Verse of the Week
Then
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, If you continue in my Word you are
truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
(John 8:31-32)
Thought for the Week
As with so many things Jesus told us
the above is too often shortened so much as to lose the heart of the matter. I
have written before on the dangers of allowing the insertion of chapter and
verse designations to interfere with Bible study. It seems folks forget that
the original writings did not have such chapter and verse separations or even
punctuation as such. In this case folks focus, to paraphrase, on know the truth
and it will set you free. They miss the part that this is only true, as Jesus
told us, "If you continue in my Word". Here is a part of Robertson's Word Pictures
comments on the verses above, "Your
future loyalty to my teaching will prove the reality of your present
profession. . . . Continuance in the word (teaching) proves the sincerity or
insincerity of the profession. It is the acid test of life."
In
essence only those that practice what has been taught will be given more truth.
You do not teach a child to walk until they have learned to stand. If you do
not obey YHWH's teaching (to stand) then He does not waste time revealing more
truth to you (how to walk)! Are not His Commandments a truth offered to all
(Psalms 119:151)? Does not YHWH draw near to those that call on Him in truth
(obedience) (Psalms 145:18)?
The
Truth is not there just for the taking or even asking. How many times have you
heard it said that YHWH hears all prayers? What do the Scriptures tell us
though! We are told quite clearly that if you do not listen to YHWH's teaching
(His law) He does not listen to your prayers (Proverbs 28:9). I would posit
that failure to obey is the primary reason so many are blind to the deceptions
of Saul of Tarsus. They think simple belief enables them to run free without
following YHWH's instructions.
YHWH's
teaching is not about a simple belief or even salvation: His teaching is about
how to live your entire life in a manner that pleases Him. Sadly it seems most
folks put more stock in their faith in Paul. Too many follow the teachings of
Paul and treat Jesus as little more than a sacrificial lamb. This is even worse
if you take into account that many of these same folks also claim Jesus is God
- all the while ignoring both! How anyone can place Paul above every prophet of
YHWH and above YHWH's chosen Messiah would be unfathomable to me if it were not
for the knowledge that they are unknowingly wearing blinders.
These
blinders are very selective too. Many of these so called "christians"
preach that we should "work in harmony" with Muslims, Buddhists, and
others who deny YHWH and His Messiah; but, if you deny Paul many will treat as
if you are the spawn of Satan himself. Most mainstream "christians"
not only fail to live YHWH's teachings but most fail to even learn or listen to
them. While great effort is expended to "spread the Gospel" the
gospel being spread is not the Gospel from Jesus the Christ. Practically the
entire world has heard of "a gospel" but how many have heard the true
Gospel?
If
you do nothing else this week, please, have the courage to reach out to someone
wearing blinders. You may learn what it is truly like to try to love someone
who persecutes you for Jesus' sake; but, you might also help save a soul.
Quote of the Week
Long before morning I knew that what I was
seeking to discover was a thing I'd always known. That all courage was a form
of constancy. That it is always himself that the coward abandoned first. After
this all other betrayals come easily. - Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
Comment: The children of YHWH know and apply the adage of "practice
what you preach". We also know that it is YHWH who supplies the strength;
we are but tools in His hands.
Did You Know
"Believe" appears less than
150 times in the entire Bible; but, "Do" appears over 2700 times. Comment:
Sources HRB, LITV, YLT, and NET Bibles. The KJV search appears to show less but
this is a language usage issue because the KJV also uses doth, doest, etc.
Sir Isaac Newton, considered
one of the greatest Bible scholars, wrote that he did not believe in the trinity
but did not publish this writing. Why you may ask? Because back then going
against the doctrine of the trinity was illegal throughout the British Empire. In
1693 a pamphlet attacking the trinity was burned by order of the House of Lords
and the printer and author prosecuted. The Blasphemy Act of 1697 made it an
offence to deny the trinity and could result in imprisonment without bail or
worse. That same year a student was even hanged in Edinburgh, Scotland for
denying the trinity. In 1711 one of Newton's friends, William Whiston, lost
his professorship at Cambridge for this reason. Comment: Even today most of mainstream "Christianity"
requires adherence to the doctrine of the trinity - but not to YHWH's law or
His Sabbath! -- And then I will declare to them, I
never knew you; "depart from me, those working lawlessness!" (Matthew
7:23) -- Reference to Psa. 6:8
The term "pharaoh" does not
mean an Egyptian ruler. The term means "great house". Comment: Just as the term "the
House of David" refers to King David's royal court so to pharaoh refers to
the court of the Egyptian King. That's why you may have heard of King Tut but
not Pharaoh Tut.
No comments:
Post a Comment