Comprehension Reading is more than simply being able to identify letters and sound out words in your native language. Reading is about comprehending the message that the words, sentences, and paragraphs are intending to communicate. This is not only true when reading. It is necessary to all forms of communication that the message is accurately comprehended. Many if not most of the relational issues that we have in our world stem from issues of miscommunication. Most marriage counselors will acknowledge that marital problems, stemming from all kinds of issues such as financial fights, infidelity, extended family drama and more, start with poor communication. When we hear about communication problems, I think that most of us usually assume that the problem is with the delivery of the message. Therefore, we believe that to fix the problem we need to communicate more clearly, directly, and succinctly. Obviously, many communication problems do derive from the message being delivered poorly. However, it is also possible that many misunderstandings take place because the message was not received and understood rightly. Anachronism Anachronism means “something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time” or “an error in chronology in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one.” A couple of examples should help us to grasp the concept. Imagine that you were watching a documentary about the Civil War and one of the soldiers was wearing a cell phone on their belt. This would be an anachronism because cell phones didn’t exist in the period of the Civil War. Or what if you were watching a documentary about World War 2, but the soldier on the screen was armed for a first century battle with a sword and shield. These are examples of chronological inaccuracies. One of the ways that many people misinterpret historical texts, especially the Bible, is by reading a current understanding of a word or concept back into the time when it was written. One example would be if we read every use of the word “preach” in our Bible and assume that it is referring to a preacher standing behind a pulpit delivering a monologue lecture. Or if we always interpret the word “baptize” as referring to immersion in water, or if we interpret the word “church” as referring to a building where the followers of Christ would meet for worship (which it never means in the Bible). We are interpreting the text anachronistically. Context The only way for us to correctly interpret what the Bible means is to understand the historical context of both the author and the intended audience. We must remember the principle that the Bible can never mean what it never meant. This means that the meaning and interpretation of a given text of Scripture is fixed in its original context. However, that meaning can then be applied to our modern context in many different ways. This means that we must understand the historical, grammatical, and redemptive context surrounding any particular passage of Scripture so that we interpret THE meaning of that text. Once we understand the correct meaning then we can apply that truth to our specific situation. It is my position that most cults and even many Christian denominations have doctrines and beliefs that stem from anachronistic understandings of certain words, phrases, or verses. This not only happens when we attempt to bring the text forward into our day but also when we try to place ourselves into the text without understanding the historical realities. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul is encouraging Timothy to accurately handle the word of truth. The Bible can, and often has been, misinterpreted and misapplied, even doing damage to misinformed souls. Therefore, we must seek to understand the Scriptures correctly for the good of human souls and the ultimate glory of our great God!
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Take it Easy It seems as though everyone is chasing the easy street. Everyone is looking for a smooth path to a comfortable life. But in life we often deal with circumstances and obstacles that challenge our pursuit of ease and comfort. This is called frustration. Frustration is defined as “a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.” I think that we can add that the common way the word is used is to refer to when we are finding some task hard to do or problem difficult to solve. Since frustration has its root in dissatisfaction, the more that we are focused on our own comfort or our own expectations the more likely we are to be upset and frustrated. My Way This means that the harder you try to please yourself through pleasure, comfort, achievement, discipline, hard work, sacrifice, or selfishness, the more you are going to be dissatisfied. If you are seeking to create happiness by finally getting the degree, the house, the job, the spouse, the kids, or anything else, you need to know that it will not work! All of those things are fine things that God may choose to give to you as good gifts (James 1:17) and they are worth your faithful effort while living a God glorifying life, but they cannot deliver the soul satisfying joy that every image bearer of God is truly longing for. The more we prioritize our own happiness the more we will ultimately sink into despair, depression, and destruction. This is because we were not created to serve ourselves and seek our own comfort and glory. That notion that we should judge according to what we think will be best for our satisfaction is as old as the serpent’s temptation of Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:1-8) and as sophisticated as the fiction that everything can be accounted for in terms of evolutionary advancement. Whether it’s satanism, darwinism, or selfism, the lie is always to focus on ourselves and take our eyes off of Jesus! (Hebrews 12:1-3) The Hard Way When Jesus was instructing the multitudes in the famous sermon on the mount, He compared the two paths that lie before all of humanity (Matthew 7:13-14). One path is a ten lane highway, straight, smooth, flat, and easy. The other road is hard, narrow, and unattractive. Jesus' point is that the easy road will be the road that most people seem to take. It will be the road that seems to make the most sense and have the most benefits. But its destination is destruction. To add to the misery, the further down that road one gets, the closer they are to destruction and the further they are from salvation. As hope fades, all that is left is the anxiety and depression in our definition of frustration. The Only Way The Lord Jesus has said that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life (John 14:6). The point is that only in Jesus will we find true happiness. It is also important to point out that if we conclude that any of the good things that I have listed above are necessary for us to be happy, then Jesus would have to share glory with those things. Our God does not share his glory with any idol (Isaiah 42:8). So if those things are idols, then either God will let us have them to show us that they can’t make us happy or He will keep them from us because He knows that we will be consumed by our idolatry. Jesus is also the truth. This means that He protects and delivers us from the lies that would tempt us to idolatry and selfishness. Finally, Jesus is the life. Only Jesus can and will save His people from destruction. The only way to truly escape eternal frustration is to turn to Christ who can fully and eternally satisfy our needs and resolve our great problem which is our own sin. Since Jesus is the exclusive and only way, the only correct response is to turn from our own way to Him (repentance) and trust in Him fully (faith). Sola Scriptura This is October. While this month may first cause you to think of autumn, pumpkins, and costumes, this is also Reformation month. The Protestant Reformation is a period of history marked by profound changes in religious belief in Europe and ultimately throughout the known world. Our modern world was made possible, in many ways, by the reformation. The reformation was a movement, so it is far broader than any one specific event. But, historically, the start of the reformation has been linked with when the German monk, Martin Luther, nailed 95 theses (questions for discussion and debate) to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. During the Reformation the main point of distinction between the established church and the reformers was about justification. Are sinners justified by faith alone? Or are sinners justified by faith and merit? But this question originated from an even more fundamental principle. That principle is that spiritual truth is contained solely in divine revelation and that revelation has finally and infallibly been given to us in the Scripture alone. So, today, I want to think about one of the arguments for the veracity of the Scripture. How do we know that the Bible is true? First, the Bible is self attesting because it is the living and abiding word of God (1 Peter 1:23). In addition, the Bible is both historically and prophetically accurate. However, today, I want to consider the criterion of embarrassment as strong evidence to the reliability of the Scripture. Criterion of Embarrassment Simply put, the criterion of Embarrassment means that the authors of the Scriptura would not have fabricated stories that made the primary figures, their families or themselves look silly, stupid, or faithless. One objection to this criterion might be that the authors knew that to make the fables convincing the audiences would need to see some flaws and foibles. These flaws also give the occasion of the main character in all the Scripture, God, to shine all the brighter. Such things as when Abraham (Genesis 20) and later Isaac (Genesis 26) lie about their wives being their sisters to save their own skin. In these cases maybe some people would argue that the embarrassing details about Abraham and Isaac are needed to show God’s mercy. But notice that argument does not mean that the Bible is inaccurate, but rather only explains why God may have had it recorded. But I would like to give us two examples from the Bible of embarrassing details that lend validity to the reliability of the sacred text. The first example is taken from the books written by Moses. In Genesis 34:30, Moses records that Simeon and Levi are chastised by the patriarch Jacob because of their revenge on the city of Shechem (Genesis 34). I won’t recount the story here but it is important to understand that Moses is himself a descendant of Levi. It is not in Moses' interest to record a failure by his ancestor. Remember that in their culture so much honor was ascribed to being a part of their tribe. Moses would not have included such a condemnable offense if it were not true. The second example that I want to appeal to is that of the unbelief of even the disciples even after the resurrection. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives the disciples the instructions that we commonly call “The Great Commission” but in the immediately preceding verse (17) the text states that they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Usually when stories are retold the sense of surety among the characters grows stronger not weaker. However, the Apostles themselves recorded the embarrassing truth because it was the truth. The point is simply this, the Reformers got the gospel right because they had settled in their hearts the matter of revelation. Have you settled in your heart to trust God? Trusting God means trusting what He has revealed in the Bible, His holy word. If you are struggling to understand God’s holy character, harsh judgment against sin, gracious forgiveness in Christ and amazing hope filled promises it all starts with trusting His Word! Request There is an important distinction between asking and demanding. Sometimes this difference is seen not just in the words but in the tone that is being used. Many different dynamics come into the equation when a question is being asked. If it is an information gathering question then the variables are usually limited to does the person being asked have the information and do they want to divulge the information. Of course all kinds of moral questions can arise at this point dealing with the responsibility of different people to answer questions and even when it is ok to not answer or even purposely mislead the questioner. But in this post I want to consider the types of requests that are for help of some kind. This could include asking for some commodity, service, or time commitment. In any of these cases how should we think of both being asked and asking? Does the Bible give us clear instructions about these practical matters? Help In James 2, we are told that it is a basic reality that people who truly trust in Christ and have the new heart of life from the new covenant in Christ will not neglect the needs of those around them. Real faith necessarily produces good works! Saving faith is always active faith compelling the believer to mercy, grace, and compassion because they have been the recipient of so much mercy, grace, and compassion. Our actions do not make our faith a reality but they do demonstrate that our faith is a reality. Also in Luke 10, the Lord Jesus uses the story of a Samaritan man coming to the aid of a man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. The point of the story was to show that regardless of class, status, race, or any other mark of distinction those who truly love God will love people. All people! The Samaritan didn’t belong to the people group usually associated with genuine faith, but his faith was proved through what it produced in his life and actions. Please When the Lord Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray in Luke 11, not long after the parable of the Samaritan, He gave them a lesson in how we as believers should come to God asking for good gifts. In the passages that we have discussed above we have been thinking about how our faith should affect the way we respond to needs and requests. But now we need to understand how real faith causes us to ask God for things. God does not desire for us to come to Him expecting to be rejected. He wants us to come boldly to His gracious throne (Hebrews 4:16), because He is eager to give us good gifts. All good gifts come from Him and He loves to give them (James 1:17). Because it is in the heart and nature of God’s character to give us these good gifts, we should come happily to ask for the right things. However, this does not mean that God is going to just hand over every gluttonous request because He only gives us good gifts and so He will not do anything that is going to ultimately not be a good and righteous gift. In the text mentioned above in Luke 11, Jesus encourages us to ask and keep asking because the one who asks receives. Since it is a truth taught by Jesus and a promise given by our Lord, what is it that you have been asking for? Is it possible that the vitality and hope and life and revival that we all say we want is only being held back by the fact that we aren’t asking for it? The point that Jesus is making in the text is that faithfully asking for these good gifts in the person of the Holy Spirit is persistent asking. This means that we ask and keep asking because we know our Father and we know He answers our prayers! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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