Copyright © 2014 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
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.
Romans 2:20
http://www.dailybiblestudy.org
20 An
instructor [paideutes] of the foolish [aphron], a
teacher [didaskalos] of babes [nepios], which hast [echo] the form
[morphosis] of knowledge [gnosis] and [kai] of the truth [aletheia] in [en] the law [nomos]. KJV-Interlinear
20 an
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the
embodiment of knowledge and truth— ESV
Paul continues the descriptions of the advantages that the Jews possessed, before he drops the hammer of heavy rebuke on their abuse of those advantages.
They presumed that they are the instructor of the foolish and yet it was they who were foolish.
They presumed the instruction of babes, and yet it was they who were the babes.
So Paul turns their arguments, arguments that were common among the Jews, against them. Their own arguments actually serve to convict themselves.
The use of the word for foolish, can apply to those who lack understanding, as well as to those who are actually wicked. And moreover, it serves to identify those who ae both.
Instructor implies content of instruction. A teacher implies the qualification of the position.
And yet people who lack doctrine and truth within their soul, are neither instructor or teacher.
You cannot teach what you do not know. You cannot instruct when you lack the discernments of instruction.
The form of knowledge, refers to the external form or appearance, rather than the internal content. The superficial rather than the substance.
And the reference to the law, distinguishes the content of the scriptures as the accurate and source of truth, which is from God.
So, the Jews used superficial references without the detailed content. They taught ambiguous concepts without the content to back them up.
And that is exactly what people do today. They say all of the right words, but their words, the amens, the praise this or that, carry no content, no instruction, and therefore have no edifying impact on the hearers of those convenient phrases.
Simple phrases and clichés do not teach, and do not advance anyone in their spiritual growth.
If you went to school as a child and all you heard was the teacher praising you for being there, you would not learn the alphabet, not learn words, not learn anything. Only that it was good of you to have been there.
And what good is that? No good at all.
And Paul makes it very clear that even though the Jews had the right content, namely the scriptures, if they are not taught in detail, then the teaching is empty. If the instructors themselves did not know the content, then their teaching was lacking.
And furthermore, you cannot teach one standard, and then require two standards, one for yourself and another for others.
Go to Today's Study Question:
Today's Study Question: Question
Donations
http://www.dailybiblestudy.org/m-donation.html
Previous Page
Table of Contents
Donation
Next Page
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.
