Jesus & Paul – Different Messages? Part 7

2020-11-302020-11-23 consideringthebibletogether1 Comment

Paul In the past few months I have noticed that there are rumblings – at least in my world – of some internet folks trying to make out the message of Paul to be different that that of Jesus.

Never mind the fact that Jesus was dealing with a nation in the last gasps of it’s life and His pleading for their repentance, and Paul’s focus on “making that tent bigger for them dirty Gentiles” (See Isaiah 54:2-3)

Why? I don’t know, and at this point I am not concerned with their motivation, since I will assume the worst, which may not be fair.

Nevertheless, as I was browsing my computer bible study files, I providentially tripped over the following information. I must have found this info years back, and will not take credit for the compiling of the verses, but for the life of me, I am not sure where I found this.

This is the seventh post addressing different topics from the New Testament that both Jesus and Paul taught on showing similarity in their teachings. My comments will be sparse, (unless they are not)

7. Both taught the same things about Christ’s identity – He is Lord

Jesus

John 13:13 — You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

Paul

Romans 10:9 — because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

A short post to encourage you with the consistency of the Word. May the Lord strengthen you and bless you as you seek His Kingdom.

1 John – Testing to Know – Test 2 Part A

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Test # 2 – Relationship with Sin

1 John 1:8 – 10
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

John is establishing our relationship the Father and the Son in relation to sin in these verses. Each of these verses begins with a condition we at times will find ourselves in. If we live in this condition, John supplies the result of the agreement with the condition supplied

Living in Denial

Let’s start off with verse 8.

Condition

If we say we have no sin. Notice this is denying the existence of sin in the believers life. His audience must have understood the sin problem prior to their salvation, since to become a believer, sin must be confessed and repented of. (Somewhat ironic that they were in a better position as lost souls than they are now!)

John is addressing a group of believers, who after coming to know the righteous Savior, considered themselves to be “practically” righteous. I say practically, since the Word does describe believers as positionally righteous. This is not John’s point. John is speaking to believers who, according to verse 9, are capable of sinning, and will need a relief of this burden.

Result

One result comes out of being in this condition. Self deception. How dangerous this condition is. How very dangerous.

This condition’s fulfilled results in the believer existing in a state of falsehood. A self imposed delusion of being incapable of committing sin. A sinful state in reality!

No-one other than self is to blame for this darkness of existence. This is not the result of satanic attacks – it is simply the result of loving your life.

When I have considered my own standing before God, and found it “worthy” of acceptance, I always tend toward pride. But didn’t the Scriptures state that we are to boast in the Lord Jesus only?

Declaring “no sin” in my life produces a proud heart, dangerously close to declaring an independence from God’s provisions, and creating a state of separation from all others. Who wants to be around Mr Perfection?

Jesus Himself, the only One who could state this claim of “no sin” and defend the truth of it, described Himself as lowly and humble. A believer, living in this darkness will justify this bogus claim.

Follow Him who is humble.

I hope you found a truth that was helpful in your life within this post. Drop me a line, or send this post to a friend that you thought of recently.

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Doctrinal · End Times · Hell · Judge

Judge Judge Judge – γνώμη – Study 4-B

2020-11-282020-11-23 consideringthebibletogetherLeave a comment

Because of the Cross Thanks for returning to this series on “Judge Judge Judge” and my feeble attempt to understand a believers responsibility and right to make judgments.

Another purpose of this series hopefully is to understand the believers restriction on judgement.

What can a Christian judge? How is he to judge? What is prohibited in the Christian life to judge. So many questions and concerns.

Our fourth greek word related to judging is…

gnōmē

G1106 – γνώμη – gnōmē

judgment, mind, purpose, advice, will, agree

This word is found 9 times in 8 verses within the New Testament. A full listing of all verses may be found below for your self study. I will consider the verses that are not clear, that create questions in my mind, with the remaining verses left for the reader to ponder.

Philemon 1:14

but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Let’s remember the authority structure between Paul and Philemon. Philemon was a Roman slave owner that Paul evangelized, brought into the church, and trained for a period of time. Onesimus, Philemon’s slave had run away, found Paul and got converted.

Paul – the apostle to the Gentiles.
Philemon – a lowly believer, who owes his salvation to Paul in a very real way
Onesimus – a run away slave who actually is owned by Philemon

So why is Paul asking for consent from one which is lower on the authority? for one that is even lower in authority?

It kinda makes sense, based on some current religious structures, that Paul should “encourage” (a synonym in Christendom for “force”!) Philemon to do the right thing, and to release Onesimus. Maybe tell him that if he doesn’t, he will be in rebellion. Ya – that’s it. Use the rebellion card.

No – Paul the old man has realized the power of love, of serving others, of putting them first, of seeking agreement amongst brethren.

Paul even asks Philemon if he considers him a partner. What? How degrading, said the man who wants power!

Thanks for joining me in this study. Hope to visit with you in our next post as we continue to look at the Greek term γνώμη .

Be Blessed.

I look forward to comments and discussion. May the Lord give you an understanding heart and a willing spirit to consider the Bible and all it’s wealth.

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Interpretation · Old Testament in New Testament

OT in NT – 2 Peter

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How did Jesus and the apostles interpret the Old Testament?

This post is simply a data dump of information for your struggle.

Find below a spreadsheet embedded into the post that lists verses from the New Testament book of 2 Peter and corresponding Old Testament references.

Good luck as you research each of the verses and try to understand Peter’s justification for using the Old Testament passage the way he did.

22-OT in NT – 2 Peter

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

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Sabbath · Traditions

Jesus on the Sabbath – Part 5 – An Accusation

2020-11-262020-11-26 consideringthebibletogether1 Comment

jesus-the-grain-field Recently I penned a series of post on the Ten Commandments and as I was writing it, found that the Sabbath day was the only commandment not reapplied to believers in the New Testament.

In writing that series of posts, I was reminded that the Sabbath day was one of the main irritants between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees.

In our last post, we found that Jesus culminated His logical refutation of the Pharisees claims by stating He is the ultimate authority. Jesus applied logic to the situation, and yet the religious heart is so resilient in it’s stubbornness. Irrefutable logic enters not a hardened heart.

The conclusion – He is Lord over the Sabbath. He is Lord of all.

In the following posts, Jesus reveals His authority in the midst of the Pharisees, in their synagogue, reinforcing His logical argument with an act of love for a poor crippled man.

Matthew 12:9-14

Let’s continue considering the Sabbath in relation to the Messiah, and by association with His followers

Matthew 12:9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue.

I get the impression that Jesus went directly from the field to the synagogue. He entered their synagogue. He went straight to the “fight”. He didn’t shy away from a controversy, although there are many times when He simply refused to enter into an argument with someone. This is wisdom personified. (Lord give me wisdom!)

Consider when the Pharisees caught a woman in adultery (John 8:36). He simply bent down and started writing in the sand. No defense or rebuttal. A simple action.

But this is not the Messiah’s approach here. It seems He sees the Sabbath laws that the people of Israel were under as an issue that required addressing and what better place than the very synagogue that produced the instigators in the previous passage.

Matthew 12:10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–so that they might accuse him.

Will these folks never learn?

I am assuming that those instigators that met Jesus and His disciples in the field earlier in the day made it back to their synagogues just in time to enter into a discussion with the Lord. Golly – If that is true, what a tenacious faith in the ultimate priority of the Sabbath. They were soundly refuted earlier, but they just gotta keep trying.

How often do we keep trying to justify a practice, habit, lifestyle, religious way in front of the Lord before we give in, and finally admit that we are wrong. That is, if we admit it. Sadly we may have fought against a certain truth so long that it has become a non-issue for our lives. We won the argument, but sadly lost so much.

That is so so sad. The importance of keeping short accounts with the Lord could not be more obvious for me out of this short passage. Be quick to admit your error, confess, agree with the Lord on the rebellion you may be in.

He is merciful to the wayward. They (we) only want to accuse Him. May we be more like Him and less like me.

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Devotional

Let Me Tell You a Story – Barnabas and his Field

2020-11-252020-11-23 consideringthebibletogether1 Comment

I have been a believer for nearly 40 years and it amazes me how little I know of the Word.

Many times the Lord reminds me of my pride and arrogance, and the most recent experience was a few nights ago when my favorite wife and I were reading Acts chapter 4 together. During our reading, as we came to the end of the chapter, Luke writes that Joseph – otherwise known as Barnabas, “sells a field.”

For some reason, I was under the impression he sold everything he owned. He simply sold a field. Now I am not denigrating his act of love for the Lord and His followers, I am simply expressing my assumptions that were wrong.

No comment on the percentage of Barnabas’s assets that were sold off, or that Barnabas had a ceremony upon giving the cash to the family. None of that! Which makes me look forward to tonight when my wife and I consider the story in Acts 5 – You know – when Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira try to duplicate the gift but die trying.

The differences will be instructive!

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Atheism · Christianity

Discussions with an Atheist – Part 6

2020-11-242020-11-23 consideringthebibletogether4 Comments

atheist

A long time ago, I was browsing my Facebook page when I came across a post that ridiculed Kirk Cameron’s efforts to sell an “Atheist” Bible.

A friend (who it turns out to be an atheist) seemed to think that Kirk was “uninformed”

Well I thought, lets discuss this issue, and what follows is a record of our discussion.

I really looked forward to his responses and enjoyed considering and responding to his concerns.

Some of my friends comments are a bit lengthy, and as I read them I found echoes of myself, seeking to defend a position simply by supplying a massive quantity of words, knowing inside that he quality of the argument was weak.

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you may find encouragement, and some understanding of an atheist’s worldview.

If you are an atheist, I would encourage you to read and consider my responses. I seek to understand your position, and if you see a fallacy in my thinking, please comment. I only ask that you focus your position to one point at a time, in order that I may respond (if I can) without unnecessary confusion.

My comments and responses are in red.

-the avg life span of a human was approximately 40

I do not know where you got this data, but given the fact that infant mortality was extremely high during this time, the avg life span would have been definitely skewed. If a person survived the initial first years, “statistically” this person was, could it be said, an outlier, and very easily could live beyond the “avg” life span.

Be that as it may, average life span is not the issue.

The issue is the specific life span of the authors. Gospel writers are the issue, not the letters of Paul, or even the book of Revelation, since these books do not primarily record the historical life of Jesus.

Mathew, and Luke were working “stiffs” during the ministry of Jesus, so at the time of the writing of their gospels, they were somewhere in the upper 50’s / lower 60’s

Mark was a teenager during the ministry of Jesus, so his age at the time of his writing he also was in his 50’s

John was a teenager during the ministry of Jesus, and it is commonly thought that his gospel was written approx 85 – 90 AD. Therefore, he could have been as old as 70 yrs at the time of his writing.

Hey thanks for dropping by and reading my post, especially if you are an atheist friend. I hope to hear from you and would appreciate a comment to begin a discussion.

Have a great day.

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Kingdom of God · New Testament

Jesus & Paul – Different Messages? Part 6

2020-11-232020-11-23 consideringthebibletogether1 Comment

Paul In the past few months I have noticed that there are rumblings – at least in my world – of some internet folks trying to make out the message of Paul to be different that that of Jesus.

Why? I don’t know, and at this point I am not concerned with their motivation, since I will assume the worst, which may not be fair.

This is the sixth post addressing different topics from the New Testament that both Jesus and Paul taught on showing similarity in their teachings. My comments will be sparse, (unless they are not)

6. Both taught the same things about Christ’s identity – He is the Christ

Jesus

Matthew 16:16-17 — Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Paul

Acts 9:22 — But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ [Messiah].

A short post to encourage you with the consistency of the Word. May the Lord strengthen you and bless you as you seek His Kingdom.

1 John – Testing to Know – Test 1 Part B

2020-11-222020-11-16 consideringthebibletogetherLeave a comment

Test # 1 – Walking in Light – Continued

In our last post, we considered walking in the light and the natural growth of believers to walk as we look to Him. In this post, let us consider the blessing accrued as we walk in the light, as He is in the light.

Let’s read our passage again.

1 John 1:6-7
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Blessings of Walking in the Light

If we conduct ourselves according to the Light of God that we understand, we experience two blessings according to John.

Blessing One

“The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”.

I want to discuss this blessing first, since it is so bedrock to our faith! John is speaking to believers and reminds us of the action of the blood of Christ with our sin problem.

As believers, we have been delivered from the life of sin and self, from our looking away from God. But we all know that we are prone to wander, prone to want those leeks we left behind in Egypt. Prone to return to our prior lives. As we recognize these attitudes and actions in our life, we are to repent, agree with God about our condition to God (confess) and request forgiveness from Him. (See 1 John 1:9)

In this verse, the verb “cleanses” is in the present tense in the Greek, representing a simple statement of fact viewed as occurring in actual time. His sacrifice was a once for all act of supreme love for us. The effects of this sacrifice are far reaching.

As we bang around and fall, learning to walk this life in His light, we must understand that His sacrifice for us is an active love that is always reaching out to us, seeking our good.

We do ourselves much damage when we ignore His loving provision.

Blessing Two

“We have fellowship with one another” John states that as we practice the truth of God, and of His character, we have fellowship with one another.

Is he saying we have fellowship with God or with other believers walking in the light? It seems obvious that if we are walking in light (truth), we would be in fellowship with the Source and Being of light. Otherwise, John may be stating that we experience fellowship with others who are walking in the light.

This was an incredible blessing when I first considered it. We had recently moved to a new town and hadn’t found a church yet. It seemed we were all alone, and yet this verse instructed me that as I walk in the light, I did have fellowship with others of like mind.

We have fellowship with others. A state of being, that as I walk properly, will experience that fellowship (or sharing together) with others. Of course, being associated with a body of believers makes this much more “efficient” but it doesn’t take away from the fact that fellowship with others is based on “Light Living”.

We all know that some churches have folks that are walking in the dark, and some walking in the light. This verse (and book) defines the difference between the two. Notice that it is not based on personal likes or denominational distinctions.

Or that God agrees with us. What do you mean with that remark Carl?

Let me give you an Old Testament example.

josh_5_14_captain_of_the_hosts Prior to entering Canaan, Joshua met “the captain of the Lord’s army”, and as the military man that he was, Joshua demanded whose side He was on. The Angel simply stated “I am the Captain….”

He wasn’t on the side of the Israelite’s. We often get this so mixed up. He is the Lord. They were to be on His side! There is a difference! Check out The Lord’s Enemy post for a bit of teaching on this surprisingly forgotten concept for some!

He is the Lord and His people have fellowship with one another as they walk in His light.

John will describe that light throughout the remaining chapters of the book. I hope you can walk with me through these truths and come out of them with renewed vigor to follow Him in His light.

I hope you found a truth that was helpful in your life within this post. Drop me a line, or send this post to a friend that you thought of recently.

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Doctrinal · End Times · Hell · Judge

Judge Judge Judge – γνώμη – Study 4-A

2020-11-212020-11-22 consideringthebibletogether5 Comments

Because of the Cross Thanks for returning to this series on “Judge Judge Judge” and my feeble attempt to understand a believers responsibility and right to make judgments.

Another purpose of this series hopefully is to understand the believers restriction on judgement.

What can a Christian judge? How is he to judge? What is prohibited in the Christian life to judge. So many questions and concerns.

Our fourth greek word related to judging is…

gnōmē

G1106 – γνώμη – gnōmē

judgment, mind, purpose, advice, will, agree

1 Corinthians 1:10

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

I attended a medium size church for a period of time and one of the things I learned while their is that unity and uniformity are not equal.

The church sought the entire body to study one topic and a small group of us requested we continue with a separate study. This desire was evidence of an unwilling spirit, showing a fruit of division.

Is this Paul’s concern above?

Consider Paul’s later lament, where he rails against the believers joining cliques, forming premature denominations, and seeking to cling with their own group think. Finding folks that think the same way in church does not challenge our lives, but allows us to settle for a safe existence. Being around folks that think differently, forces a believer to capitulate to a strong personality (definitely a danger) or to become firm in his convictions.

So is Paul wanting us to believe the same minutia of doctrines, and refuse to fellowship with those who differ? I think not.

He wants them

to agree / speak the same
to have no divisions / schisms among them
to be united in the same mind and the same judgement

all yall.jpg

Check the context – the believers, in the previous verse, are told of their calling – and since I reside in Texas, I’m gonna give you the Texan translation.

… All y’all were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord

The focus of the fellowship, of the church body, of the gathering of the saints is to have fellowship with one another and the Lord Jesus Christ.

If Jesus is head, we look to Him for direction and guidance, we humble ourselves to accept that we may be wrong in our understanding of the will of God, and in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

If all y’all believers (including me!) sought this type of Christianity, there would be no divisions, and the world would see a group of believers united in the same mind and the same judgement concerning things of the Spirit of God.

Agree to speak the same thing (about Jesus) – that He is Lord.
Have no divisions, (although some believers may be at different stages of their pilgrimage)
United in the same mind (of humility) and of the same judgement, (based on the Spirit and the written Word)

Thanks for joining me in this study. Hope to visit with you in our next post as we continue to look at the Greek term γνώμη.

Be Blessed.

I look forward to comments and discussion. May the Lord give you an understanding heart and a willing spirit to consider the Bible and all it’s wealth.

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Month: November 2020

Jesus & Paul – Different Messages? Part 7

7. Both taught the same things about Christ’s identity – He is Lord

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