Who Should Teach the Bible?

It is an acceptable concept that preachers and special educated people should teach the Bible in our world today. If a person desires to teach the Bible he will first consider going to a school that grants Biblical degrees or  he will seek an online theological school that offers degrees in Bible so that  he will be accepted as a credited and qualified teacher, preacher, theologian.   Now, I do not reject the concept of advanced education in any of the previously mentioned type of advanced schools; my problem is that I do not find anywhere in  the Bible that God established an ecclesiastical standard for teachers of the  Bible. That there are no such standards is exemplified by the fact that throughout the whole of the 66 Books of the Bible {i.e. Genesis to Revelation}  God’s teachers, prophets, and chosen leaders were of all types of people from  all walks of life; they were farmers, herdsmen, kings, fishermen, tax collectors, and educated persons [i.e. Saul ? Paul].

There is no indication that God requires that teachers of the Bible have some advanced, accredited degree from a theological school or a graduate study in Bible. So far as is known the writers of the New Testament was fisherman, physicians, a tax collector, and Paul a converted Pharisee; God did not select leaders based on their educational qualifications.  Let me say here; there is no reason to qualify or disqualify a teacher predicated upon the amount of or lack of advanced biblical degrees from an institute of higher learning. Whether a brother in Christ possesses an advanced degree in Bible or not is not the important consideration for the Bible teacher.  The very first quality that a Bible teacher should possess is; that he/she is a Christian. Other important considerations for a Bible teacher is, does he know  the Bible, is he familiar with the concept of interpretation, and the nature and  extent of revelation from God? These and similar qualities are the qualities that enable a person to teach the Bible. Also along this line of reason we must recognize that the teacher ought to know their place in the scheme of God’s plans.

The teacher is not a boss {i.e. the Pope, the Pastor, or His Most Excellent Father, His most worshipful Master, etc.} but he is simply a teacher of the Bible with a task greater than any other and more beneficial to mankind than any occupation he/she may undertake (2 Timothy 4:1-5). It is noteworthy to observe the qualifications of an elder in the church of Christ; he is to be able to teach in such a manner that he can convince the person who is difficult of understanding (Titus 1:9). Indeed, a good Bible teacher must plan, study, and pray about their work of teaching the Bible. Paul the apostle encourages all to be consistent in  teaching; For this cause have I sent  unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall  put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach  everywhere in every church. {ASV} (1 Corinthians 4:17). The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy in the two letters he wrote to him about how to excel as a Bible teacher. Please observe some of the instruction that Paul gave to Timothy:

*   1 Tim. 1:3 – As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, that thou mightiest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine,

*   1 Tim. 2:12 – But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. ASV

*   1 Tim. 4:11-16 – 11 these things command and teach. 12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in  word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all. 16 Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shall save both thyself and them that hear thee. ASV

*   1 Tim. 6:1-2 – 1 Let as many as are servants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed. 2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but let them serve them the rather, because they that partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. These things teach and exhort. ASV

*   2 Tim. 2:2-4 – 2 and the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardships with (me), as a good soldier of Christ Jesus 4 No soldier  on service entangles himself in the affairs of (this) life; that he may please  him who enrolled him as soldier.

*   2 Tim. 2:24-26 – 24 And the Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, 25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will. ASV

*   Also, to the Hebrew Christians Paul wrote concerning the need for teachers to mature and not to become unfruitful (i.e. See also 2 Peter 3:18). Hebrews 5:12-6:1, 12 –For  when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some  one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and  are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13 For every one that partakes of milk are without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. 14 but solid food is for full-grown men, (even) those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. Hebrews 6:1 – wherefore leaving the doctrine of the  first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a  foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  ASV

CONCLUSION: Therefore, let us proceed to always speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where it is silent. Let us also seek purity of mind and doctrine as we undertake to teach the Bible to others wherever we may be privileged to do so. We must take care to present not only sound teaching but present ourselves  as pure, humble, and dedicated servants of the Most High God (i.e. The One True  God.)

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Destroy the Body?

Don’t Y’all Destroy the Body

Sometimes, the old King James Version is the clearest translation to see the message God gave. We no longer use the word “ye” as the plural of “you,” but they did in the days of King James. The modern usage of the word “you” makes it impossible for us to see if the word is singular or plural. People from the southern states have sought to solve this problem to express the plural of “you” as “y’all.” I have even heard Southerners emphasize this more by saying, “Y’all all are invited.”

One place where the KJV uses “ye” is in Paul’s letter to Corinth. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Some wrongly use these verses to “prove” that because our bodies are the temples of God, we must take care of them. They want to show that it is a sin to abuse the body with drugs, drinking and overeating for they destroy our bodies. However, to use this verse to “prove” that point is to distort what God said.

The passage does not discuss our bodies (plural) or our temples (plural). It says, “Ye are the temple of God.” The word “ye” is plural and the word temple is singular, thus all of us together form the singular temple of God, the church. When Paul speaks about destroying the temple, he is not speaking of destroying our bodies (plural) but His body (singular). The problem at Corinth was not that the Christians were abusing their physical body, but His spiritual one.

How does one destroy His body? Obviously, one problem at Corinth was religious division caused by “preacheritis.” Instead of exalting Christ, they began to exalt men (I am of Paul, Apollos or Cephas). The church was fractured because some honored some men, while some exalted others.

The temple was being destroyed by selfishness and self-love so that some had such little respect for brethren that they were suing their brethren in the civil court.  Such attitudes divide the body.

Today, others splinter the body to gain notoriety and fame. Others do it to gain a following. While others seek to force their unique beliefs on all members. Then, there are those who destroy the unity of the church by showing partiality, especially to their friends or their family members.

Look at the consequences of all who selfishly destroy the unity of the church. “Him shall God destroy.” To understand Paul’s use of “ye” in this passage shows the importance of the unity of the body. The body is His and not ours to be used for our own selfish purposes. Exalt and unify His body!

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The Death of Jesus Christ

The death of Christ met and requited every demand  of violated justice. In Romans 3:25-26, Paul wrote  concerning the death of Jesus, “ Whom God set  forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to  declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that  are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare,  I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be  just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus .”  His death provided the opportunity for the great mercy  of God to rejoice against His righteous judgment. The  death of Christ made all this possible because His blood  cleanses sins and separates the obedient from the non- obedient.

The death of Christ was the perfect plan for  satisfying flawlessly and fully the divine plan of  redemption. It is only through His death that the souls of  many men have taken on the quality of the righteousness  of God. The death of Christ provides us the chance to  realize a nearer and closer relationship with God than  we otherwise could realize. In Luke 7:41-43, Jesus tells  a parable to a Pharisee named Simon. The parable is  about a creditor forgiving two debtors—“ the one owed  five hundred pence, and the other fifty .” He asks Simon,  “ Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most ?”  Simon returned the correct answer: “ I suppose that he,  to whom he forgave most .” Jesus died for us (1 Cor.  5:21). Those who love Him do so more than they could  otherwise love Him.

Therefore, concerning the death of Christ, just  how much does God hate sin? Look in Gethsemane and  see the drops of sweat as blood (Luke 22:44). Look at  Calvary and hear the mocking of sinful, cursed men  (Mark 15:29-32). Look at Jesus and hear him cry out,  “ My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?” (Matt.  27:46). Then we will see what it cost God to atone for  the sins of humanity. When one understands this, there  will be no hesitating in submitting to the command of  baptism in the likeness of His death (Rom. 6:3-4)!

 

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Casting Lots

In ancient days, several stones, or perhaps precious gems called lots, would have been cast or thrown from a clay jug to make important decisions. The casting of lots was a custom or rite used then to make important decisions, much as we practice drawing straws or flipping a coin today. Several examples of this practice occur in both the Old and New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, lots were cast by the high priest to select the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:8–‐10). This method was also used to divide the land of Canaan after its conquest under Joshua (Num. 26:55, 56; Josh. 14:2). Lots were further cast to select warriors to fight against the men of Gibeah (Judg. 20:9, 10) and apparently to choose Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Sam. 10:19–‐21). In addition, sailors on the ship bound for Tarshish, with Jonah on board, used lots to determine who had caused the stormy seas. In Jonah’s case, lots were used to narrow down who was responsible for the storm. “And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah” (Jonah 1:7). It was heathens who were casting the lots, but the indication is that God used the occasion to manipulate the results to show that Jonah was the cause. Thus, God did so because it furthered his purpose.

In the New Testament, Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ garments (Matt. 27:35). After prayer, the apostles used lots to choose Matthias as successor to Judas (Acts 1:24–‐26). The disciples were trying to find a replacement for Judas Iscariot. They narrowed the possibilities down to just two people, but they could not decide between them. Thus, they prayed that Jesus would make the final decision and the disciples cast lots. They prayed, “’You, O Lord who know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” (Acts 1:15‐16) “And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:25). Keep in mind that either man would have been a good choice.

Now, some believe that casting lots is a form of gambling. But consider, gambling is an attempt to get something for very, very little: a nickel turns into a couple of hundred dollars at the pull of a lever, or a series of numbers you bet on for a dollar yields a million or so in return. This is gambling. It is ‘investing’ extremely little (at least at any one time) on the chance that you will get an enormous return. Casting lots however is not a form of greed. It was a request for a higher power to provide an answer. Such as with Jonah or Matthias as already mentioned. It was getting God to choose, which is not gambling. It could be consider be seen as a form of prayer. And, it certainly is not asking for something “for nothing”, but rather a choice be made by someone other than themselves.

Now, in Proverbs 16:33, it demonstrates that casting lots was not considered magic either, because the decision was from the Lord. Despite all this, there seems to be little justification for this practice today. Since the coming of God’s Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we have had this ever–‐ present resource to guide us in our decision making and we are urged to bring our needs to the Father in prayer and rely on the direction him.

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Where are the Dead?

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

This passage addresses the fear that was expressed by some of the Christians in Thessalonica, that those who died in Christ, before His return, would miss going to Heaven when He did return. This fear came from the mistaken belief that Jesus would return before that current generation of Christians died. Paul addressed and soothed that fear by teaching that those Christians who have already passed away will be resurrected from the grave and “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). With this teaching they could “comfort one another…” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

This teaching clearly and concisely answers the question of what will happen at the resurrection with those who have passed away before the Lord’s return. Yet it also raises other questions: Where are the dead now? Where do the souls of men go after death while awaiting the Lord’s return? What about the souls of those who are lost; where do they go while awaiting the judgment?

Let us begin with a reminder that there will be a DAY in which all men, righteous and unrighteous, Christian and Non-Christian, saint and sinner will be judged and will receive their eternal reward or condemnation. (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:12-15) All of humanity will be judged at that time. So where are the souls of the dead?

There is a “place” somewhere in the spiritual realm where the souls of men await the coming Day of Judgment. This place is referred to in the New Testament as “Hades.” The Word “Hades” is not found in the King James Version; instead it is translated as “hell.” Other version such as the American Standard Version of 1901 and the New King James Version transliterate the Greek word “Hades” directly into English.

So then, what is Hades? Strong’s Bible Dictionary calls it “the place (state) of departed souls.” It refers to “that which is out of sight.” (Easton Bible Dictionary) The name is taken from Greek mythology and the “god” of the nether region known as Hades. The Greek word Hades corresponds with the Hebrew word “Sheol.” Sheol is translated in the King James Version as “the grave.” Again it represents that which is hidden from sight – the place of departed spirits. Another related term used in the New Testament is the Greek word “Tartarus.” It is found only one time in the Greek New Testament, in 2 Peter 2:4. It refers to the place where God has cast the “angels that sinned” to await the judgment.

A description of Hades is found in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus, in the relating of that story describes a “place of torment” (Luke 16:28) and a place referred to as “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). The righteous beggar Lazarus, upon his death, was carried into this place of rest, while the unrighteous rich man was in “torment.” The spirits of each of these men were in Hades (the grave), yet they were separated by a great impassable gulf (Luke 16:26). From this we can understand that there are two regions of the Hadean realm (Hades): “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22) or “Paradise” (Luke 23:43) and the “place of torment” (Luke 16:18) or the place where the angels who sinned and were “delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6)

Hades and hell do not refer to the same “place”. According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, “Hell is the place of the future punishment called “Gehenna” or “Gehenna of fire”. This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.” Hades refers to the place where the souls of departed men await the resurrection. Hell refers to the place of eternal torment where the wicked will be cast on the Day of Judgment. Jesus said in John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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.” From this passage we see that those who are in the graves (literally in the tombs; i.e. the dead) will hear the voice of the Son of God (John 5:25) and they will be bodily resurrected for the judgment; the righteous will receive the resurrection of life and the unrighteous the resurrection of damnation. In Revelation 20:13-15 we are granted a glimpse of what the Judgment will be like, “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (NKJV).

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