UNDERSTANDING BIBLE TRUTH

I’ve been reading the Bible since I was very young. I’ve known it was God’s book for a long time, but I didn’t really understand exactly what that meant. When I got older and learned how to properly study the Bible, it came alive to me. I realized that what I once thought was a big book of collected stories from many different writers, is actually one big book containing one story about God and his people, and although the words were written down by over forty different men, it all came from one source, God himself.

It’s not only a history book, but a book of promises for us, now, and for the future. It’s an instruction book on how God wants us to live and treat each other. As anyone can see, many who don’t follow God’s instructions, contained in the Bible, do whatever they want, violate every command given by God, and cause countless innocents to suffer.

What’s even worse, there are many who claim to follow biblical teaching, but often have the same mindset as those who don’t. Part of the problem is the interpretation, or should I say, the “misinterpretation” of scripture. This leads to all kinds of problems; from simple disagreements, to split congregations, new denominations, split families, and even total rebellion against God.

Everyone thinks their interpretation is right, and that’s understandable, but most will not even consider the possibility they might be wrong, even when shown from the holy word of God. Almost every denomination believes it’s the only one who has the truth.

In giving Bible studies, I’ve studied with and talked to many people over the years. I’ve studied different denominations and what they believe, and I’ve arrived at one conclusion. No denomination that I know of has all the truth. Most of them have some true doctrines, and some have mostly true doctrines, but they all teach something that is contrary to the Bible. It seems the Truth is scattered throughout the earth.

Before I go any further, let me say that I’m not a Bible scholar, and I don’t know everything there is to know. I’m not claiming to be perfect, nor to have divine wisdom. I’m a sinful wretch saved only by the grace of God. I have believed strongly in certain Bible teachings only to discover I was wrong, and as I continue learning, I expect to find more things in God’s word that I didn’t know or maybe even misunderstood. I’m not claiming to be smarter than anyone else, but when the Bible clearly teaches something, and a church or an individual is doing and saying something totally opposite, it doesn’t take a scholar to see the contradictions.

So what should we do, stop going to church? No. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day didn’t have everything right either, but that didn’t stop him from going. Sometimes it may be serious enough that we have to move to a different congregation or even change denominations, but we have to realize that God’s true Church is not a certain building, or denomination anyway.

The true church is made up of believers all over the world who have been born again; Those who follow God wherever he leads, and obey his Commandments (Luke 17:21). They pray and study his word every day. That’s the key. Bible Study; Not just reading, but studying; Treating the entire Bible as one book, comparing scripture with scripture (Isaiah 28:10), and being willing to change our minds when we see we are wrong. That’s called growing.

There’s only one Truth, and it’s there in God’s word for all of us to see. There are so many denominations today because there are so many different interpretations of God’s word. Too often, people will develop their own views, and when they come to the Bible, they look for evidence to support their beliefs. This is the wrong way to study the Bible.

Another mistake we make when studying God’s word is one that we often ignore because we don’t really think about it. When we read something, we understand it based on how we think and what we’ve learned. Even our understanding of word definitions color our thought process.

When reading the Bible, there are several things we need in order to understand it properly. One is a desire to know the truth. The other is an understanding that there are words and phrases in the Bible that meant something different when they were written than what they mean now. A good Bible Concordance will help with this. I also recommend the Free computer program called e-Sword, which has a Concordance, and a ton of other helpful Bible Study tools, including many free versions of the Bible. There’s also an app for iPhones and Androids which does cost a few dollars, but it’s worth every penny.

The Bible usually interprets itself, and the King James Version has a built-in dictionary. The more you study, the better you understand. We should always come to the Bible as little children, with humble, teachable spirits, and again, we must be willing to change our beliefs when they are different from God’s Truth. We should always pray and ask God to guide us in our understanding of scripture. Who better to help us understand the word of God than the One who inspired the men who wrote it (2 Peter 1:21).

When we do this we’ll see the Truth more clearly. The Bible will become to us the book that God intended it to be from the beginning, and we’ll join the ranks of those who make up the true church scattered throughout the entire world; The ones who know the Truth, and have been made free by it.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

IS GOD LOVE, OR IS HE A TYRANT?

Several years ago, I was talking to someone about Jesus, and he told me he was no longer on the “Jesus Plan.” He said he used to be stressed out all the time, thinking he was going to hell because of a certain sin he was not willing to give up. He said he looked at some other religions, searching for one that wouldn’t “rule” him, and “doesn’t threaten” him “with punishment” for things he does. Now, he’s “an Ex-Christian with no stress about going to hell.”

At first, I thought to myself, “this guy’s crazy,” but later, after carefully considering what he said, I think I can actually see where he’s coming from. I certainly don’t agree with his decision, but I think I somewhat understand his thinking. None of us really want to be told that we’re doing something wrong. We don’t want anyone to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do, and none of us want to be threatened with consequences for doing something we really enjoy. We certainly don’t want to hear that we’re going to hell if we don’t give it up.

Human beings are stubborn creatures, and we want what we want. Even when we love God, and are trying to obey him in every way, we’re still somewhat selfish. That’s human nature. It’s not always easy for a loyal disciple of Jesus to give up something that God says is a sin, but when you’re not completely committed to obeying God, then giving up a cherished sin is impossible. We make all kinds of excuses for hanging on to it, and as hard as it is to understand, many even turn and walk away from God rather than give up the sin.

That’s why a close, personal relationship with God is crucial. That’s what my book THE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN is all about. We can’t be good by ourselves. Oh, we can do good in certain areas of our lives, but there are areas where the flesh is just stronger than we are. For those areas, we need the supernatural intervention of a power much greater than anything we could ever conjure up. We need the power of our creator to change our hearts.

Here’s something that many people don’t understand. The first step to real change is simply this: We “must be born again” (John 3:1-7). Only then will we truly want to obey God. Many are being deceived into disbelieving that the Bible is really God’s inspired word to us, and yes, many are choosing not to believe because they don’t want to obey God and give up sin. Others, however, refuse to believe and serve God because Satan and his followers have perverted and twisted many teachings of the Bible.

The doctrine of hell, for example, is very misunderstood. It has been twisted, and distorted for centuries, making God seem like some tyrant who loves to punish people in the flames. The character of God has been terribly marred by the distorted teachings on this subject. In 1 John 4:8, the Bible tells us that “God is love.” Verse 9 offers us proof of that love. Echoing the words that Jesus told Nicodemus one night, the Apostle John says that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son into the world, so we might live because of his sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:8-10).

He loves us with a love that we sinful humans could never completely comprehend, and he wants what’s best for us. He wants to be with us, now, and forever, but sin separates us from God because he is holy (Psalm 99:9). That’s what happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned, but God had a plan to fix everything. Part of that plan is to someday eradicate sin from the universe, forever. Here’s where many are confused about the character of God. Many think he’s some kind of dictator, who wants us all to do what he says, or else. They think he’s up there, looking down on us, just waiting for us to mess up so he can send us to hell, but that’s not the case at all. Take a good look at these three verses from God’s holy book.

9 In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him.
(1 John 4:9)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

11 Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked:
(Ezekiel 33:11)

The fact is, hell fire is designed for Satan, who started the sin problem in the beginning, and for the evil angels who follow him (Matthew 25:41). Hell fire is the method God will someday use to destroy sin from the universe for all time. The sad thing is, many of us allow ourselves to be slaves to sin and that puts a wall between us and God. The Prophet Isaiah said that our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is attractive and fun, for a while. We get so caught up in it, and the pleasures it offers, that we don’t realize we’re slaves to it. In fact, the opposite is true. We think we’re free. We hang on to sin and reject Jesus, like the guy I mentioned earlier. God WILL destroy sin someday, and if we’re still hanging on to sin, then we’ll be destroyed right along with it; Not because God is mean or sadistic, but because we have allowed it to become part of us. Sin actually controls the sinner. Sin becomes the sinner’s master. Look what Jesus said in these next three verses.

34 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
(John 8:34)

24 No man can serve two masters: he will either hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other.
(Matthew 6:24a)

30 He that is not with me is against me;
(Matthew 12:30a)

Just a quick recap here. Sin controls the sinner. Sin is the sinner’s master, and no one can serve two masters. If you don’t choose to serve Jesus, you have chosen to continue serving sin. You have made your choice and you will be destroyed with sin at the end of the world. Do you see how it works? God is not cruel. He doesn’t want anyone to experience the flames of hell. Think about this for a minute. People who live a life of sin are very uncomfortable around people who are truly living their lives for God, and they don’t want to hear about holy things. Many are even hostile about it. A person like that would be miserable in heaven. Plus, sin can not exist in the presence of our holy God. That person would be destroyed just by being there.

That’s the whole reason he sent his Son, cloaked in human flesh, to pay the penalty for our sins and to pave the way for us to get back into the presence of God. So many people don’t realize exactly what happened when Adam sinned. It involved so much more than just being put out of the garden of Eden. It threw everything in God’s perfect creation out of balance. It brought chaos to the perfect ecosystem that God had so carefully set up. It brought pain and suffering, along with death and destruction upon every living thing that God had so lovingly created. It put a barrier between the Creator and the entire human race.

For the past six thousand years, God has been working tirelessly to bring us back to him so when he finally destroys sin, mankind will be able to live in his presence again. That’s the end result of the plan of salvation, but God is holy, and just, and he will not force his will on us. He made mankind with the freedom to choose. He can not save anyone who doesn’t want to be saved. All he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. That’s what the gospel is all about.

Imagine, for a minute, that you can’t swim. You wake up on a huge barge in the middle of a deep, wide river. The sun is shining, and the water is calm and peaceful, so you begin to enjoy the ride. After all, you can’t swim so there’s nothing you can do. Surely it won’t be long until the barge runs into shallow water or drifts to the edge where you can get back to land.

Now imagine that a man comes down the river in a speed boat and drives up beside you. He tells you the barge is headed for a waterfall and he came to save you. The barge is too big and too heavy for the speedboat to pull back up the river, so he wants you to get in the boat with him. That sounds simple enough. All you have to do is step off the barge you are on, into his boat, and he’ll speed you back up the river to safety.

What would you do? You may not believe him at first. You may not understand his motives for wanting you to leave the barge. You may have questions, but one thing is sure, there’s nothing you can do to save yourself. If what he says is true, and you remain where you are, you’ll go over the waterfall with the barge, and you’ll die.

Because of Adam’s sin, we’re all born on that barge. We’re all cursed and condemned to death. Jesus came to earth and lived a holy, sinless life. He now offers us eternal life by substituting his sinless life for our sinful one. All we have to do is accept it. It’s entirely up to us. He won’t force us. As I said, all he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. He’ll keep pleading with us, and he’ll give us chance after chance. If we end up lost, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

The barge in this story represents sin. The one who put you there is Satan. If you choose to stay on the barge (sin) while the man (Jesus) is offering you a free ride to safety (salvation) then you will go over the waterfall (hell) with the barge (sin) and you will die. You can’t blame God because he created the waterfall. He sent someone to save you. There are only two options. The choice is yours. If you refuse his help then YOU are choosing death. If you end up in hell it will be because that’s what YOU chose. You can’t blame God. He did everything he possibly could to save you.

God has made it perfectly clear, he will destroy sin in the lake of fire, at the end of the world (Matthew 13:1-50). If we choose to hang on to sin, we will be destroyed right along with it, even though Jesus is trying desperately to save us. If you’re still on that barge, please, step off now, and let Jesus carry you to safety. He desperately wants to save us all, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone has the opportunity.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6