2 Tim 2:15 says study to show thyself approved. Matthew Henry's commentary had this to say... "Observe, The care of ministers must be to approve themselves unto God, to be accepted of him, and to show that they are so approved unto God. In order thereunto, there must be constant care and industry: Study to show thyself such a one, a workman that needs not be ashamed. Ministers must be workmen; they have work to do, and they must take pains in it. Workmen that are unskillful, or unfaithful, or lazy, have need to be ashamed; but those who mind their business, and keep to their work, are workmen that need not be ashamed. And what is their work? It is rightly to divide the word of truth. Not to invent a new gospel, but rightly to divide the gospel that is committed to their trust. To speak terror to those to whom terror belongs, comfort to whom comfort; to give every one his portion in due season, Mt. 24:45 . Observe here, 1. The word which ministers preach is the word of truth, for the author of it is the God of truth. 2. It requires great wisdom, study, and care, to divide this word of truth rightly; Timothy must study in order to do this well.II. He must take heed of that which would be a hindrance to him in his work".
This is why we tell people, you have TWO ears and ONE mouth, use it accordingly. Listen twice, speak once. Listen before you speak. Do not make claims you cannot scripturally backup. Lesson 1 in online theological debates, and well, any comments or statements anyone wants to make, really.
I ran across someone who had claimed to switched from a baptist church to being strictly catholic. She got irate when asked to provide biblical proof for her claims, and when her twisted scriptures were denied because they were not even in context or applicable, she tried changing the subject to make even more outrageous claims without supporting those either. When called out on it she became right upset and accused me of being heretical, and of attacking her. Then she decided to twist what I told her and tried throwing it back at me. Why is it so hard for people to under stand that if you are going to make a claim, that you should at least know what you are talking about before you attempt to claim it as truth? So many people are blindly following what a church teaches them without even checking for themselves to see if it is true, biblically.
The whole conversation just kind opened my eyes again and reminded me of the importance of being vigilant with our faith. Too many people are tossed about on the winds because they just go with whatever they are told. And when asked to use scriptural reference, this too, is biblical. Don't just go looking for a scripture that supports your belief. Use context. And as much as it hurts, if contextual scripture does not line up with what you have been led to believe then the one who is wrong is YOU, not scripture. You need to change what you believe even if it hurts.
We do not make God in our image. We don't get to decide what parts of scripture to believe or apply to us today. We don't get to change scripture to support our lifestyle or our faith. We don't get to use scripture or God, for that matter, for our benefit. We are HIS creation, He is not ours. We serve Him, He does not serve us. How disrespectful is ti to assume otherwise and to ignore giving Him the honour and glory that is due Him?
I don't say these things for others benefits. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do. I say these things because it was my personal life lesson that I am sharing with you and because I strongly believe this is gospel truth. I'm blown away at how easily we as human beings can be misled for so long. And at how extremely difficult it can be to even recognize these bonds, much less break their hold. But it's not what God would want. He doesn't intend for us to be trapped. And that's what religion does, is trap people. Into thinking there is something in our power to prove ourselves to God. Something we can do or say to impress God. Something we can have or be as people to make Him love us more.
Its a hard lesson to learn, that there is absolutely NOTHING we can do to change how God sees us or feels about us. Sure, we say it. But it took me a long time and a hard time to realize that this is actually true. And oh how freeing it is, to know truth! To really know it, in your heart, not just in your head because it is words that you've been repeatedly told. I've had a tendancy in the past to believe things upon being told, I was naive and trusting of anyone who said they were a christian. It's an easy pattern to fall into. We tend to do things just because we are told "that's the way it's done". But noone can really explain WHY its always been done that way it just has.
The topic we were discussing was someone asked if unbaptised people especially kids should take communion. There are many views on this and many reasons for the views. Mostly it was because their church had told them or taught them that their tradition was the right one. But when asked for biblical validation, they could not provide it. When asked where did they get such a strong belief from, they reply "MY church teaches this", or "Because its biblical, my pastor/priest/minister told me so."
When asked what the actual scriptures were that supported that belief, they had no answer. They believed without checking it themselves. This to me is very dangerous. I'd been led astray many times for this reason. Someone came on and stated that there was no actual scripture that said baptism was necessary but that for some reason, this is what the christian church teaches, that it is necessary or required. And so many fall into this false gospel as it were. Believing just because the church says so and not even bothering to verify it themselves. Even scripture tells us to check for ourselves! How could we miss this? Because we are trying too hard to make God in our image. To make our faith all about us and not about Him who is the author and perfecter of our faith. The reason we have faith to begin with! Anyways, the whole point is, no matter what church you attend. No matter what denomination you belong to. A quote from Gotquestions.org says this "There will be times in our walk with God that we will act purely on faith because we do not have the whole picture, as in the case of Abraham. However this faith is not blind; it is based on knowledge of God’s nature and character, His promises in the Scriptures, and our personal experience walking with God every day.". I love my pastors. I love what they teach. And I tend to agree with all of it. But not because they say it. Not because they claim it is right or true. But because scripture supports it, and because that which is neither supported or unsupported by scripture, relies on our personal relationship with God and not on anyone elses or what anyone else says about it. Habits are hard to break. Chains that bind are harder. Don't be a sheeple. Question everything and trust only God and His word, the rest seems to sort itself out. God Bless!
When asked what the actual scriptures were that supported that belief, they had no answer. They believed without checking it themselves. This to me is very dangerous. I'd been led astray many times for this reason. Someone came on and stated that there was no actual scripture that said baptism was necessary but that for some reason, this is what the christian church teaches, that it is necessary or required. And so many fall into this false gospel as it were. Believing just because the church says so and not even bothering to verify it themselves. Even scripture tells us to check for ourselves! How could we miss this? Because we are trying too hard to make God in our image. To make our faith all about us and not about Him who is the author and perfecter of our faith. The reason we have faith to begin with! Anyways, the whole point is, no matter what church you attend. No matter what denomination you belong to. A quote from Gotquestions.org says this "There will be times in our walk with God that we will act purely on faith because we do not have the whole picture, as in the case of Abraham. However this faith is not blind; it is based on knowledge of God’s nature and character, His promises in the Scriptures, and our personal experience walking with God every day.". I love my pastors. I love what they teach. And I tend to agree with all of it. But not because they say it. Not because they claim it is right or true. But because scripture supports it, and because that which is neither supported or unsupported by scripture, relies on our personal relationship with God and not on anyone elses or what anyone else says about it. Habits are hard to break. Chains that bind are harder. Don't be a sheeple. Question everything and trust only God and His word, the rest seems to sort itself out. God Bless!
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