Monday, February 8, 2010

Itself



This blog is designed to help the Christian see what the Bible says about things that affect us. In order for the Bible to have authority in the life of a believer, I think we need to know more about this book. This posting deals with what does the Bible say about Itself.

Although philosophical in nature, the Bible is not a philosophy text. Nor is it a scientific treatise. However, there is no discrepancy between ascertained facts of science and the Bible. The Bible is not a history text, although it has repeatedly been proven historically accurate. The Bible was given to man from God to reveal Jesus Christ as the Son of God and man's only Savior. In John 14:6 Jesus proclaimed "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The Bible is the Story of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus' own words in John 5:39 implore potential believers to "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me." The Bible is as high above all other books as the heavens are above the earth. It has been said of the Bible, “Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be right.”

The Bible is the inerrant Word of God, verbally inspired in the whole and in the parts, the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is a Book of oneness. 2 Peter 1:21 says “. . . for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” This Book is composed of 66 books written over a period of approximately 1,500 years. It was written by 35 different authors which represent a cross section of humanity -- educated and uneducated -- kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers and physicians. And yet the Bible's various parts are as harmoniously united as the diverse parts that make up the human body.

The Bible claims special power. The Bible is a live and likened as a sword; Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The bible is likened as a mirror; James 1:22-25 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

The Bible commands the believer to study it so we will know what it says regarding the things of God. The above passages are just a taste of what the Bible says about itself. The first part of 2 Timothy 2:15, we are told to study this book. To help get you in the right direction, see below are more passages that you can look up and study.

Ephesians 5:26
Psalms 51:2
1 Peter 1:23
2 Peter 3:15-16

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Suffering



We live in the day where some churches are teaching that God’s people do not suffer; it’s called the Prosperity Gospel. No where in the Bible does it say that Christians will not suffer. It’s the opposite. In Matthew 7:23-25 and Luke 6:48-49, Jesus told his followers that when the storms and floods (suffering) of life hit you, you will be able withstand it because our lives on set on Him as our foundation. We will have suffering in this life. Sometimes it’s because of our actions and sometimes we have no clue why we suffer.

We’ll spend this posting dealing what the Bible says about suffering regarding a Christian. Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. It is designed to build our trust in Him, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Simply stated, suffering is anything which hurts or irritates. In the design of God, it is also something to make us think. It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation.

All suffering is not, for instance, a product of our own foolishness, self-induced misery, or sin. It is true, however, that rarely does suffering not reveal areas of need, weaknesses, and wrong attitudes that need to be removed like dross in the gold refining process (1 Pet. 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”). The reason we suffer can vary. We suffer because we live in a fallen world where sin reigns in the hearts of men. We suffer because of our own foolishness. We reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”). We sometimes suffer because it is God’s discipline (Heb. 12:6 “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives.”). We may suffer persecution because of our faith--especially when we take a stand on biblical issues (2 Tim. 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”).

Since this blog was set up to cause an average Christian to think about what the Bible truly says about subjects we all deal with, I want to conclude with a list of general Bible passages that deal with suffering. This is not a comprehensive list of scriptures on this subject. I put it here to encourage you to begin your own study of what the Bible says about this important subject.

Complaining About Suffering-

Judges 6:13
Job 5:7
Job 6:2, 3
Job 13:15
Job 14:1
Job 23:2-9
Psalms 73:1-16
Ecclesiastes 7:15
Ecclesiastes 8:14
Jeremiah 12:1-4
Jeremiah 15:15-18

Warning that those who serve God will suffer-

John 16:33
2 Corinthians 12:7
2 Timothy 2:3
2 Timothy 3:12
1 Peter 4:12, 13

The positive side of pain and suffering-

Psalm 119:67, 71
Isaiah 53:3-5
John 9:2, 3
2 Corinthians 12:10
Philippians 1:12-14
Hebrews 5: 8, 9
Hebrews 12:5-7, 10, 11
James 1:2-4
1 Peter 1:6, 7
1 Peter 2:21-24

Bad attitude toward pain and suffering-

Job 2:9
Job 3:3
Job 7:7

Good attitude toward pain and suffering-

Daniel 3:16-18
Matthew 26:39
Romans 12:14
Galatians 6:2
Philippians 1:19-26
Philippians 3:13, 14


Promises of help for God’s people in times of suffering-

Deuteronomy 32:10, 11
Psalms 9:9, 10
Psalms 46:1-3
Psalms 147:3
Isaiah 41:10
Lamentations 3:19-26, 33
John 16:33
Romans 6:5
Romans 8:18
Romans 8:28
1 Corinthians 10:13
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Philippians 4:13
Hebrews 4:15, 16
1 Peter 5:7