EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS A SERIES THAT WILL RUN EACH MONTH UNTIL BRO. CHILDS COMPLETES HIS STUDY OF DIFFICULT DOCTRINES. SOME SUBJECTS WILL BE COVERED IN MORE THAN ONE ARTICLE AND THEY WILL APPEAR IN SUCCESSIVE MONTHS.
INTRODUCTION
What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
What is the biblical meaning of predestination? (Lessons 2 through 5)
Did miracles cease at the end of the First Century?
Are babies born sinful? (The doctrine of original sin)
Was Cornelius saved when the Holy Spirit came upon him before baptism?
One of the greatest joys of my ministry is helping others discover the marvelous, sometimes difficult truths of God’s Word. Next week I hope to begin a series of Q&A posts beginning with the question, “What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?”
However, before starting this series, I would like to acknowledge some biblical ground rules for studying the holy word of God.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, (KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved”) a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (KJV – “rightly dividing the word of truth.”).”
- “Do your best” – Bible study deserves our diligence and our best effort. I pray that you will not take this series lightly. Difficult doctrines require much more than just a casual reading in order to uncover the truth.
- “to present yourself” – At no other time does your life come under greater scrutiny than when you are studying the words of God. The Bible is like a double edged surgical instrument that opens you up and exposes spiritual cancer. (See Hebrews 4:12.) Please be aware of the intrusive nature of true Bible study.
- “to God as one approved” – May we never forget that the aim of every Bible study is to gain the approval of God. When the quotes of men and the commentary of mere mortals overshadow the words of God, idolatry is the result.
- “a worker who does not need to be ashamed” – Again, we see the emphasis placed upon the diligence of a “worker” which results in God’s approval and no need to be “ashamed.”
- “who correctly handles” – The real work of Bible study is in the guarding of oneself to respectfully handle the holy principles of God. The King James Version renders this phrase, “rightly dividing the word of truth.” It is a sobering task to delicately handle such divine information and appropriately labor to rightly divide it into areas of personal application. Much prayer is required.
- “the word of truth” – Every Bible study deserves to be just that a BIBLE study. Man’s opinions and philosophical dictates often do more to distract from the message than they do to explain it. Only in the words of God do we find eternal truth. We must let the Bible interpret the Bible.
These are the principles that govern my Bible study as well as the answers that I provide. While I am far from being perfect, I do attempt to stay within the expectations of 2 Timothy 2:15 and I pray that you too will find the coming series to be true to these parameters.
Reprinted from ‘Hey, Brother Sonny’ August 3, 2016 www.HeyBrotherSonny.com
IMPORTANT NOTE: Through the HeyBrotherSonny.com portion of my ministry, I am regularly blessed to offer biblical insight into the pressing questions of life. Questions come to me through email (sonny@sonnychilds.com), Facebook, text messages (870-565-5113), my postal address (PO Box 682, Paragould, AR 72451) and even through the game “Words With Friends.” If you have a question or comment, please feel free to use any of these mediums to contact me.
Some answers are posted to the website, HeyBrotherSonny.com, but most are sent out as a text message to a special group of people who are extra interested in Bible study. If you would like to join this text group and receive a brief Q&A text approximately once each week, please send me your phone number along with the words “Q&A Text Group.”