1030. Overcoming the Need to Convince Others to Agree With You

This week is a spontaneous conversation we were not planning on doing—as it happened in real time.

There are tons of different church brands out there. Most consider the pages of the Bible as the source for their beliefs. And yet, consider there are millions of different opinions and perspectives that may be very contrary to each other. Even within circles where individuals consider themselves a grace-minded person, it's easy to get caught in the trap of thinking it's our job as Christians to persuade others to believe every wind of Bible doctrine in the same way we do. This is just an indicator that we need human validation while trying to use Bible verses to "prove" our version of the truth.

Anyone can bend biblical passages to their point of view—and can sound convincing—regardless of how accurate they may or may not be. The "I'm right" and "they're wrong" approach may have good intentions but it is not likely to be established or rooted in love and maturity. Growing in grace can help us with this as we lean on God's Spirit for guidance.



   
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1016. The New Covenant Is Contained Within a Person - Not the Pages

After more than twenty years of doing the Growing in Grace podcast, you might have guessed we like talking about the gospel, God's undying love, and overflowing grace. Nearly each week, our conversations use the Bible as a springboard ... and we're so thankful to be able to have these writings to look back upon.

However, like with any religion who uses their own written material or "book" to guide them through a belief system, it is easy for the followers to place their faith in the written manual—not unlike a form of worship. Within the wide variety of Christian denominations and doctrines, it becomes somewhat like a competition on who has the more accurate interpretation ... which may be very different from another persuasion with a large following.

Our conversation this week is an encouragement for all of us not to get so tangled within the tittles found on the pages ... and to keep our focus on Jesus—looking to Him as the author and finisher of faith. He is the truth, the life, and the only way to God. God gave Him as a covenant to both Jews and Gentiles. He provided us with a guide for this life ... not letters written with ink—but His living Spirit—as we look to that which is not seen.



   
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988. Considering the Words of Jesus in Context

Christians today may often have the idea that Jesus was always speaking directly to us. If we start getting honest with ourselves and take a close look at some of the words He was speaking—especially to the disciples—we'll begin to see a religious and blinding veil lifted, and consider who He was speaking to, when He said it, and why He said what He said.

The mixing of law and grace has been a common issue for a long time ... and much of it will have to do with misunderstanding the mission of Jesus while quoting Him out of context. For example, we think Jesus was teaching "us" with instructions during the "sermon on the mount." But He told His audience (the disciples) not to be like the Gentiles (or those born outside of the Jewish circle). Once we begin to understand that the mission of Jesus was aimed at delivering the Jews from the Mosaic law ... we'll also begin to realize this was necessary so Gentiles could also come to life by grace through faith.



   
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977. Jews, Gentiles and the New Covenant

Many who have attended a church for most of their lives can attest that they seldom or never heard teaching that revolves around the concept of the New Covenant. They may have been taught to view the Bible as one book, and in doing so, have been confused with a combination of two very different covenants that don't always translate into the true gospel.

There are also some who don't believe there is a New Covenant available except to those who are Jewish. Paul spent a good deal of time explaining to Gentiles (in the flesh) the changes that took place since the cross and resurrection ... opening the gate to both groups to receive salvation and life by faith ... while leaving the old ministry of law in the dust.



   
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963. Thou Shalt Read Your Bible (And Like It!)

Never mind the millions of opinions, interpretations, and thousands of church corporations and denominations about what is inside the pages of the Bible ... there is also an immeasurable number of thoughts and assumptions just about the Bible itself and what it is or isn't. Some of us were instructed to make it required reading on a daily basis. Others may have been told it is our daily bread and without ingesting it as frequently as eating food, we might starve spiritually.

Of course, we're thankful for these writings (we talk about them every week on the podcast). But anything—even something as potentially beneficial as Bible reading—can become a lifeless religious exercise that can sadly feel like a burdensome activity because of what others have told us. And everyone will have a different viewpoint on how to read it, how often, etc., without any guarantee of walking away with a better understanding of the gospel. Knowing we can pick up the pages because we want to instead of being guilted into it will make things more enjoyable ... and probably more profitable.



   
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960. The Living God Revealing Himself

God desires to reveal Himself to us. It is not something that is comprehended with the mind or intellect but is spiritually discerned. While our knowledge may grow and our minds become renewed when it comes to understanding the truth of the gospel, the revelation comes from God's Spirit to our spirit in the heart of our innermost being. It opens the spiritual eyes of our understanding.

It is not rooted in an academic approach because God's revelation surpasses knowledge and Bible philosophy or theology—and it is centered on the person of Jesus Christ. As we've been discussing, God's will for us is based more on knowing the living Christ than it is simply having knowledge about Him.



   
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959. "Flesh and Blood Has Not Revealed This to You"

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After they answered, He then asked, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke up and said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus declared that Peter was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him, but it came from the Father in heaven.

Peter probably wasn't even aware of his source at the time ... but he didn't hear it from another human who was trying to recruit him as a convert or a visitor for the Sunday School class. This wasn't a "one and done" where Peter would be the only person to receive such a revelation. God desires to reveal so much to us by His Spirit who now abides in the hearts of believers in Christ ... and it may be happening much more than we realize. But it all begins with not just having knowledge about Jesus, but knowing Him. It goes beyond a philosophical or intellectual belief.



   
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953. Question: "How Can I Properly Interpret Bible Context?"

Many interpretations of scripture are rooted from a certain mindset. Assumptions about certain things related to the Bible and its content can lead to a point of view which may or may not be true. Bible verses that get singled out and quoted without the proper context of the passage or even the gospel message itself can result in people being misinformed.

A listener had written to us asking if there was any advice we could give regarding the proper understanding of context ... especially as it may relate to what was written directly for us as believers in Christ compared to issues being addressed by the writers to those specific people of that time in the early years after the cross.

There may not be a perfect answer to such a question, but we talk it out to provide some food for thought.



   
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932. Thoughts About Scriptures

We're doing a different type of program this week that is more about perspectives designed to give all of us some food for thought. Most of us have been handed down a very wide variety of assumptions and doctrines related to things contained within the pages of the Bible. But along the way, there is also quite a bit we've been told from others about what they think the Bible itself is or how it is perceived. For example, it is often called a book, when it is made up of many books and writings written by many different people. Our assumptions will have an effect on what we see or read within the pages. We also address how "scriptures" are defined.

Letters in the New Testament were written to specific people, often responding to questions that occurred after Paul left from a previous visit. Some of it was meant just for them, but we can still gain great truth from it. There is an incredible historical context that is often overlooked. But ultimately these NT writings were either written or dictated by people who were witnesses of the risen Jesus. He is the reason for the pages ... they don't give life, but Jesus does, and they point to Him as the way to eternal life. In spite of the many things written, He should always be our focus.



   
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927. The Word of God Is Alive (His Name Is Jesus)

The problem with taking lengthy passages of scripture and chopping them into individual Bible verses is the frequent attempt to interpret the meaning of each verse. Context gets missed, which can have a domino effect on other interpretations regarding the writings. We give an example from Hebrews 4:12, which states the word of God is living and powerful. Many of us were taught this is a reference to "the Bible." Keep in mind, these people who were receiving this message would have had no idea what a Bible was ... and most of their knowledge about the law and the prophets came from hearing it in the synagogues or other sources not associated with their bookshelf.

We take a closer look at not "what" the writer was referencing ... but "who" they were highlighting in this passage and throughout the letter.



   
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