Tag Archives: Bible

A Short Lesson About Reading the Bible

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bibleThere’s an old saying about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.  The key to understanding scripture is context.  If you quote half a verse to support any argument, the first thing I’m going to do is go find the whole verse, then read the whole paragraph.  We need to know who is writing, to whom, and under what circumstances before applying any particular verse to our situation.

There are always critics of religion in general and of Christianity in particular that insist religion was invented or the Bible was written to control people.  Roman emperors used religion to build an empire, Medieval kings used it to build wealth and add territory, and Christians today use scripture to justify everything from suppressing women to persecuting homosexuals.  Sadly, to some extent, each of those arguments have some merit.  Emperor Constantine made the switch from persecuting Christians to embracing Christianity in order to defeat the enemies of the Roman Empire.  I think we should blame Rome for that, not Christ.  The problem with the Middle Ages is that the vast majority of Europeans were illiterate.  If the kings and knights of Medieval Europe could have read the Bible for themselves, they would not have been so easily manipulated.  Thank God for Gutenberg,  am I right?  Which brings us to today. Continue reading →

Things the Bible Doesn’t Say

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bibleI started listing well known sayings that people tend to think are in the Bible but actually aren’t.  As the list got longer I began to realize they could all basically be grouped in three categories.  This also helps to understand some of the confusion.

Misquotes – In this case the often quoted statement is similar to actual Bible verses, perhaps abbreviated.

The best example is “Money is the root of all evil.”  What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says is “The love (or lust) of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”  While the wording is similar, the meaning is quite different.  Money is neutral and the evil comes from our attitudes concerning it. Continue reading →

Blessings and Curses

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The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26 ESV)

That is the blessing which God commanded Moses to give Aaron and his sons.  Aaron was the first high priest of Israel, and his sons were anointed to serve under him as priests.  This was the blessing they spoke over the people of Israel, so that God’s name went before them and he would bless them.  I like to place my hands on any man being ordained as a deacon or into the ministry and say these words.  It is a fitting and appropriate way to ask God’s blessing on others.

There is another phrase often borrowed from scripture Continue reading →

The Bible on History

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Bible, on HistoryMy degree is in history and political science.  I taught history for eight years, and if I’ve learned anything it’s this: take what you see on the History Channel with a grain of salt.

UPDATE: Read my review of episode 1 here.

I enjoyed America: the Story of Us so much that I bought the DVD set.  I watch Pawn Stars and American Pickers which are entertaining and quasi-historical.  But History is also the cable network home of reality series such Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers; and then there’s Ancient Aliens.  Everything on History (owned by A&E Networks) is not of equal historical value.  Let’s leave it at that.

Which brings me to The Bible.   Continue reading →

Mind Blown by Psalms

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No matter how many times you read the Bible, no matter how much you think you know, there will always be new discoveries to make.  It’s an old story that never gets old.  And so it’s been with me here lately in the Book of Psalms.

Many people love the Psalms and Proverbs, even if they rarely enjoy other Old Testament books.  Our church has been studying through Psalms on Sunday nights.  For the first time in my life I have a pastor that is a few years younger than I am.  He often defers to me as an authority on the scriptures.  But I have to tell you this: Psalm 139 the other night – blew… my… mind. Continue reading →

God’s Will

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Psalm 115:3 says “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”  I actually read an argument from an unbeliever last week who quoted that verse and 2 Peter 3:9 about “God’s will that no one should perish.”  His argument was that one or the other must be true, or else this is a case of the Bible contradicting itself.

This is a perfect example of what happens when a verse is snagged from its context.  Read all of Psalm 115.  Verse 3 says that God is in heaven and does all that he pleases.  Verse 16 says “The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.”  God has given us the liberty to do his will or choose our own.  Most reject God.  Look at the example Jesus gave his followers when he taught them to pray: “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  He later himself prayed “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.”  Jesus prayed for God’s will and taught his followers to do the same.  We seek God’s will, and ask for his will to be done.  But on this world, affected by sin and the curse, his will is most often not done.

Why pray for God’s will to be done on earth it it’s not going to be anyway?  God has given the earth to the children of men for now.  Jesus also prayed “your kingdom come.”  When the Kingdom of God has fully come, and death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, God’s will will be done.

Men’s Morning with God

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I met Michael Spencer in 2003 when my wife and I visited the ministry he was a part of.  After joining that ministry, I was introduced to an early morning small group, Men’s Morning with God.  The poster said “bring your Bible and coffee.”  I’m a big fan of both of those things.  We met twice a week at 7 a.m. studying the scripture and praying before work.  I have been involved with other small groups before and since, but I stayed with that particular group for the duration of our ministry in Kentucky.

I thought that particular situation was unique.  There were about 150 people all living within a few miles of each other, ministering together, and all beginning the work day at basically the same time.  Still, our men’s group was never more than 10 or 12 (and sometimes just Michael and I).  I have been blessed to find an early morning men’s group once again.  This morning there were 5 of us.  From different churches, different vocations and with different schedules, this is a group of men that meet at 6 a.m. to read, discuss and pray.  One of those men was a friend of my dad, and one of my teachers back in the day.  Another member of the group went to high school with my brother.  You gotta love small towns.

And I love finding a group of men willing to be up and dressed before they have to be, in order to pray with and for each other.

The Sinner’s Prayer Debate

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One side of the debate says that the sinner’s prayer is not found in scripture.  Okay, I’ll give you that.  But you loose me on the premise that nowhere is such a prayer commanded nor implied anywhere in the New Testament.  The Apostle’s Creed is not found in scripture, but that is the statement of faith regularly made by many believers.  Each claim is based on scriptural truth.  Below is the sinner’s prayer text, followed by several statements quoted directly from scripture. Continue reading →

True or False: Man Cannot See God and Live

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I’m going to consider this question in order to illustrate two important truths that should apply to other questions.  I have heard entire sermons on Exodus 33:20, in which God says to Moses “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”  Some elevate the idea of dying at the sight of God to one of the great doctrines of our Christian faith.  If your paradigm is that no man can see God and live then you run into problems with other passages of scripture when men do see the face of God.  So here come two important lessons.

1) The Bible does not contradict itself.  The Bible is the Word of God.  At essence it conveys one single message, that of how a holy, righteous God deals with a sinful, fallen, broken humanity.  Many apparent conflicts are the result of not understanding historical or cultural context.  Bible students must learn something of history, Hebrew poetry, and the language of analogy. Continue reading →