What does it mean to 'study the Bible'?

[amadeus]

So what is 'eyesalve'?
God isn't talking about contact lens solution. Put those verses together and eyesalve seems to be 'His touch' - He is the one who makes the eye that sees ((Proverbs 20:12))

Yes, His touch, His anointing, and/or His Spirit!

But we should look at every other scripture that talks about the healing of the blind, too, yes?
Even so while all those are related it doesn't mean we ought to - or are safe to - ignore the immediate context of anything.

What God provides in certainly in context, but it is in His context. It may indeed coincide in places with what our carnal minds understand as context, but can we find all of what God has to offer us in only one verse or chapter or book of the Bible? What about the whole of the written Book? I have included below a few more verses about vision.

“Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.” Psalm 69:23

"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalm 139:11-12

“Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” Isaiah 30:26

“For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.” II Cor 3:11-16

“My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.” Song of Solomon 2:9

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” I Cor 13:12

“And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” Isaiah 29:18

“Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.” Psalm 112:4

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:14-16

IMO both you and Curtis have something to add that needs to be considered together. According to the rules for 'what is Bible study' we've been gathering =]

The gathering of rules to study by may be helpful, but again without the quickening of the Spirit, would it not all be for nought?

Give God the glory!

 

[amadeus]

ok --
so how do i know the difference between an evil spirit vs. the Holy Spirit?
in terms of what 'studying the Bible' means?

You need to be always a sheep and not a goat so that you are at the right hand of side of God hearing His voice rather than the voice of strangers:

"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:" Matt 25:32-35

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:" Matt 25:41-42

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10:1-5

 

[post]

You need to be always a sheep and not a goat

Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

 

[Curtis]

What is the assignment given to Christians Curt?

One assignment is to search the scriptures, study the scriptures, and rightly divide the truth of the scriptures, which are for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness.

Study the scriptures- not study someone’s interpretation of them that tells you what to believe.

Shalom

 

[amadeus]

Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

Perhaps not but consider Judah, the 4th son of Jacob and how he changed from the instigator of the death or enslavement of his brother Joseph, to the one who would later offer himself for the freedom of his brother, Benjamin. A type of shadow it would seem of those born again or from above as a result of the Life which Jesus brought.

 

[Curtis]

The correct interpretation is born again, not born from above - as shown by nicodemus question to Jesus - how can a man enter again into the womb and be born a second time??

Imagine this exchange:

You must be born from above.

How can a man enter again into the womb and be born a second time?

That exchange makes no sense.

Shalom

 

[post]

Perhaps not but consider Judah, the 4th son of Jacob and how he changed from the instigator of the death or enslavement of his brother Joseph, to the one who would later offer himself for the freedom of his brother, Benjamin. A type of shadow it would seem of those born again or from above as a result of the Life which Jesus brought.

The correct interpretation is born again, not born from above - as shown by nicodemus question to Jesus - how can a man enter again into the womb and be born a second time??

Imagine this exchange:

You must be born from above.

How can a man enter again into the womb and be born a second time?

That exchange makes no sense.

Shalom

the phrase 'born again' would not have been something Nicodemus had never heard before. there are at least 6 different things that are called being born again in Judaism:

1. Gentile converting to Judaism
2. Being crowned king
3. Bar mitzvah
4. Being married
5. Being ordained a rabbi
6. Becoming the head of a rabbinic academy

Nicodemus couldn't do #1 or #2, and had already done #3-5 & maybe 6. Jesus calls him 'the' teacher of Israel - he's an elder, maybe the elder in the sanhedrin. but he didn't ask 'how can a man be born again' but 'how can a man be born when he is old?'

Nicodemus understood at first Jesus to mean one of these 6 things, which for him, are all ruled out - so he replies hyperbolically with a comment about being born in the flesh a second time, to which Jesus replies that he cannot enter the kingdom of God ((as opposed to his mother's womb)) without being born both of water ((an euphemism for being born of the flesh)) and of spirit. that there must be spiritual rebirth!
and interestingly, confirming that our physical lives on earth are also necessary ((re: Paul telling us later that the body is sown physical, and rises spiritual in 1 Corinthians 15)).
Jesus is teaching him a 7th thing, being born of Spirit - something He, the Messiah, and those with Him, knew about ((v.11)) but Nicodemus did not.


yet Nicodemus, a great rabbi, should have known ((v.10))!
it's the same thing Jeremiah is speaking of, about a leopard changing its spots:

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil!
(Jeremiah 13:23)​

the idea that we, who were goats, who were carnal, could make ourselves sheep, could become spiritual - then the leopard could give itself stripes like a zebra! your own birth isn't something you can bring about on your own - which point Nicodemus brings up: are you going to crawl into your mother's womb so that you can be born? or did God put you there when it was time for you to appear?

so @amadeus what i was asking you is this: if a goat cannot make itself a sheep without the supernatural intervention of God bringing about the spiritual rebirth (("the wind bloweth where it listeth" - not by my will, desire or effort)), how can a sheep make itself into a goat?

 

[Curtis]

the phrase 'born again' would not have been something Nicodemus had never heard before. there are at least 6 different things that are called being born again in Judaism:

1. Gentile converting to Judaism
2. Being crowned king
3. Bar mitzvah
4. Being married
5. Being ordained a rabbi
6. Becoming the head of a rabbinic academy

Nicodemus couldn't do #1 or #2, and had already done #3-5 & maybe 6. Jesus calls him 'the' teacher of Israel - he's an elder, maybe the elder in the sanhedrin. but he didn't ask 'how can a man be born again' but 'how can a man be born when he is old?'

Nicodemus understood at first Jesus to mean one of these 6 things, which for him, are all ruled out - so he replies hyperbolically with a comment about being born in the flesh a second time, to which Jesus replies that he cannot enter the kingdom of God ((as opposed to his mother's womb)) without being born both of water ((an euphemism for being born of the flesh)) and of spirit. that there must be spiritual rebirth!
and interestingly, confirming that our physical lives on earth are also necessary ((re: Paul telling us later that the body is sown physical, and rises spiritual in 1 Corinthians 15)).
Jesus is teaching him a 7th thing, being born of Spirit - something He, the Messiah, and those with Him, knew about ((v.11)) but Nicodemus did not.


yet Nicodemus, a great rabbi, should have known ((v.10))!
it's the same thing Jeremiah is speaking of, about a leopard changing its spots:

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil!
(Jeremiah 13:23)​

the idea that we, who were goats, who were carnal, could make ourselves sheep, could become spiritual - then the leopard could give itself stripes like a zebra! your own birth isn't something you can bring about on your own - which point Nicodemus brings up: are you going to crawl into your mother's womb so that you can be born? or did God put you there when it was time for you to appear?

so @amadeus what i was asking you is this: if a goat cannot make itself a sheep without the supernatural intervention of God bringing about the spiritual rebirth (("the wind bloweth where it listeth" - not by my will, desire or effort)), how can a sheep make itself into a goat?

I looked at it from a different angle: though in John 3:3 the words gennao anothen can be translated either as born again, or born from above, Peter used the term begotten again, or born again, using a single word - anagennao- which can only be translated as born again, or begotten again, in 1 Peter 1:3.

So to me, to harmonize both passages, the most accurate rendering of John 3:3 is born again, not born from above.

But I do appreciate your input on this.

Shalom Aleichem

 

[Robert Gwin]

One assignment is to search the scriptures, study the scriptures, and rightly divide the truth of the scriptures, which are for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness.

Study the scriptures- not study someone’s interpretation of them that tells you what to believe.

Shalom

Use the Scriptures to prove what you hear. Why did Jesus send us forth Curt?

 

[amadeus]

...

the idea that we, who were goats, who were carnal, could make ourselves sheep, could become spiritual - then the leopard could give itself stripes like a zebra! your own birth isn't something you can bring about on your own - which point Nicodemus brings up: are you going to crawl into your mother's womb so that you can be born? or did God put you there when it was time for you to appear?

so @amadeus what i was asking you is this: if a goat cannot make itself a sheep without the supernatural intervention of God bringing about the spiritual rebirth (("the wind bloweth where it listeth" - not by my will, desire or effort)), how can a sheep make itself into a goat?

How could Adam and Eve, who had it so good, disobey God?

How could the unnamed prophet sent out of Judah to Jeroboam in the north go against God after being given words of prophecy which would be fulfilled in King Josiah even after his disobedience? [I Kings 13 and II Kings 23:17]. Has God ever been a respecter of persons?

 

[post]

This is a good thread. I would like to add something to the list, how do we study the bible.
Coming to the scriptures with the right attitude. Having a good motive. We can read the Bible at any time, just to fill in time. That's good, but it isn't study. Jesus said as part of His prayer for His people,
KJV John 17:17-19
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

We ought not to study the bible just to gain knowledge... Although that is good also. Sanctification through the word of truth... That is worth our attention. Being made whole. Being made holy. Coming to scripture with a surrendered will and heart that through the scriptures we may be changed. That the truth of scripture, the promises, may become an experiential exercise to affect real life changing patterns of behavior. This is something we need to actively desire. @amadeus I believe was on those track when he quoted "hunger and thirst for righteousness". I think we could add that we should hunger and thirst for truth... Have a love for truth, not just for individual teachings like true doctrine, but have a love and passion for truth as a principle in the life.
My goodness. All that for just one bullet point. I'll let @post summarize the above into an appropriate phrase.

wow, thank you!
and i'm sorry it took some time to get back to you; i was trying to digest what you said, and very busy with work.

so i am thinking that "being transformed and made holy by the truth in it" is *kind of* a fair synopsis of what you're getting at?
excellent addition =]

• reading the scripture
• believing it
• Praying for understanding of it
• delighting in it
• meditating on it
• finding Christ testified of in it
• internalizing it
  
• being taught by the Holy Spirit through it
  
• testing doctrine by it
  
• taking all of it into consideration
• seeking to please God
  
• letting it say what it says
• committing ourselves to it
• asking questions about it and seeking the answers in it
• being transformed and made holy by the truth in it

 

[post]

i want to point something out:

a number of people taking part in this thread, are in other threads really fighting with me tooth and nail about some point of doctrine.
but here, we are at peace, and we have a common goal, and we are unified through our faith

is that not beautiful?

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
(Psalm 133)

​

the LORD be praised, amen, i am eternally in awe and gratitude for His love ♥

​

 

[post]

How could Adam and Eve, who had it so good, disobey God?

How could the unnamed prophet sent out of Judah to Jeroboam in the north go against God after being given words of prophecy which would be fulfilled in King Josiah even after his disobedience? [I Kings 13 and II Kings 23:17]. Has God ever been a respecter of persons?

i do not believe that unnamed prophet was ignorant of the false prophet's deceit. i believe he willingly offered himself up as a sacrifice for the false prophet's sake, becoming a type of Christ.

that is a deep & complex subject, culminating in the awesome picture of Christ in the dead body in the roadway, flanked by a donkey and a lion who stood guard but did no further harm than what was just.

it's worthy of its own thread and 5,000 posts that barely scratch the surface of the depth of the wisdom contained therein. i can point you to 8 or ten hours worth of sermons that begin to discuss it, if you're interested.
PM me my friend, if you like. we can talk at greater length
let's try not to let this nice thread where we all have a measure of agreement and unity, be sullied by tangential debates and such

the topics you and i are beginning to touch on are immense, "too wonderful for me; i cannot reach it" ((re: Psalm 131:1))

 

[amadeus]

i do not believe that unnamed prophet was ignorant of the false prophet's deceit. i believe he willingly offered himself up as a sacrifice for the false prophet's sake, becoming a type of Christ.

that is a deep & complex subject, culminating in the awesome picture of Christ in the dead body in the roadway, flanked by a donkey and a lion who stood guard but did no further harm than what was just.

it's worthy of its own thread and 5,000 posts that barely scratch the surface of the depth of the wisdom contained therein. i can point you to 8 or ten hours worth of sermons that begin to discuss it, if you're interested.
PM me my friend, if you like. we can talk at greater length
let's try not to let this nice thread where we all have a measure of agreement and unity, be sullied by tangential debates and such

the topics you and i are beginning to touch on are immense, "too wonderful for me; i cannot reach it" ((re: Psalm 131:1))

Thank you for the invite for a PM discussion but no thank you. I am overwhelmed with pressing issues at the moment. But... I would be interested in listening to sermons on the subject as I have time so I can move forward at my own pace... that is if you have an easy link to them.