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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
1 Thessalonians 1:5
5 For [hoti] our [hemon] gospel [euaggelion] came [ginomai] not [ou] unto [eis] you [humas] in [en] word [logos] only, [monon] but [alla] also [kai] in [en] power, [dunamis] and [kai] in [en] the Holy [hagios] Ghost, [pneuma] and [kai] in [en] much [polus] assurance; [plerophoria] as [kathos] ye know [eido] what manner of men [hoios] we were [ginomai] among [en] you [humin] for [dia] your [humas] sake. KJV-Interlinear
5 for our gospel did not come to
you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full
conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for
your sake. NASB
Your perception, knowledge
and understanding of the scriptures comes to you by
means of the Holy Spirit.
Certainly you read or
hear these words online, on the radio or television, and so forth, but it is
the Holy Spirit that makes them clear and perspicuous, and therefore easy to
understand, regardless of your intelligence level or lack of it.
When it comes to
hearing and understanding the Word of God, the playing field is leveled by the
Holy Spirit.
In this world, there
are two systems of perception the temporal system and the spiritual system.
The temporal system can
be summed up in the term philosophy or the study of existence, knowledge,
truth, beauty, justice, morals and so forth.There is also the mysticism and mythology approach to these subjects.
Philosophy approaches
these subjects by means of empiricism, logic, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics,
and so forth.Philosophy is limited by
the study of facts, and the subsequent interpretation of facts.Philosophy and all such approaches to truth
cannot reach into the spiritual realm.The spiritual realm is beyond human abilities.
In the temporal world,
your perception and therefore your knowledge and understanding are limited to
your empirical data, your life s experiences, your logic, and so forth.The temporal world is looking at life in
total darkness.
In the spiritual world,
God makes everything clear and obvious to all, such that there is no
uncertainty about the subject you are considering.The spiritual world is looking at life in
total light.
To illustrate this,
suppose you are standing in a totally dark place.You cannot see the end of your nose.Someone says, Look, a tree. You look and see nothing.So you approach the tree, feel the tree,
smell the tree, and because everyone agrees, it must be a tree.
In total light, someone
says, Look an ornamental gate. While
in the darkness you thought it was a tree.But in darkness everyone agreed, and so you had no frame of reference to
disagree with the accepted view.
That is the difference
between knowledge acquired academically through the temporal world, and
knowledge acquired spiritually through the communication function of the Holy
Spirit.
While you have to be at
least alive and breathing in order to understand temporal knowledge, you only
have to be in fellowship (only believers can be in fellowship) in order to
understand truth.
Since so many folks are
either unbelievers or out of fellowship believers, then God uses parable
concepts (temporal examples) in order to teach spiritual principles.This helps people to become saved, to get
into fellowship through confession, and to learn doctrine, at least indirectly.
So, no one is left out,
nor left behind.And this accomplished
without horrendous bureaucracy and cost.
Doctrine comes to each
person through the power of the Holy Spirit.Doctrine is clear and the truth of doctrine is evident by virtue of its
own character. It is seen in the light
and therefore needs no testing or proof, or support apparatus.
Doctrine is
communicated by people.However, the
content of the things taught by people is sorted out by the Holy Spirit.You do not need to know the person, or the source of their information when you pursue
your study of the Word of God, daily, and in a legitimate manner.In time, the concepts taught will be
validated or invalidated, but not by the person, but by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual information comes
to you in a supernatural fashion and does not depend on your intellect or
perceptive abilities.
The teacher of doctrine
is unimportant.I would venture to guess
that ninety-nine percent of all who read this study haven t a clue as to who I
am.And that is as it should be.
The content of what is
being taught is important, and God makes it all clear to anyone and everyone
who approaches their Bible study with an open mind.
If I were to say that
there were virgins waiting for you in Paradise, you would know that this is not
true, for several reasons.First,
paradise is an empty place.Second, the
availability of virgins implies sin, and God never condones sin.Third, everyone who leaves this life will go
to Torments and there wait for the Lake of Fire, or they will go to
heaven.Fourth, no one in the afterlife will
be a slave to anyone else.And fifth,
where would all of those virgins come from anyway?What of their life?
So, through truth, you
were able to sort this false concept out, together with its inconsistencies.
Doctrine originates
from God.Doctrine is communicated by
God. And your spiritual life is accomplished by God.
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End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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