Frequently Misunderstood or Misread Bible Verses

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Jerry

 

Sometimes what we think we know turns out not to be so!

John 17:3

Muslims, Unitarians, Christadelphians, Oneness Pentecostals, and Jehovah Witnesses misunderstand John 17:3.

I have found that Muslims misread John 17:3 by failing to take into account its several contexts (immediate context, related context, remote context, total Bible context).

The verse says:

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (KJV)

Joh 17:3 Now eternal life means knowing you as the only true God and knowing Jesus your messenger as Christ. (Williams NT)

They misread John 17:3, arguing that when Jesus speaks of His Father as being the only true God, Jesus necessarily excludes Himself from the category of “true God,” and so denies His Deity. Therefore, they conclude, Jesus never claimed to be God and the doctrine of the Trinity is false.

But that is not what John 17:3 says. Jesus is emphasizing that eternal life belongs to those who continue to know God the Father and continue to know Jesus Christ His Son.

Jehovah Witnesses misread John 17:3 by reading into the verse their mistaken presuppositions: they presuppose that the category “only true God” must mean “only the Father is the only true God”–which is not what the text says. That is neither the subject of the verse nor the subject of the context.

I have discussed John 17:3 in much fuller detail on this site. Use the “Search” feature to easily access those articles. Just type in John 17:3 in the search box.

John 3:5

A number of mainline Protestant churches and particularly the Church of Christ as well as the Roman Catholic Church insist that John 3:5 teaches the doctrine of “baptismal regeneration” and/or “baptismal remission of sin.” They teach that in order to be saved, in order to receive forgiveness of sin, a person must be water baptized.

My experience discussing the Bible with Roman Catholics has been that when I ask them “Do you know for sure that you have been born again?” the response I get is “Yes, I have been baptized.”

This interpretation of John 3:5 is totally mistaken because the reference to baptism here is not to ritual water baptism but to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a totally mistaken view for it fails to account for the Figure of Speech Hendiadys present in the text, where two words are used but only one thing is meant.

John 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

The Note I supplied in my recently republished book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, gives some further details:

“Two words are used (water, Spirit), but one thing is meant (Spirit). By this figure water and spirit are joined by “and.” There is no of in the Greek, supplied here by the translators. There is no article to either of the two nouns. This figure gives the meaning, “born of water, even the spirit.” That only one thing is meant by the two words is clear from verses 6 and 8 (Joh 3:6; Joh 3:8), where only the Spirit (the one thing) is mentioned. The figure may also be understood to mean “born of spiritual water,” where the “spiritual water” is, by the figure Metonymy, put for the Holy Spirit Himself, as is clear from Joh 7:38, 39. The reference is to the real baptism by the Holy Spirit which is the one indispensable condition of entering the kingdom of God (Rom 8:9, 1Co 12:13), not to the water of ritual baptism (Act 1:5 note).”

I have discussed John 3:5 in much greater depth on this site. Use the “Search” feature to easily find those articles.

2 Corinthians 13:5

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

This is not a command to constant self-examination! The note I placed in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge explains this text:

“yourselves. FS101, +Deut 32:42. The Hyperbaton by which the pronoun heautous, yourselves, is placed at the beginning of the sentence (the object before the subject), shows the emphasis which is to be placed upon it, and tells us that this is the serious irony of a grieved heart, and not a general command.

“These Corinthian saints, having been beguiled by the Jewish enemies of the apostle to question his apostleship, actually sought a proof of Christ speaking in him! So he meets their questionings with another question: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me…YOURSELVES examine ye, if ye are in the faith; YOURSELVES prove ye. Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?” The answer to this question, thus ironically put, would prove them to be the seals of his ministry, and the real proof of his apostleship.

“Here is no command for the saints today, no admonition to practice continual self-examination and introspection, to see whether they are in the faith; for Christ is in them. Read the words in connection with the context, and the force of this solemn Irony will be at once seen: and it will be used no more to vex and perplex God’s dear children, by taking words which refer to their state to upset their standing, which is perfect and complete “in Christ” (F/S 812).”

2 Corinthians 5:10

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

This verse is often, if not always, misread to teach that when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we will be judged publicly for everything we have ever done, whether good or bad.

Verses like this can be very unsettling to the faith and assurance of salvation for every believer who encounters them while reading the Bible.

Add Matthew 5:20 to the mix:

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  (KJV)

Mat 5:20 `For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens. (YLT, Young’s Literal Translation)

Mat 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness may exceed beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you may by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens. (LNT, Lavender’s NT)

Mat 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (NET Bible)

Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all. (Williams NT)

Mat 5:20  I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God’s approval and do it more faithfully than the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (GW, God’s Word translation)

Mat 5:20  I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires. (GNB, Good News Bible)

Mat 5:20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

Add Matthew 5:48 to this mix:

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)

Then add Matthew 7:21-23 to the mix:

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)

Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who practice doing the will of my Father in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, was it not in your name that we prophesied, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many wonder-works?’
Mat 7:23 And then I will say to them openly, ‘I never knew you at all. Go away from me, you who practiced doing wrong.’ (Williams NT)

Mat 7:21 Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.
Mat 7:22 On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.”
Mat 7:23 But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!” (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

Ordinary Bible readers who read Matthew 7:21, 22, 23 may well ask, “Who, then, can be saved?” What if, on Judgment Day, Jesus tells us “I never knew you”?

Add yet another striking verse to the mix:

Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (KJV)

Mat 12:36 I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.
Mat 12:37 On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said. (CEV)

A brief answer to this apparent conundrum can be seen reflected in what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:23, 24, 25, 26,

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

Notice Paul equates the terms law, and schoolmaster, stating we are no longer under a schoolmaster, thus declaring we are no longer under the law as a means of obtaining salvation.

Unlike the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’s day, we do not base our salvation upon perfectly keeping the Law of Moses, but upon faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.

Now back to the disturbing text, 2 Corinthians 5:10,

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (KJV)

Carefully consider, however, that “the judgment seat of Christ” does not take place at “the Great White Throne” (Revelation 20:11, 12)!

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (KJV)

But notice that those who have part in the first resurrection will not have any part in the Great White Throne judgment:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (KJV)

Jesus directly promised:

John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (KJV)

Joh 5:24 I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

Paul echoes this fundamental  truth:

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (KJV)

Rom 8:1  So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. (GW, God’s Word translation)

The mistake many make in Bible interpretation is to forget that there is more than one resurrection. The Bible does not teach a single general resurrection of the dead. This is evident from several Bible passages:

Luke 14:14  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. (KJV)

Luk 14:14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (NET Bible)

The resurrection of the just or righteous (the first resurrection) takes place at least 1000 years before the resurrection of the unrighteous mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 20:5):

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (KJV)

Rev 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. (NET Bible)

 

Joh 5:21  For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Joh 5:25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (KJV)

Joh 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.
Joh 5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
Joh 5:23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Joh 5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life.
Joh 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming — and is now here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Joh 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself,
Joh 5:27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Joh 5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
Joh 5:29 and will come out — the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. (NET Bible)

In reference to John 5:28, I placed the following explanatory note in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

in which all. This does not assert a simultaneous resurrection of the just and unjust. The word “hour” is frequently rendered “time” as the parallel passages (Joh 4:23, 1Jn 2:18) show, equivalent to saying “a time is coming when all shall be raised,” without requiring that the time is brief, and certainly not simultaneous when other Scriptures tell us “every man in his own order” (1Co 15:23). Notice the following verse (John 5:29) describes two resurrections, the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of damnation” (Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, vol. 2, p. 301). John 11:24. **John 11:25, 26. John 11:44, 45.

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From Father to Son

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Jerry

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1992, I received copies of the first edition of my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

I autographed a copy to my youngest son with the message:

Just think! Your Dad wrote this book. This book will help you understand the Bible better. With this book you can dig into the treasures of God’s Word.

It took your Dad 26 years or more of research and study to prepare this book. Your Mom helped, too. It took Dad five years just to type it. But now that the book is done, I hope we will have more time to use it together. This is one book you will never finish studying, so it should last you a long time.

May this book be as great a blessing in your life as it was to your Dad when he was a boy, using the original edition.

With love from the author, your Dad!

 

Today, I am returning this copy to my son on Father’s Day, 2023.

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Daily Bible Nugget #757, Psalm 62:8

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Psa 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Cross reference Bible study for Psalm 62:8 from The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Psalms 62:8
Trust. Psa 4:5; +**Psa 9:10 note. Psa 22:4, 5; Psa 34:1, 2; Psa 46:1, 2, 3; *Psa 55:22; Psa 61:4; Psa 84:12; Psa 112:7; Psa 115:9; *Psa 118:8, 1Sa 30:6, 2Ki 6:27, *Job 13:15; Job 35:14, **Pro 3:5; Pro 22:19, Isa 26:4; *Isa 50:10, Jer 48:7, Lam 3:24, Dan 3:28, **Hab 3:17, 18, 19, *Mar 11:22, *1Ti 6:17, 1Jn 2:28.

at all times. Psa 16:8; Psa 34:1; Psa 106:3; +*Psa 119:20, **Hab 3:17, 18, 19, Joh 8:29, Rom 12:12.

ye people. Psa 3:6; Psa 3:8; Psa 7:8; Psa 9:11; Psa 14:4.

pour out. T1353, Psa 18:3; Psa 42:4; Psa 69:24; Psa 79:6; Psa 86:4, Psa 102:1, title. +*Psa 119:145; Psa 142:2, +Exo 4:9, Jdg 6:20, *1Sa 1:15, 1Ki 10:2, Isa 26:16; Isa 33:2, Jer 20:12, *Lam 2:19, Jon 3:8, **Php 4:6, +*Jas 5:16.

heart. FS121I1, +Gen 3:7. *Psa 4:4; Psa 13:2; *Psa 15:2; Psa 20:4, +*Eph 5:19.

God. +Psa 9:9; Psa 18:2; Psa 46:11, *2Ki 6:27, *Pro 14:26, *Heb 6:18.

refuge. Psa 62:7, Psa 9:9, Num 35:6.

for us. Heb 2:10, 11, 12, 13.

Selah. +Psa 9:16.

From Ken Sagely’s Facebook post:

PSALM 62.8 Trust in Him at all times; you
people, pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

PSALM 18.1-2 I will love You, O Lord, my
strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and
my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
MY shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

PROVERBS 14.26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong
confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

PSALM 150.6 Let everything that
has breath Praise the Lord .
Praise the Lord!!
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Daily Bible Nugget #756, Proverbs 14:15

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 14:15  The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. (KJV)

Pro 14:15  A fool will believe anything; smart people watch their step. (GNB, Good News Bible)

Pro 14:15  The naïve believes every word, but the shrewd discerns his steps. (TLV, Tree of Life Version)

Pro 14:15  A gullible person will believe anything, but a sensible person will confirm the facts. (TPT, The Passion Translation)

Pro 14:15 Don’t be stupid and believe all you hear; be smart and know where you are headed. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

The Bible cautions against gullibility! Don’t fall for the lies promoted in our contemporary culture. Be patient and investigate before committing to action.

Many things that were condemned as “conspiracy theory” have in recent weeks been confirmed to have been “conspiracy facts.” Sometimes it is wise to “follow the money.” For example, if the law pertaining to monopoly and price-fixing were enforced strictly right now, there would be no national debt crisis in the United States. What once constituted less than 4% of our federal expenditure is now over 30% of the federal budget, and this budget item is growing every year at a far greater rate than inflation. It will, from what I have read, soon constitute an expense greater than is taken in yearly as taxes, which could collapse the whole government. That might be a good thing, seeing as the government itself has become lawless. The budget item I refer to is health care. Do some reading yourself on the subject of Covid and the “vaccines” created to alleviate it. It turns out that the “cure” is worse than the disease, and could have been avoided without the use of the “vaccines” by using medicines already available and in wide use. The notion that face masks would be effective against a virus was proven to be nonsense by many scientific studies over many years in the past. A good analogy would be comparing the effectiveness of a face mask to building a chain link fence to keep mosquitos out of your back yard. Likewise, “social distancing” has no verifiable scientific effectiveness in slowing the spread of disease.

Cross reference Bible study for Proverbs 14:15 as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury: 

Proverbs 14:15
simple. FS108K54, +Pro 1:4, Pro 4:26; +*Pro 22:3; Pro 27:12, Gen 3:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Eze 14:10 note. Rom 16:18, 19, +*Eph 4:14; Eph 5:17, *1Jn 4:1.

believeth every word. Jos 9:14, **1Ki 13:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, +*Eph 4:14, 2Ti 3:6, 7, 8; 2Ti 3:13, Heb 13:9, 2Pe 2:2; 2Pe 2:18, 19, 20.

the prudent. See on +Pro 14:8, +*Pro 22:3, Amos 5:13, Act 13:7, *Rom 14:12, +*1Th 5:21.

looketh well. +*Pro 15:14; Pro 18:1 note, **Pro 18:17, +*Isa 8:20 note. Mat 7:15, +**Act 17:11; Act **20:28, 29, 30, **1Th 5:21, *2Pe 3:17, *1Jn 4:1.

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Daily Bible Nugget #755, Proverbs 25:5

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 25:5  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. (KJV)

Pro 25:5  Slay the ungodly from before the king, and his throne shall prosper in righteousness. (LXX, Brenton translation)

Pro 25:5  And if you purge corruption from the kingdom, a king’s reign will be established in righteousness. (TPT, The Passion Translation)

Pro 25:5  Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice. (GNB, Good News Bible)

Pro 25:5 Remove a lawless man from before the king, that his throne, may be established in righteousness. (EB, Emphasized Bible)

Pro 25:5  Take a wicked person away from the presence of a king, and justice will make his throne secure. (GW, God’s Word translation)

Pro 25:5 Take away evil-doers from before the king, and the seat of his power will be made strong in righteousness. (BBE, Basic English Bible)

Pro 25:5 Evil people must be removed before anyone can rule with justice. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

This one verse–Proverbs 25:5–gives the solution to our present political problems and our current national crisis.

The so-called “powers that be” have taken to themselves authority which they do not legitimately possess. The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic, NOT a democracy. We are governed by the rule of law, not men. We now see the drastic results of moving away from the Constitution and the rule of law. Our illegitimate ruling authorities at all levels of government do not represent the people and the rule of law but an agenda to overturn our Constitutional Republic to make it a Marxist state ruled by the will of the “elite.”

The media no longer serve the Constitutional purpose of being a “watchdog” to report what is really going on, protected by the First Amendment. Rather, they serve as a unified and uniform mouthpiece for the agenda of the elite. They do not report the news so much as they mislead the public with their propaganda.

The Bible warns us not to be deceived by propaganda, whatever its source:

Pro 14:15  The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. (KJV)

Pro 14:15  A gullible person believes anything, but a sensible person watches his step. (GW)
Pro 14:18  Gullible people are gifted with stupidity, but sensible people are crowned with knowledge. (GW)

Pro 14:15 Don’t be stupid and believe all you hear; be smart and know where you are headed. (CEV)

It has been admitted in reports in some media that the FBI has been engaged in a continuing effort to prevent President Trump from being effective during his term as President by spreading lies via the media about him and his supporters. They are still doing this. Currently, false charges and invalid indictments are their continuing attempt to be sure he cannot be elected again.

The legal system has been turned on its head: a person is now guilty until proven innocent. The January 6th event is now labeled as an “insurrection,” and a “threat to our democracy,” when it is most certain it was nothing of the sort. I watched many hours of live video as the event took place from many different sources. Yet even today, hundreds of innocent, patriotic attendees who were merely peacefully present on the scene are still housed in jails with no charges filed against them, political prisoners of the “deep state.”

Parents who attend local school board meetings to protest the introduction of “critical race theory” and the imposition of the Sodomite agenda upon their children have been labeled “domestic terrorists.” The labels their accusers and detractors apply to these rightfully concerned parents reveal just what the accusers themselves are.

I noticed this week that there are those who plan to bring us a new, corrected Bible, a Bible that supports their agenda. Well, the Bible speaks directly to that!

Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Anyone who promotes the “green agenda” and who claims we have a climate change crisis because of man-made carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere is utterly ignorant of actual science. Plants need carbon dioxide just like we need oxygen. Plants thrive when more carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere, and grow more luxuriously. To have improved crop yields, increase the available carbon dioxide.

How about those forest fires? They are the result of the ignorant and absurd “green agenda,” an agenda that has prevented well-known good forestry management practices from being followed. This has resulted in vast quantities of smoke and pollutants entering our atmosphere.

To suppose that moving to EV’s–electric vehicles–is a good idea is nonsense. Those who promote such ideas are ignorant of physics. Electric vehicles will never be as efficient as the current gas powered vehicles we have today. The rare earth minerals required to create the batteries for such vehicles are in very short supply. To suppose we can power the electric grid with solar panels and windmills is nonsense. Such “green energy” resources are costly, inefficient, and sometimes may not work if the wind does not blow or the sun doesn’t shine.

In the United States, coal-powered electric plants are being “retired” before alternative power sources are brought on line to replace them. We have a very abundant supply of coal. But the ignorant “powers that be” have their own disruptive agenda that is certainly not based on any knowledge of the laws of physics. They are actually destroying earth’s resources as they create their “build back better” solutions. God explicitly states that He will “destroy them that destroy the earth” in both the Old Testament and the New. I look forward to that!

Revelation 11:18
18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
King James Version

Jeremiah 51:25
25  Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
King James Version

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Daily Bible Nugget #754, John 17:3

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Joh 17:3  Eternal life means to know and experience you as the only true God, and to know and experience Jesus Christ, as the Son whom you have sent. (TPT, The Passion Translation)

My Comment:

One of the most misread verses in the Bible is John 17:3.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (KJV)

Joh 17:3 Now eternal life means knowing you as the only true God and knowing Jesus your messenger as Christ. (Williams NT)

Jesus in His prayer to His Father, in asserting that the Father is the only true God, does not exclude Himself from or deny His own deity!

To argue that Jesus does just that is to fail to read John 17:3 in its immediate, near, related, and remote contexts. This denial of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ is not the subject of this prayer!

To argue that Jesus attributes Deity to His Father exclusively and alone is a logical misreading of John 17:3 for this text does not apply the word “only” to the Father but to God.

Jesus is AFFIRMING that the Father is the only true God but Jesus is not excluding Himself from the category of true deity.

Notice that the word “ONLY” is mistakenly and illogically understood to apply to the FATHER. But nowhere in this text is the word ONLY applied to the word Father so as to say “ONLY the Father is the true God.” Therefore, to so understand John 17:3 to state this falsehood is clearly a mistaken reading of this text, and this argument is thus utterly refuted.‬‬‬‬‬

Posted in Apologetics--Christian, Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions, How to Interpret the Bible Correctly | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Daily Bible Nugget #753, Psalm 119:97

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Psa 119:97  O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Cross Reference Study for Psalm 119:97

Psalms 119:97

MEM

O how. T1080. Psa 119:24; *Psa 119:48; *Psa 119:113; Psa 119:127; *Psa 119:159; Psa 119:163; Psa 119:165; *Psa 119:167, *Psa 1:2; %Psa 52:3; Psa 52:4; Psa 112:1; **Psa 138:2, *Deut 6:6, 7, 8, 9; *Deut 17:18; *Deut 17:19, **Jos 1:8, %1Ki 22:8, 2Ch 34:18, Neh 8:12, Pro 2:10; Pro 18:1.

I love thy law. Psa 119:9; +Psa 119:47; Psa 119:159; Psa 119:163; Psa 119:165, Psa 19:7; Psa 112:1, Deut 11:8, Pro 12:1, +*Jer 15:16, Rom 7:22, *2Co 3:7; *2Co 3:8, 1Ti 1:8, +**2Ti 3:16; +**2Ti 3:17.

meditation. Psa 119:15; Psa 119:24; Psa 119:99, +*Psa 1:2; Psa 104:34, Gen 24:63, Job 15:4, Pro 2:10; Pro 15:14; Pro 18:15, Isa 29:24, +*Jer 15:16, Eze 3:3, Luk 11:36, +**Joh 5:39, Rom 12:2, **1Ti 4:13; 1Ti 4:15.

all the day. Psa 25:5, **Deut 6:7; **Deut 17:19, +*Jos 1:8, Pro 6:22, +**Act 17:11.

My Comment:

It is essential to spiritual growth that we read and study the Bible enough (at least 20 minutes a day) often enough (no less than four days a week) to experience the change God desires to work in our lives. Start by reading through the New Testament several times. It will change your life for the better!

From Ken Sagely’s FB post:

PSALM 119.11 Thy word have i hid in mine heart, thine might not sin against thee!!

PSALM 119.97 Oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day!

COLOSSIANS 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

EPHESIANS 6.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

HEBREWS 4.12 For the Word of God is quick, and Powerful, and Sharper than any two-edge Sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 CORINTHIANS 10.4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; 5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
over-coming daily with Spirit’s sword ,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, Standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.

 

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Daily Bible Nugget #752, John 10:10

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

My Comment:

In my prior post I stated:

To access this power to escape this evil, spend time enough (no less than 20 minutes a day) often enough (no less than four days a week, according to modern research) reading, studying, and re-reading the New Testament for yourself, asking God to open your eyes to see the truth, asking God to open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and asking God to renew your mind to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.

Restated more generally,

To access the more abundant life Jesus promised:

spend time enough (no less than 20 minutes a day)

often enough (no less than four days a week, according to modern research)

reading, studying, and re-reading the New Testament for yourself,

asking God to open your eyes to see the truth,

asking God to open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ,

and asking God to renew your mind to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.

 

Think about this carefully.

Following this advice will change your life for all eternity.

Not following this advice may ruin your life for all eternity.

Share this workable advice with others, and follow it yourself.

 

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

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Daily Bible Nugget #751, 1 Corinthians 12:26

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

My Comment:

This verse was quoted by the United States President yesterday in support of a movement he favors but which the Bible does not.

Beware when politicians piously quote Scripture when they themselves demonstrate they know nothing about the Bible but stand and act against it and those who believe it.

Even demons know the truth about Jesus, and spoke the truth about Him, but Jesus “suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ” (Luke 4:41).

Luke 4:41
41  And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
King James Version

Psalms 50:16
16  But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
King James Version

I would remind Bible reading, Bible studying Christians never to be fooled into supporting unbiblical causes (2 Chronicles 19:2) by those who misquote the Bible in support of them.

Using 1 Corinthians 12:26 in the manner the President did violated the rule of immediate context, as is immediately evident when considering the connection it has with the verse before and after it:

1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The verse (1 Corinthians 12:26) concerns the care (Romans 15:7) members of the body of Christ are to have for one another.

Using 1 Corinthians 12:26 to promote support for a so-called “gay pride month” directly violates what Paul taught in the very same letter at 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, where Paul wrote that anyone who participates in this abominable life style will never inherit the Kingdom of God:

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)

More  plainly in modern English:

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
1Co 6:10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NET Bible)

There are no genuine Christians who practice this lifestyle. They have been delivered from this evil by the power of the Gospel of Christ, by the power of the blood of Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit in their life:

1Co 6:11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NET Bible)

To access this power to escape this evil, spend time enough (no less than 20 minutes a day) often enough (no less than four days a week, according to modern research) reading, studying, and re-reading the New Testament for yourself, asking God to open your eyes to see the truth, asking God to open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and asking God to renew your mind to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.

Posted in Christian Living, Daily Bible Nuggets, How to Interpret the Bible Correctly, How to Study the Bible, Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #750, Proverbs 11:2

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. (KJV)

Pro 11:2 When pride comes, there comes shame, but wisdom is with the quiet in spirit. (BBE, Basic English Bible)

Pro 11:2  People who are proud will soon be disgraced. It is wiser to be modest. (GNB, Good News Bible)

Pro 11:2  Wherever pride enters, there will be also disgrace: but the mouth of the lowly meditates wisdom. (LXX, Brenton translation)

Pro 11:2  When you act with presumption, convinced that you’re right, don’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face! But walking in humility helps you to make wise decisions. (TPT, The Passion Translation)

Pro 11:2  Arrogance comes, then comes shame, but wisdom remains with humble people. (GW, God’s Word translation)

Pro 11:2 Too much pride can put you to shame. It’s wiser to be humble. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

I post verses in several English translations because each translation adds insight for English readers present in the underlying original text of the Bible. No single translation can convey all the depth of riches to be found in the original language. Some translations may be the product of translators with whom we otherwise have good reason to disagree. Nevertheless, sometimes even they shed light on the underlying meaning of the text that others may have missed. So the first step in quickly accessing the meaning of a Bible verse is to read it in what I call “distinctive translations.” These are translations which by their unique word choices bring out the meaning of a text more fully.

The second step in understanding a text in the Bible is to interpret a verse in the light of its immediate, its near, its related, and its distant contexts. This includes carefully following the flow of thought in a passage. I demonstrated this at considerable length in a recent post regarding John 17:3. But in the book of Proverbs, there often is no basis for following the immediate context principle of interpretation because individual proverbs are often unique gems of truth stated without reference to the immediate context.

The third step in understanding a text in the Bible is to interpret the verse in the light of what the rest of the Bible tells us about the subjects mentioned in the verse. To do this, we make use of cross reference Bible study. If you have not spent much if any time carefully consulting the cross references given for Bible verses of interest to you, you have been missing a whole new dimension of effective Bible study and understanding!

Yesterday, I encountered Proverbs 11:2 in my study of the Bible text for Proverbs 25:5 which I used for yesterday’s Daily Bible Nugget post. I discovered that the cross references given for Proverbs 11:2 could be improved. So I reorganized the cross references to better fit the key words in the verse and added the reciprocal references and some additional references never given before.

Here are the newly prepared cross references for Proverbs 11:2,

Proverbs 11:2
pride. +Pro 16:5; +Pro 16:18; +Pro 16:19; Pro 18:12, 2Sa 15:1. Isa 3:9. Eze 28:17. *Dan 4:30, 31, 32, *Luk 14:8, 9, 10, 11; *Luk 18:14.

cometh shame. *Pro 3:35; Pro 18:3; Pro 18:12; Gen 3:5; Gen 3:7, Num 12:2; Num 12:9, 10, 2Ch 26:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 2Ch 32:21, Job 36:14. Dan 4:30, Zep 2:8; Zep 2:10; Zep 2:15. Luk 14:9. 1Co 6:9, 10. Eph 5:12.

but with the lowly. *Pro 3:34; Gen 41:16; Gen 41:38, 39, Dan 2:20, 21, Luk 14:10, 11, *1Co 8:1; *1Co 8:2.

is wisdom. Pro 1:2. Pro 2:6; Pro 15:33,

 

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