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Tag: Bible

Do you really believe that? ONLY Scripture Sola Scriptura
ONLY Scripture – Sola Scriptura

The HOLY BIBLE IS: The written word of God from scripture.

  • Because the days are evil – 4 – The Devil made me do it.

    Because the days are evil – 4 – The Devil made me do it.

    and do not give the devil an opportunity.

    Ephesians 4:27

    The Lie of the Devil

    There’s an iconic TV character who we know for a common excuse for sin, “the devil made me do it.” We laughed because we have heard it (or something like it) from our friends and loved ones so many times. Inside some of us cringed because we have said it ourselves knowing the truth of our own desires.

    Two lies of the devil are that God doesn’t exist and neither does Satan.

    This, of course, is why he is called the great deceiver of mankind and most who deny God believe the devil to be a myth.

    What deceit?

    διάβολος – diabolos

    Diabolos, in fact, actually refers to any man or spirit of deceit prone to slander or accusing falsely. Metaphorically, applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him.

    “The devil made me do it,” your conscience rationalizes, full-well knowing good and evil yourself and willingly justifying this sin falsely.

    Yet in our hearts you and I always know our deceivability toward this easy lie. We wanted to do this sin, to commit this trespass, even convincing our selfish rebellious will that God has forgiven every one of our sins already (for some reason).

    Not so; just another lie. For the Lord calls believers to permanent change.

    Who will side with sin?

    The devil will tempt you before this small opportunity for revelry against God claiming ‘all sins are not equal.’

    Did God really say this, the devil will ask, slandering the Lord God?

    You can get away with this because you have accepted Christ, slanders the very enemy of Christ.

    We don’t have to read the Bible, the deceiver whispers to your heart. Did God really say that, anyway?

    THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED

    Jesus tells this parable to a large crowd then explains it to the Apostles and also to those who study scripture.

    “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it…

    Luke 8:5 CSB

    The Tempter clouds justice and the dark reality of God’s punishment of sin.

    “The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. – Luke 8:12

    You do not believe scripture and you fail to take God’s word to heart.

    Although Jesus points to the devil here in the parable, further examination of our tendency toward loving sin prompts other evil actions of ours. Here is a SAVED ‘christian’ (‘once saved, always saved’).

    “And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. Luke 8:13

    You showed great enthusiasm for Jesus. Though you claim to worship at a house built on a rock, your faith is that of seed on a rock. You cannot take root as the heat of the world withers your faith. And little have you realized it was the devil who tempted you to believe, ‘now I am safe to sin.’

    Other subtle slandering by the devil

    “As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. – Luke 8:14

    I went to church, check. Listened to the uplifting praise band, check. Texted a friend about something important (or maybe it wasn’t). Okay, probably shouldn’t have done that. Got in my listening to scripture in church this week, check. Gotta go! Rushed out to do some Sunday shopping and see the game. Busy week at work ahead, must work on a few things to get ready.

    Pleasures of life: have you seen their ads? Sexxy, enticing, everybody wants to be part of this. (No worries there.) Lies of the devil, the one who you can claim later ‘made you do it?’

    No wonder pastors struggle to shepherd church-goers lacking in mature fruit of the Gospel. They don’t read scripture and easily deceived. Yet Jesus encourages those who resist the devil and our own urges, those truly saved who yield the mature fruit of faith in the Cross, resurrection and eternal life with God. (Yes, it’s another lie of the devil that ALL get to heaven.)

    “But the seed in the good ground ​— ​these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

    Luke 8:15 CSB

    The days are evil, but the devil didn’t MAKE you do it.

    October — Halloween — New Year’s, Mardi Gras, summer solstice, Oktoberfest — when does it all end?

    At judgement, where will you stand? What is your fruit in witness against the great deceiver and slanderer who continually fights against Almighty God, our Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

    The First Letter of John

    The Apostle John writes a letter to believers encouraging them:

    Beloved, now we are children of God…

    Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

    The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. – excerpt from 1 John 3, NASB

    By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

    1 John 3:10

    He didn’t ‘make‘ you do it, but is the devil deceiving you, dear friend?

    What is your fruit of righteousness?

    Because the Days are Evil
To be continued...

  • עִבְרִי Hebrews – Intro

    What does it mean to be Jewish? Does it mean something entirely different to be Christian? How does the Hebrew Bible fit with the Christian Bible? All important questions of faith, along with other foundational tenants of belief in the Lord God.

    Authorship

    Every authentic book of Scripture has at least two authors, the LORD God and a man writing God’s message for a specific reader response.

    In the same way one might question the writings of a prophet to be authentic or the word of God accurately delivered to mankind, we might ask the source of the book of Hebrews, any other scriptural writings or a book authored by one claiming an authority of a god of their making.

    I claim no expertise on the changing and varied practices of Judaism now or then, but defer to others. Hebrews lists no author and theologians speculate several suspected sources.

    Of more importance to the reader than the human author or authors is a better understanding of the context as Hebrews relates to a specific audience.

    Hebrews assumes a practice or at least knowledge of first century Judaism. The readers and more often hearers of the first century were Jews, who spoke Greek, likely learned Hebrew scripture and practiced blending into a Roman cultural context of their local town.

    We can safely assume that first century Jews who came to believe in their Messiah did so by faith and by the witness of fellow Jews. They knew Scripture better than most Jews and Christians of this century.

    As I pointed out in the previous series, only Matthew and John were Jews proclaiming the Good News of the Messiah Jesus (Mark and Luke were not).

    In the letters of the New Testament we should note that Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was a Jew; highly intelligent, well-trained in Scripture and skilled in Hebrew and Greek logical argument. Unlike Paul’s letters, often addressing congregations of gentiles or Greeks, the letter of Hebrews addresses the cultural and religious issues of the faithful Jewish reader who sought to understand the love of God and incarnation of the Messiah Jesus.

    Book of Hebrews

    In the posts to follow we will explore Hebrews a bit at a time, mostly following the thirteen chapters, including some translation back to the Greek and Hebrew. As always, our study of Scripture verifies these teachings by looking back to the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, which Jews know as the Bible and Christians refer to as ‘the Old Testament.’

    To be continued...

  • Disaster From Disobedience, A Savior From Before Eden – 8

    A Savior From Before Eden

    I introduced this series about a savior, Christ Jesus, who had confirmed to the religious authorities: “Before Abraham was, I AM!” Our evidence in Disaster From Disobedience, A Savior From Before Eden – 1  points back toward Jesus, our personal savior, who was here before the first adam. 

    We then examined Adam’s relationship with God both before and after original sin. Disobedience and consequence of sin follows. Brief glances at scripture will confirm man’s disobedience to the Lord God. Just from part 1 of our series scriptures about disobedience include: Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and the Gospels of Luke and John.

    Scripture – Reading, Study & Application

    We have spent nearly a month [June 2018] just scratching the surface of man’s disobedience to God. Although I have touched on topics preceding the narrative of Genesis, we have much more to consider.

    Our most recent look at Noah brings us only to Genesis 9, on page 15 of 1804 in my HCSB. I could easily envision a ‘Disaster from Disobedience – 30,’ but this is neither a novel nor exhaustive commentary. Today our brief attention spans require both an end to this series and connection to the next. 

    I trust the Lord will lead you deeper into scripture, revealing personal application of good and evil. I encourage you to study books of the New and Old Testaments in depth. To remain obedient to the Lord, we must apply the truth of scripture to our daily lives. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

    These serial scriptural posts designed to incite specific study contain frequent links to Bible verses and study. Take a look as you read.

    Before Israel, Before Abraham and After Noah

    Moses’ five books do not and cannot explain everything. Yet in addition to creation, good and evil, sin, law and some subsequent history, parts of the Pentateuch  provide God-given foundation to scripture’s purposeful truth. I would point you to a handful of concepts not to be missed in these scriptures.

    Noah demonstrates one principle on dry land related to knowing good and evil, after the Lord’s cleansing and recreation of mankind. Although related to worship by Abel and Cain, this principle of good remains more important than any historical detail of the flood.

    The rainbow becomes symbol of the Lord’s agreement. Sacrifice by Noah to the Lord is man’s continuing evidence of faithfulness, gratitude and obedience. Worship of the Lord always requires sacrifice. And right relationship with the Lord becomes a most-personal committed relationship.

    The principle of this solemn agreement is known as covenant.

    Covenant, consequential promise to inviolable truth.

    We cannot study it in any detail here, but covenant always connects a sacrifice to an action with a sealed approval. 

    There is no good without God and no disobedience without disbelief.

    Therefore, inviolable truth always relates both to the Lord and our relationship to others of mankind.

    Truth has no foundation without God and human life no purpose without relationship to both our loving Creator and our fellow man.

    Israel, Abraham, Joseph and other Jews

    One concept important to our understanding of the Lord and promise involves the who, what, where and why of God’s chosen. It is a promised land, you  are a chosen people. Again, concepts too important to slight, yet this series’ focus is on broken promises, followed by inclusion of others in the Lord’s redemptive plan.

    (You can learn much more about God’s redemptive plan by study of adoption;  an inclusive personal demonstration of God’s love we will not explore here.)

    Moses explains nations and outlines their genealogies. Israel had been redeemed by the Lord from Egypt, where Joseph became powerful in the land. Understand that Joseph’s father Jacob holds promise of the Lord’s inheritance for his twelve sons. 

    Genesis 28:

    Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him: “Don’t take a wife from the Canaanite women… 

    3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you so that you become an assembly of peoples. 4 May God give you and your offspring the blessing of Abraham so that you may possess the land where you live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

    Doesn’t this blessing sound somewhat familiar, like the Lord’s command to Adam and also to Noah?

    ‘Be fruitful and multiply…”

    But Jacob is a liar and a deceiver. For he has purchased the blessing of the firstborn, Esau, who had no regard for the Lord. Now Jacob fears the fate of Abel, murdered at the hands of his brother.

    Although the Lord will drive his descendants into Egypt from the promised land, Jacob will receive an inheritance. 

    10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place…

    “I am Yahweh, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land that you are now sleeping on. 14 Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

    There it is: God’s promise, as Jacob flees this ‘promised land,‘ an oft-repeated scenario in Israel’s history.

    Does it seem a familiar story, a middle-east refugee fleeing danger in one land and living as an alien in another?

    Israel’s Serial Soap Opera

    So Jacob’s story gains in complexity (once again, not examined here) and the drama continues. He has four wives (not recommended) and twelve sons. (Daughters receive no inheritance and seldom receive mentions in these genealogies).

    Many years pass and a married Jacob with children hears of and fears Esau’s approach. Once again Jacob hears from the Lord. In fact, he wrestles with the Lord (a most personal encounter).

    Genesis 32:

    Here is first mention of “Israel,” because the LORD makes Israel Jacob’s new name.

    27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

    “Jacob,” he replied.

    32:28 וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עֹוד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּֽי־שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָֽל׃

    28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” He said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

    29 Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me Your name.”

    But He answered, “Why do you ask My name?” And He blessed him there.

    Before Israel, God Prevails

    Jesus the Messiah proclaimed, “before Abraham was, I AM!” His reference means more than genealogy, place, Law, leadership or religion, per se. 

    Israel’s father was Isaac,  יִצְחָק Yitschaq (laughter), given by the Lord when a childless old couple doubted any possibility of fulfillment of a promise in their old age.  In fact, controversy yet remains about the first born of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian. 

    The continuing drama of Genesis 17 could warrant much more study; but let us concede the meaning of Israel’s name. God prevails. Yes, God prevails even when life drives us in a direction away from God’s promises.

    The Lord’s covenant though Abraham is confirmed:

    18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!”

    19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring.

    Before Abraham, many descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth chose between good and evil as they populated God’s creation. And we will see in our next series a continuing theme of disobedience to God by Israel’s descendants as well.

    Why would the Lord choose Israel as a people led by Him? Remember Jacob’s new name means, God prevails.

    Joseph and Israel’s Eleven Other Sons

    We have not yet spoken of the Law of Moses and its defining choices of good and evil. The sojourn of Israel into Egypt and back is yet another story and illustration that God prevails. 

    If you have never noticed a connection between Genesis and Exodus, you may want to focus on Joseph. We tend to see Israel (Jacob) and then Moses and later David as most important to Israel’s history. Yet we often overlook the role and connection of Israel’s preeminent son, Joseph.

    A continuing theme of man since Adam has been disobedience, a theme which we will continue. Moses will give us God’s Law and Joseph will demonstrate God’s goodness. 

    May the Lord walk with you in the wilderness of your heart.

    To be continued in our next series, God willing…