Isaiah 55:9-13
For as the heavens are higher than
the
earth, so are My Ways
higher than your ways, and My Thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater:
So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My Mouth:
it shall not
return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of
the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD
for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut
off.
With these thoughts of our Father, we go into the New Testament to
further seek their application in our Christian lives.
2 Timothy 2:14-16
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the
Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but
to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain [empty] babblings:
for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
On the one hand we are urged to study to rightly divide our
Father's Word and yet admonished not to engage in empty debate.
Perhaps this next passage will serve to clear up the seeming
"paradox".
Romans 14:1-11
1 Him that is weak in the faith
receive
ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is
weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not
him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own
master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God
is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every
day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that
regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that
eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that
eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die,
we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the
Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he
might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set
at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall
bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to
God.
The avoidance of empty arguement does in no way release us from
"rightly dividing" the Word; on the contrary, we, as Christians
(lit.Christ's people) especially those of us who present ourselves as
teachers of The Word, have the grave responsibility to preach the
Word, as written, rather than through the distortions of man's
traditions. For it is written:
Matthew 15:1-9
1 Then came to Jesus scribes and
Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for
they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the
commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He
that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is
a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus
have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth
me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.
1 Timothy 4:1-16
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a
hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if
it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou
shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of
faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself
rather unto godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust
in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those
that believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the
believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith,
in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to
doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy
profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them:
for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear
thee.
Please bear in mind that the earliest copies of the Manuscripts
that we have are in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.... not English !
Without at least a good Hebrew-Greek-Chaldee-English lexicon
(dictionary), we are wholly dependant on the "mercy" of a given set of
translators some good others better or worse. Commentaries while of
interest, represent the biases as well as the insights of the
commentator. i find that an interlinear translation such as Green's as
well as a 1611 KJV (such as The Companion Bible) along with a Strong's
Concordance & Lexicon to be a good basic library. E-Sword.net is an excellent free
source of Strong's, Green's and many translations of God's Word.
phil@WordStudy.org
In Jesus' Precious Name,
Agape & Amen
