Werner

>> I’ve read some of your articles. You have a funny if not weird sense of humor.

The weird part just comes out naturally 🙂

You can read this: https://bible.org/series/how-study-bible-beginners
If you find that confusing, do this:

Get yourself a KJV and a New KJV and a Concordance. Concordance = very important (or use an online bible study tool) Using a concordance is excellent if you want to find a specific verse (you have already read before) and want to compare that verse with other similar verses.

At this point it is good to pray, asking Jesus to give you biblical illumination into the scriptures. There is a difference between Holy Spirit illumination and the New Age version.

Then start at the beginning, Genesis that is. Time take time to digest (pay attention) to what is being said. Regarding the chapter – who the chapter is speaking too? who is speaking to who in the chapter? what is the passage as a whole saying? If you read a verse how does the verse fit in with the verses before and after verses and then also how does that verse fit in with the whole chapter. Who was the verse written to or spoken to? Does the verse mean anything to you personally? And how does that verse fit in with other verses in the bible.

If you don’t understand a verse and what is being said ask us and we can help 🙂 Help to fellow Christians is what we are here for. You can also use the internet for help, type your question into google and see what comes up, then ask Jesus to help you pick out the right answer because there will probably be a few answers that jump up on the screen and most of them will be wrong – you need to be able to pick out the right answer. The Holy Spirit will then guide you as to what the truth is 🙂

It sounds like a lot of work, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit it actually becomes really easy and you will find yourself learning really quickly and you will want to know more and more….and more…..and more.

I’ve read some of your articles. You have a funny if not weird sense of humor. Anyways, I know that we are living in the last days and the world is getting crazier by the day, if not by the second. Would you be so kind as to give me some bible studying tips?

I want to make sure that I understand God’s Word the way He meant it to be understood. I’m new in the faith.

Comment: I am sorry, but unless I am missing something, I find this statement somewhat confusing. Certainly if the Lord Jesus had not gone to the cross and exacted justice for our sins there would be no path to salvation. But it is each individual’s choice whether to personally accept and apply redemption to themselves and their sin and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of the Christian life. That fact is well-established. What we are discussing here is the Christian’s walk after regeneration.

AND

Comment: Here you say “try to work towards a victory”. The victory wrought for us on the cross is for our salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit. It did not nullify the ability of the flesh to stumble us. Note again Matthew 6:21. We are exhorted to be on the alert lest we fall into temptation.

I can assure you that the cross of Jesus Christ does not only relate to our salvation but has everything to do with our sanctification as well. Perhaps this is the reason why you misunderstood me.

I never said that the cross nullified the ability of the flesh to stumble us. Why would I want to do that when Paul said: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”(Gal 2:20). In the same way that the cross cannot benefit anyone without appropriating its salvific work to the soul without faith, in the same way the cross cannot benefit the saint without appropriating its work of mortification to the flesh without faith. Paul says that although he lived in the flesh he no longer lived BY it. He lived BY the faith of the Son. Here Paul proved that the cross was not only intended for our salvation but also for our sanctification.

In Matthew 26:41 the word temptations convey more the meaning of the testing of their faith in the face of their approaching calamities on the eve of Christ’s crucifixion. They believed that He was their Messiah but did not fully understand why He had to die and rise from the dead again. Their hope was fixed in a living Messiah whom they believed would usher in the Kingdom and not a Messiah who had to suffer and die on a cross. This was mainly the reason why Peter denied Him. In fact, He reprimanded Peter and not the three for his failure to watch and pray with Him. So when He said “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation” He actually meant that they should beseech God for aid and protection in the face of the escalating calamities that were coming their way.

If we ask the right questions, we’ll get the right answers.
What brings condemnation? The law.
What keeps us in bondage to the law? Sin
What is the victory that overcomes sin? Faith in the blood of Christ, the finished work of the cross.
Who brings condemnation? The accuser of the brethren.
Who sets us free? Christ
Who condemns us? Who cares?
We are free by the fact and when we stand in that truth, we will experience the victory over sin and death.
Who said that? God
Then it is true? Yes.
What if our hearts condemn us? Doesn’t matter.
Faith is the victory over sin…now stand strong!

Thomas…you said, “If we do not live, walk and talk in the victory Jesus has already wrought for us on the cross and try to work towards a victory, we have already failed. (Romans 7 again). “ Agreed. Also read your article on RR. Well said.

We do struggle, not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and wickedness in high places. But the victory has already been won by Christ. We can walk in belief and tear down any lies that set themselves up against the knowledge of God by speaking the truth in love.

Redeemed

I think you understood me in a big way.

One day I asked how she came to be a Christian. She said her sister had become a Christian first and had been talking to her about Jesus. She just couldn’t believe in his reality until one day she was in a ladies’ washroom and the whole area lit up and she felt the “presence of Jesus”. “From that moment I knew he was real”, said she. Well, I brushed it off, thinking “well, that was a long time ago…she’s must have had a genuine conversion experience since then.”

Assumptions can really mess with us as they did in this case. As our friendship progressed I noticed some disturbing symptoms of Scriptural ignorance. I would say to her, “you know where it says such and such” and she would just stare blankly back at me. Well, to make a long story short, I discovered through another friend, that she was back stabbing me to others and that she had lied to me over and over about a multitude of things. Which reminds me…(half joking) – how do you know a politician is lying? Their lips are moving. It was like that. She was a chronic liar. Huh. What a shock. She had the wrong gospel, the wrong spirit and was someone that was ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. She was the offspring of her Father, the devil, the father of lies.

Since then, I have been challenged to be more aware of what a person actually says about their conversion and subsequent walk of faith. And I never cease to pray and ask God to give me discernment. Obviously, I do not have it in myself. It is a bit disillusioning to think I could be so easily deceived. One can expect lies and hateful speech from unbelievers, but I thought she was a believer, therefore it came as a shock. (ok…I think I have used the word shock enough)… I suppose part of the problem was that I had a false idea (drummed into me since childhood), that a Christian is a Christian because he professes Christ. And we tended to look at incongruities as imperfections of the faith. But this and other examples of deceivers have taught me that if I have some doubts or checks, I should pray and listen and watch.

I tell this story to confirm that when a person’s faith is genuine (i.e. that they are seeking truth, they are walking in the truth by the light of the true Holy Spirit) their Spirit-initiated works will follow. They will not lie and keep sinning and use hateful speech without being chastised by the Spirit for it and having to repent from it. If we see someone who has different fruit, without conscience, then the tree is different, the spring is different. The thing about false Christians masquerading as angels of light is that they may be saying everything correctly and it may take a while but you will begin to see inconsistencies and signs of a life incompatible with the Holy Spirit’s character.

I will try to answer that with Scripture as well as some other thoughts on the matter.

Thomas said:

None of us could have surrendered ourselves or been obedient to the Holy Spirit if Jesus had not already triumphed over sin, the devil, the world and death. Isn’t that the reason why Paul wrote: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”? (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Comment: I am sorry, but unless I am missing something, I find this statement somewhat confusing. Certainly if the Lord Jesus had not gone to the cross and exacted justice for our sins there would be no path to salvation. But it is each individual’s choice whether to personally accept and apply redemption to themselves and their sin and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of the Christian life. That fact is well-established. What we are discussing here is the Christian’s walk after regeneration.

Thomas said:

The only thing Christians need to, and herein lies the victory, is to reckon (reason). “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God.

Comment: While we have been born-again, the flesh still remains something with which we must contend until we have our glorified bodies. We don’t reason with the flesh – it needs to be put in its proper place through obedience to the Spirit. Matthew 6:21 NKJV “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Thomas said:

Why do we fail? Well, because we stop reckoning (reasoning) and try so very hard (like Paul in Romans 7) to be goody-goody by thinking there is still something good in our flesh.

Comment: As believers, we should know that the flesh is not our friend and that there is nothing good in it. If it is not kept in submission, it will rear up and cause us to fall into temptation and sin. Satan uses the weakness of our flesh to draw us into temptation. We need to shut the door to the things that tempt us such as the lust of the eyes, etc. We should be careful what we “feed” our flesh, that we do not in fact, “feed” it, but rather nourish ourselves on the Word of God and learn how to purify our lives. NOT in our own strength, but in the power of the Lord. Too many Christians fail to understand what true holiness is. Dr. Ironside wrote a wonderful book on this topic and I highly recommend it. He got caught up in striving to achieve holiness and had a nervous breakdown.

Thomas said:

If we do not live, walk and talk in the victory Jesus has already wrought for us on the cross and try to work towards a victory, we have already failed. (Romans 7 again).

Comment: Here you say “try to work towards a victory”. The victory wrought for us on the cross is for our salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit. It did not nullify the ability of the flesh to stumble us. Note again Matthew 6:21. We are exhorted to be on the alert lest we fall into temptation.

Thomas said:

I’m sorry, but nowhere in the Bible are we told to resist temptation. We are taught to resist the devil (James 4:7). In fact, Jesus who was without sin, was deliberately led into the desert to be tempted of the devil. There he resisted the source of all temptation, the devil himself. We shouldn’t be surprised when God allows his saints to fall into all kinds of temptations, not to teach them how to resist the temptations but the devil himself. (Hebrews 12:1-4).

Comment:

I fail to see the difference whether it is Satan himself or one of his demonic minions that are the source of temptation. Isn’t it one and the same? Our flesh can tempt us to sin and of course the enemy is always ready to capitalize on our weak areas to cause us to stumble. When the Word says to resist the devil, doesn’t it mean any and all sources of evil? Of course we should need to recognize the instigator of evil is Satan.
Does it not seem plausible that one should evaluate the temptation and eliminate the doorways to such? We are to avoid temptation are we not? The Bible exhorts us to put on the full armor of God. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:11
The Bible compares the Word of God to a sword. A sword is used in battle.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
This indicates that we do struggle with wickedness. ..
In 2 Timothy 2 it says: You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. …”
This indicates that we are soldiers and soldiers fight battles. Of course we don’t do battle with traditional weapons but the Word says: In 2 Corinthians 10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
Thomas, you ask what spiritual battles I am referring to, and the above should answer that. You are right, we are not to strive in our own power, but we have weapons at our disposal to offset evil. It is up to us to implement them and deny the flesh and resist the wiles of the enemy.
In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul states, “I have FOUGHT the good FIGHT….”. He was a faithful servant and soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ and set the example for us. He humbly admitted that he struggled with the flesh – this did not mean that he failed. It simply meant that he was being honest about what it meant to live the Christian life. It is not an easy road and requires diligence and the renewing of the mind, a conscious effort on our part, a submission to the Spirit. This is an ongoing tension in the believer’s life until the day they pass from this world into the next.
It is certainly not my desire to contend over this issue and I am sure that in essence we agree. And the Bible says for believers to reason together – that is the intention here.
Grace and peace to you brother!

1Corinthians 15:31 …I die daily.

We are to die daily, deny our fleshly cravings and lay them on the cross. I realize this. There are things in my life that if I give them just a “toe in the door” it would lead to destruction in my life.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
unto Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

1Corinthians9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
2Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I realize that there are things in my past and in my present that I do not want to be in my future. I realize that Jesus Christ has gotten the Victory for us.
1Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

He overcame for me but it is up to me to claim victory over what ever is in my life that shouldn’t be there. When I first started posting here it was because I love Deb-ster’s straight forward approach to false teachings.

I am not as eloquent as Deborah, Redeemed, Carol, Dan and yourself. I’m not a teacher, preacher, speaker but I am a talker (sometimes too much)and I love talking about my King and Savior Jesus Christ. I know what I believe and why I believe it. Perhaps I need to back-off for awhile and just reread the many articles here.

Peace to you, His peace.

Thomas Lessing (Watch and Pray / Waak en Bid) wrote:

Sharon and Redeemed,

I am not trying to be facetious, difficult or insensitive to the things you write. Our duty is this:

Sharon and Redeemed,

I am not trying to be facetious, difficult or insensitive to the things you write. Our duty is this:

Could it be that Thomas and Sharon agree except that there is a difference in how the views are expressed?

None of us could have surrendered ourselves or been obedient to the Holy Spirit if Jesus had not already triumphed over sin, the devil, the world and death. Isn’t that the reason why Paul wrote: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”? (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Many Christians believe that they should strive very hard to obtain victory in their lives. Even Paul fell into a quagmire of doubt and despondency when he tried so very hard to live a victorious life. Sadly, his own attempts were the cause of his failures (Romans 7).It was only when he stopped looking to himself and fixed his eyes on Jesus and his victory on the cross when he found rest (Romans 7:24-25; Hebrews 12:1-2).

The only thing Christians need to, and herein lies the victory, is to reckon (reason). “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11). In and through Jesus Christ, we have already attained victory. That’s why we are more than conquerors. The victory is already a fait accompli. What we need to do is to maintain that victory in our own lives by reckoning (reasoning) that we are indeed already dead unto sin and alive unto God. Do we fail and shrink back to take the wrong path? Of course we do, but that does not nullify the fact that in Christ we have already been made partakers of his victory. Why do we fail? Well, because we stop reckoning (reasoning) and try so very hard (like Paul in Romans 7) to be goody-goody by thinking there is still something good in our flesh.

If we do not live, walk and talk in the victory Jesus has already wrought for us on the cross and try to work towards a victory, we have already failed. (Romans 7 again).

Please feel free to disagree but then you must substantiate your views from Scripture. I’m sorry, but nowhere in the Bible are we told to resist temptation. We are taught to resist the devil (James 4:7). In fact, Jesus who was without sin, was deliberately led into the desert to be tempted of the devil. There he resisted the source of all temptation, the devil himself. We shouldn’t be surprised when God allows his saints to fall into all kinds of temptations, not to teach them how to resist the temptations but the devil himself. (Hebrews 12:1-4).

May I ask, to what kind of spiritual battles are you referring?