Matthew 7:1 ("judge not lest ye be judged") is probably the most quoted verse by believers and unbelievers alike in modern theological discourse. If we allow ourselves to think about it for over 4 milliseconds we'll realize there is no way the Lord is commanding his followers to never judge anything or anybody. To be sure, we must be very careful when we make judgments and we must always be aware of our own frailty and of our sin nature, but surely we must make judgments. We try to put a little meat on the bones by walking through the passage. And judgment is not limited to actions in scripture. We must judge doctrine, interpretations, and applications as well. And in judging these things, we must "rightly divide the Word of Truth." #theology #gospel

The overwhelming majority of what is Christendom believes it is functioning under the New Covenant and that it is somehow a New Israel or a replacement for Israel. This belief will destroy (and has destroyed) many a Bible commentary. Further, it has stifled the growth of millions upon millions of believers. Finally, it has deluded well over a billion into believing that can attain resurrection life by their own efforts.

On the right side of the web we find almost all the robbing from Israel. Not only does this lead to gross antisemitism, but it sadly leaves so many ignorant of the blessings of the far above the heavens. Believers trade the unsearchable riches of Paul's revelation in Ephesians for some ethereal heavenly hope based on earthly promises. Sad. But we don't have to stay where we are. God is ready to enlighten unto Paul's revelation those who seek it. #theology #zionism #israel

We take a look at some quotes from philosopher Bertrand Russell. We note the wisdom that we can glean from the atheist thinker and then ponder why he was an atheist. Each of needs to be open to further enlightenment from God and we heed Russell's admonition against prideful certainty (ignoring the fact that he was pretty sure about evolution for some reason). #theology #creation

We look at God's prophetic plans for the earth, the promised land, and for his earthly kingdom. We discuss the Lord's death, lack of decay, and resurrection and the importance these have in cleansing the multiple spheres in God's kingdom. We note that the overcomers of the Revelation, a cleansed Israel, is the Lord's Bride and will inhabit the blessing of the heavenly New Jerusalem which comes down to earth. #theology #israel #dispensationalism #prophecy

We walk through Ezekiel 36 and look at God's plan for the earth and the land in that book. A very popular verse for evangelists to preach and for believers to claim is Ezekiel 36:26. We note how it badly manipulated by so many today and, further, how it distorts and clouds an understanding of God's plans for the future of Israel. God is a promise-keeping God. Israel is his Bride and he will cleanse Virgin Israel one day and fulfill his promises to a cleansed and believing Israel. #theology #gospel #salvation

I also share a bit of my testimony and my journey in the faith. If we truly want to try to rightly divide the word of truth (interpret scripture correctly), we must keep testing our beliefs against the whole counsel of God and be willing to move as God reveals more and more.

NOT for us today:
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." -Ezek 36:26

If one correctly sees Israel in the texts of the Psalms and the Prophets yet the same one goes on to teach that the "church" is somehow a "new" Israel or a different version of the same Israel, he has many problems on his hands. Conversely, the believer who believes either that he is Israel and is entitled to Israel's promises as laid out in the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets... this one then has to deal with the curses and punishments connected with eventual blessings. We can only start to get a clear understanding of scripture when we seek to rightly divide the plan, the people, and the promises in view.

On the surface, we may be tempted to take some simple lessons from the Lord's parables. But in doing so, we will probably be doing great violence to the text and not only miss the message, we may completely destroy it. Scripture must be rightly divided and the especially goes for the parables. The Lord started to speak in parables as a judgment against the nation, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want his true disciples to understand them.

We walk through another of-quoted Psalm in light of its context. We look at popular verses and where biblical wisdom truly starts. When we fear and reverence God, we look to our command in God's final inspired revelation, 2 Timothy, and we seek to honor him by studying to show ourselves approved and by rightly dividing (drawing straight lines) the Word of Truth. Once again we encounter the idea of "forever."

Psalm 46 is a very popular chapter in scripture and understandably so. There is much about the character and attributes of our God in the Psalm, but we must be careful when applying it in this age to ourselves. What we are dealing with nations in this section and God's plan and promise concerning the land are the backdrop. #theology

God is OUR refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore WE will not fear
-Psalm 46:1

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with US;
The God of JACOB is OUR refuge. Selah
-Psalm 46:10-11

We continue to show the importance of applying "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Tim 2:15) to scripture and to everything that comes our way. Just as we noted that an unbelievable number of Christians carelessly have adopted John Lennon's utopian and godless song "Imagine" for some reason, we take the principles of "filtering" and apply them to George Harrison's hit song "Give Me Love." A song I happen to love despite its original intent.

We recognize that songs in themselves are not all inherently deceptive. But they can be deceptive if we don't apply sound, biblical, right division principles to them. #theology