each other and so much the more as we see the Day approaching. What verse is that? - What Day does He speak of? – You really do need to study the Bible. The only reason God has blessed these articles as He has is because my honest intent is simply to pass the Bible on to other people. If you copy or read this paper verbatim – and it is done in the name of God – I don’t care what is done with them. I’m not writing for my own health - that’s for sure. I’m not writing for my wealth, either. When I die this paper won’t mean very much to me in regards to what has happened to it here on earth – that’s Gods business, not mine. Pass your knowledge of Him on to others so it can be a blessing in their life as well as your own. ******* ______
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 14:53:28 +0000
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