jstaplz Podcast

Why Read Commentaries and Christian Living Books?

EP 29 | Why Read Commentaries and Christian Living Books?
 
https://www.amazon.com/Grasping-Gods-Word-Fourth-Hands/dp/0310109175/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702912940&sr=8-1
 
The gap in our understanding of the Bible isn’t because the Bible is unclear, but because we are cultural outsiders.
 
There is book called Grasping Scripture by Scott J Duvall and Daniel J Hayes, all about crossing the bridge from our town to theirs to understand what is in the Bible.
 
Time, distance, and language make it harder to understand the cultures that the Bible talks about. Also, the way they wrote is also different than they way we write and think.
 
For example, we don’t care about genealogies because they are full of names that we don’t care about, but the ancient reader would go nuts as they rediscover their family history. We care about the exact timing of events when the biblical authors care more about the right timing or season of the event. Some events are rearranged to emphasize a theological point over the story. Gospels are thought of as biographies when they are really gospels - accounts of an important person highlighting some key accomplishes and then how they died.
 
My point is that you need commentaries and books from faithful Bible teachers that have devoted their lives to studying the Bible, the original languages, the archeology, and the culture. Catholic and Evangelical scholars are the best people to learn the Bible from because they are the ones that take it the most seriously.
 
Compare that with the average content creator who hasn’t earned the qualification or spent the time to really grasp what the Bible says. You can have an opinion, just remember that not all opinions are equal. Most of you have uneducated, uninformed opinions, and then you post your ignorance online. My opinion is that you shouldn’t have the internet!
 
Why Christian living books? They help us apply what we have read in the Bible. Sometimes specific topics require more attention based on the amount of commands or principles in the Bible concerning it, like marriage or money. Not everything written in them is true. Quite frankly, there’s a lot of garbage, like the old book, the Shack. Resources created by Christians who love Jesus and have devoted their lives to obeying Jesus have many things to teach us.
 
The best thing you can do is to visit many books but live in the Bible. Keep a humble attitude as you’re reading it. Two ditches lay on either side of the road to understanding - one is assuming that the Bible is a myth and cannot be understood. The other ditch is assuming you know everything. Both are wrong. Acknowledge how far you’ve come to understand the Bible and keep learning.
 
See you next time.
 

9 Reasons for Studying Biblical Doctrine

It will help settle us. (Eph. 4:14)
It will help save us from theological food poisoning. (1 Tim 4:13-16)
It will help us reflect God. (2 Tim 2:15)
It will help us equip ourselves. (2 Tim 3:13-17; Eph 6:10-17)
We will understand the history of Israel. (1 Cor 10:1-5)
We will understand the restoration of Israel. (Rom 11:25)
We will understand spiritual gifts. (1 Cor 12:1)
We will understand the return of Christ. (1 Thess 4:13-17)
We will understand the destruction of this earth. (2 Peter 3:8, 10)

13 Examples of Antichrist Behavior

The term “antichrist” could mean either “against Christ” or “in place of Christ.”11 Morrison, Daniel I. “Antichrist.” Ed. John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016: n. pag. Print.
 
Cain murdered his righteous brother (Gen 4:5-14; 1 John 3:12).
Nimrod built Babylon and the tower of Babel (Gen 10:8-12; Rev 17-18).
Pharaoh enslaved God’s people (Ex 1:8-22; Rev 12).
Korah rebelled against Moses’ leadership (Num 16:1-3).
Balaam tried to curse Israel (Numbers 23-24).
Saul intruded into the office of the priesthood (1 Sam 13:9-13; Matt 24:15).
Goliath spoke defiant words against God and his people (1 Samuel 17:23-24).
Absalom tried to steal his father’s kingdom away from David (2 Sam 15:1-6; 2 Thess 2:3-4, 9).
Jeroboam created a false religion (1 Kings 12:25-31; Rev 13:15).
Sennacherib tried to destroy Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:17; Zech 14:2).
Nebuchadnezzer made a golden statue (Dan 3:1-7; Rev 13:15).
Haman tried to commit genocide against the Jews (Esther 3; Rev 12:13-17).
Antiochus Epiphanes defiled the temple (Dan 11:21-35; Matt 24:15).

Five Ways Skeptics Often Misread The Bible

Scripture Twisting: 20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible (1980) 
https://a.co/d/9JFXswW 
 
Inaccurate Quotation
This is how Satan tricked Eve.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV)  
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16–17, NIV) 
Inaccurate Translation
NWT (Jehovah’s Witnesses) “The Word was in the beginning with God and was a god.” (John 1:1)
NRSV Update: “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, men who engage in illicit sex,” (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Inaccurate Context
Worldview - progressives reading their values back into an ancient text.
Biblical narrative - critics don’t know the story arc of the Bible, so they focus on smaller distractions
Ancient culture and language - the meaning of words are decided by their culture, not ours (e.g. baptism).
Inaccurate Emphasis
Parables have multiple meanings
Proverbs are promises
Inaccurate Genre
Confusing figurative and literal 
Misreading genres by applying the interpretive rules of a different genre

Who Are The Evildoers In Matthew 7:23?

Christians in Matthew 7:22‬, are these people who have prophesied in the name of Christ, cast out demons in the name of Christ, and done many mighty works in the name of Christ, are these people of faith? Does iniquity mean lawlessness in Greek Mat7:23?
 
Within the context of Matthew 7, Jesus is distinguishing true disciples from those who are not disciples. These false disciples are self-deceived. They’ve convinced themselves that they are Jesus' followers when they are frauds.
Jesus already drew a line in the sand when he tells us there is a good and a bad way to judge. Then, he tells us not to give holy things to “dogs,” (a term referring to people who were not Jews). Then he tells us that everyone who knocks will get in, but that gate is narrow and only a few people enter through it. Then, he tells us that there are true and false prophets. We will know the difference by watching the outcome of their lives.
This brings us to verses 21–23. Just like there are those on the outside, just like there’s a narrow and wide path, just like there are true and false prophets, there will be true and false disciples. Certainly, the worst deception is thinking you know Jesus when Jesus doesn’t know you.
This passage is not saying that someone who has genuine faith will be turned away.
Now to address the second part of the question, what does iniquity mean? The Greek word ἐργάζομαι means ‘work.’ It is a neutral term that could imply good or evil work. Here are 3 other occasions in Matthew’s gospel where the same Greek word is translated:
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ - Matthew 21:28
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. - Matthew 25:16
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. - Matthew 26:10
The point is there are a lot of people who claim to work for the Lord, and they fool many people in the meantime, but only Jesus knows if that person has a true relationship with him.
Do you have a true relationship with Jesus?

Are The Seven Churches Of Revelation In Active Operation Today?

I Almost Quit, But I’m Back and I Will Continue Teaching The Bible Until I’m Cancelled

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Five Reasons to Practice Being Thankful