Do we read the Word for what it says?

[Guest bobdamitch]

Do we read the Word line by line, precept upon precept....or do we search only to find that which agrees with our theology?

Do we appreciate the Bible for all it says.....or for what it says that agrees with a certain thesis or what we wish to make agree with a certain dogma.

DO we ipso the facto....instead of "Thus saith the Lord?"

DO we walk with God....? or do we walk only with the sense of self appreciation?

Starting with the Book of James...how are our "strongholds" pulled down.....?

(THe strongholds we have and the ones who have us? As in Pogo Possum..."we have met the enemy, and he is us".)

[Guest bobdamitch]

One thing I ask here...Please do not re-repeat what has been said...we are all big enough and educated enough to retain what has been said...

Please speak to the issue, not reply in kind to what you take offense at.

If you cant do that...keep it to yourself. Discuss...do not seek to ingratiate or denegrate...just lay it out....

And first of all....What does James say to you?

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Do we read the Word line by line, precept upon precept....or do we search only to find that which agrees with our theology?

Do we appreciate the Bible for all it says.....or for what it says that agrees with a certain thesis or what we wish to make agree with a certain dogma.

DO we ipso the facto....instead of "Thus saith the Lord?"

DO we walk with God....? or do we walk only with the sense of self appreciation?

Starting with the Book of James...how are our "strongholds" pulled down.....?

(THe strongholds we have and the ones who have us? As in Pogo Possum..."we have met the enemy, and he is us".)

There are many ways you can read and study the bible.

I use a combinations of ways I read and study the bible. For one I do not read the bible like I would read a novel. Meaning I don't start at the front and read it to the back. I will usally read some from the Torah, Psalms, Prophets, Gospels, Letters, and Rev. all in the same setting. I will read this way until I am finished and then start over.

Studying the bible is a whole different thing. When studying the bible I usually will have a topic in which I will find all scriptures that pertain to that topic to gain a biblical understanding of it. For example: Repentance, Baptism, Faith, Grace, Sin, Righteousness, Holinesss, etc....

God bless,

[Guest bobdamitch]

I suppose too many have too narrow view of what the Bible teaches than to abandon their dogma to the truth.....fairly sad.....

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings BobDaMitch,

Do we read the Word line by line, precept upon precept....or do we search only to find that which agrees with our theology?

Can I presume that the above is YOUR preferred "method of study"? If it is, then you fall right into line with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

My "method of study" is called "Hermeneutics". The first 3 rules of "Hermeneutics" is: CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT.

So let's REALLY see what you are talking about:

Isaiah 28:9-13 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

The highlighted portion above is EXACTLY what happened with the Pharisees and the Sadducees:

Matt 23:23-35 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

The following is the CORRECT way to come to the knowledge of God:

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

A part of your DUE SERVICE is to:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

and to be mindful of:

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

I tell you this for your own edification. I have heard this bit "taken out of CONTEXT" about "line upon line...." by many preachers for a very long time. They do not realize just what they are saying and it is revealing about their "method of study".

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[Guest bobdamitch]

I believe you need to go back and re-read the entire of Isaiah 28.

and...er...perhaps you will read it differently if you take your own advice...er...in context....but it does very well illustrate my point...certainly does not reinforce yours at all...

[tsth]

Dear DE,

I also understand the whole concept of Isaiah 28, as one of a reprimand by God to those who DO NOT read the Word as precept upon precept, but merely regard the command to do so, as a burden, and therefore the Lord rebukes them.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings TSTH,

13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

I'm sorry, but the reason you believe as you do, is because this is what you have been taught, it is NOT what the scripture is saying. Please read it again. It STARTS out with BUT. If you are familiar with the context, you will see that ideally, they should have begun with the milk and graduated to the MEAT of the Word, but instead they wound up being Pharisical. Please give some consideration to what that means.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[Guest bobdamitch]

Isaiah 28 is a rebuke to the drunken preists who seek to lead the congregation of God.

It is much like a situation for which the defenders of drink (here they are aptly defined) had me thrown off crosswalk because I said that drinking did not present a good light to men...they said that alcohol is a "good gift from God".

By context here, they do not lead in the study and revelation of God's word.

THere is no way you can do it....but HOW do you convince someone who is "ignorant" that the Word should be studied...."line upon line....precept upon precept, here a little, there a little"?

[Guest idied2]

Do we read the Word line by line, precept upon precept....or do we search only to find that which agrees with our theology?

Do we appreciate the Bible for all it says.....or for what it says that agrees with a certain thesis or what we wish to make agree with a certain dogma.

DO we ipso the facto....instead of "Thus saith the Lord?"

DO we walk with God....? or do we walk only with the sense of self appreciation?

Starting with the Book of James...how are our "strongholds" pulled down.....?

(THe strongholds we have and the ones who have us? As in Pogo Possum..."we have met the enemy, and he is us".)

No. No. Yes. No. No. No. Hopefully. Hopefully not. By faith.

And I don't have a clue what you ask or said on that last one.

In CHRIST JESUS :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: