06/23/18 KNOWING THE TRUTH SETS US FREE
YOU might want to skip this because it could be really boring. On the other hand, it could be really helpful (maybe even disturbing). The next three sentences indicate the direction of this post.
I posted, "It is essential to know the word of God in order to believe the word of God.
Do not confuse simple faith with simple believe-ism."
This is how we come to KNOW the word of God.
God had always planned to reveal His word to mankind.
God revealed His nature and His power through the natural, created world and universe.
God spoke to human beings personally, through nature and through His Holy Spirit, explaining Himself and His will, His plan.
God called and equipped men (prophets) to be His instruments of revelation, and He spoke to them and guided them in recording His revelation so that the Old Testament was without error.
God's chosen prophets recorded the inerrant, infallible word of God.
God enlightened people, by His Holy Spirit, to understand the meaning of His revelation.
God sent His Son to reveal the will and nature of God.
God called and equipped men (prophets and apostles) to be His instruments of revelation, so that the New Testament was without error.
God has imparted His Holy Spirit to every believer, in order for them to understand the word of God, based on their own relationship with Him, concerning their personal state of grace, enablement, calling, gifts, ministry.
God enables believers, through His Holy Spirit and in accordance with their own faith, to attain to greater levels of Bible knowledge and spiritual growth. The closer we are to Him, the better we know and understand Him. Remember, we grow in grace and knowledge.
God not only imparts life to us by His Holy Spirit, which empowers us to follow Him, He also gives us His grace through the Fruit of the Spirit, so that we will be conformed to His image.
God also imparts to certain men and to each believer, special abilities and skills, to forward the work of ministry and to edify other believers in the faith of Christ.
Some of those gifts are specifically related to knowing, understanding and communicating the word of God. These "Gifts of the Spirit" are not to be confused with infallibility or new revelation. These gifts are tools to help other believers come to a better knowledge of God's word.
As believers, we are responsible to use every spiritual advantage to know, understand, follow and communicate the word of God to others.
God gave His word miraculously and infallibly in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, to be recorded for His people.
God enabled men to copy, transmit His word in the original languages.
God has enabled men to translate and communicate His Divine revelation to various languages.
God provides the resources for men of many languages to read, study, research the revelation of God.
This ability to translate is the link we now have with the infallible and inerrant, inspired word of God.
Preachers and teachers may or may not teach the truth of God's word.
Translations may or may not communicate the truth of God's word.
This is why Christians must find godly, honest, informed, gifted and Spirit anointed pastors and teachers.
This is why Christians must study the word of God, beyond the say so of any one version or translation.
This is why Christians must search the Scriptures (which may or may not be found in any given translation) and compare Scripture with Scripture.
Christians should take advantage of the spiritual and scholarly work that has been done to preserve and present the revelation of God.
I do not expect anyone to swallow my teaching, without examining the evidence. I always refer folks (especially if they have doubts or questions about what I say) to the Bible (especially KJV, NASB 1971 to 1977), and to research Concordances, Lexicons, Word Studies, Evangelical Commentaries, Church and Bible History.
As I said, "It is essential to know the word of God in order to believe the word of God.
Do not confuse simple faith with simple believe-ism."
