TRADITION !!!!!!!
2 THESSALONIANS 2:15 __The word tradition literally means "a giving over by word of mouth or writing." It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God. In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (LUKE 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (verses 15; 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy. ILLUSTRATION: The religious leaders of Jesus day erred in placing the tradition of men above the Word of God (MATTHEW 15:1__9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witness in writing as inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (LUKE 1:1__4). APPLICATION: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teachings of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Reference, MATTHEW 15:2; Primary Reference, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:15; 2 TIMOTHY 2:15.)
FUNDAMENTALISM !!!!!!!
HEBREWS 6:1__2 __In Jewish legal tradition, there were 39 categories of activities forbidden on the Sabbath__and harvesting was one of them. The teachers of the law even went so far as to describe different methods of harvesting. One was rubbing the heads of grain between the hands, as the disciples were doing here. Since God's Law said farmers were to leave the edges of their fields unplowed to travelers and the poor could eat from this bounty (DEUTERONOMY 23:25), the disciples were not stealing grain. Neither were they breaking the Sabbath by doing their daily work on it. In fact, though they were violating the Pharisees rules, they were not breaking any divine law.
WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT !!!!!!!
ROMANS 8:16 __The witness of the Spirit is the inner assurance of God's truth. One of the conditions of this inner conviction concerning the things of God is obedience to His known will (JOHN 7:17). God uses this ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us of truth that cannot be understood other than through divine help (MATTHEW 16:17).
ILLUSTRATION: This witness was obvious in Peter's confession of Christ (MATTHEW 16:16, 17). Even though others had observed Christ and drawn certain erroneous conclusions, Peter received spiritual insight from God as to who Jesus really was (MATTHEW 16:17). APPLICATION: Christians should be careful always to obey the clearly revealed will of God, so as not to hinder this ministry in their lives. (First Reference, MATTHEW 16:17; Primary Reference, ROMANS 8:16, HEBREWS 6:1, 2.)
FAILURE OF FAITH !!!!!!
ROMANS 4:20 _There are six New Testament expressions that trace the decline of faith in an individual. Before a person is saved he may have (1) _"vain faith" or belief in the wrong doctrine (1 CORINTHIANS 15:14__17); or (2) _"dead faith," or belief in orthodox doctrine without personal belief in Christ (JAMES 2:19, 20). After a person is saved, he can experience the following varieties of faith: (1) _a kind of unbelief__experienced by believers who fail to accept the whole work of Christ (MARK 16:11__14); (2) _"little faith"__a mixture of faith and unbelief (MARK 7:26); (3) _"weak faith" __referring to belief expressed as mere legalism (14:1); or (4) _"strong faith"__faith that is rooted in the promises of God (verse 20). ILLUSTRATION: As Christians mature, they should grow in faith. This was the experience of Abraham. Early in his pilgrimage with God, he could not trust God to protect him in Egypt. This was weak faith (GENESIS 12:10__20). He was later able to trust God, in sacrificing his son Isaac. This was strong faith (HEBREWS 11:17__19). APPLICATION: The Christian life is a continual growing adventure in faith. (First Reference, GENESIS 15:6; Primary Reference, ROMANS 4:20; ROMANS 8:16).
FAITH-DEFINITION !!!!!!!
ROMAN 1:17 _Six kinds or expressions of faith occur in Scripture. Doctrinal faith, called "the faith," refers to the content of Christian belief (JUDE 3). Saving faith is trusting in Christ and in Him alone for salvation (ACTS 16:31). Justifying faith is the believer's reliance on the fact that God has declared him righteous (GENESIS 15:6). Indwelling faith is trusting God's Word in and through us (GALATIANS 2:20). Daily faith is that day-by-day dependence on God which is part of the sanctification process (2 CORINTHIANS 5:7). The gift of faith is a special ability of faith, resulting in a vision of what God can do, faith that is the means by which we can achieve that vision, and the power with God to get answers to prayer (HEBREWS 11:1__3).
ILLUSTRATION: God's hall of faith (HEBREWS 11) identifies a number of Old Testament saints who experienced God's blessing as a result of their faith. Although they did not all experience the same kind of victories, all pleased God by faith (HEBREWS 11:6).
APPLICATION: The Christian should remember that it is impossible to please God without faith (HEBREWS 11:6). (First Reference, GENESIS 15:6; Primary Reference, ROMANS 1:17; ROMANS 4:20).
DOUBLE VERILIES !!!!!!!
JOHN 21:18 _Twenty-five times in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the expression Verily, verily to introduce a concept the hearer might have difficulty believing. This intensive expression emphasized that what was stated was true just as God is true. In the Old Testament, a person who might be doubted would use such an expression to insist that he was telling the truth (NUMBERS 5:22).
ILLUSTRATION: In the New Testament, Peter confessed he found some of Paul's epistles hard to understand; nevertheless he accepted them with the other Scriptures (2 PETER 3:15, 16).
APPLICATION: When a Christian approaches his Bible, he should do so with a commitment to believe the whole Word of God and not just part of it. (First Reference, JOHN 1:51; Primary Reference, JOHN 21:18; ROMANS 1:17).
HERESY !!!!!!!
Titus 3:10 _The word heresy literally means "choosing one's own ideas," but now refers to that which is untrue. Even the New Testament church had false or heretical teachers who taught erroneous doctrine. Some epistles were specifically written to combat them (GALATIANS , 2 THESSALONIANS). Paul warned the Romans against identifying with those who promoted divisive, heretical teachings (ROMANS 16:17). He advised Titus to reject heretics if they did not respond after two warnings (verse 10). John warned that a heretic should not be admitted into a Christian's home (2 JOHN 10).
ILLUSTRATION: Not everyone who makes an incorrect doctrinal statement is a heretic. When Apollos was further instructed concerning the gospel, he grew into a mighty Christian leader (ACTS 18:24__28). By contrast, Hymeneus and Philetus were heretics when they rejected God's truth and hurt the faith of some believers (2 TIMOTHY 2:16__18).
APPLICATION: Christians should as much as possible dissociate themselves from every heretic so as to be unhindered in their Christian lives. (First Reference, ACTS 15:1; Primary Reference, TITUS 3:10; JOHN 21:18).
ANGER !!!!!!!!!
MATTHEW 5:22 _Christ begins this series of contrasts by quoting the statement of the law.Thou shalt not kill (EXODUS 20:13). The reference to killing is clearly understood in its context in both the Old Testament and New Testament as referring to an act of murder. Jesus goes beyond this outward demand of the law by stating that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in just as great danger of judgment as a murderer, for anger is the emotion and inner intention that leads to murder. The term raca (meaning "vain fellow" or "empty head") was a Hebrew or Aramaic expression of contempt (2 SAMUEL 6:20).
APOSTLES DOCTRINE _ACTS 2:42
The word doctrine derives from the Latin term for teaching and refers to the content that was taught in the New Testament. The proper teaching of Scripture was called "the apostles doctrine," meaning that which the apostles taught. This contrasted with erroneous teaching called "doctrines of devils" (1 TIMOTHY 4:1), meaning that teaching whose source is not (2 CORINTHIANS 11:13__15).
ILLUSTRATION:__The apostles doctrine was true, not because an apostle taught it, but because it was consistent with the Scriptures. The Bereans examined the teaching of Paul in light of the Scriptures before accepting it (17:11). Also, the church at Ephesus examined some who called themselves apostles and found them liars (REVELATION 2:2).
APPLICATION: A Christian should attempt to understand and believe true dictrine, while rejecting all that disagrees with the Word of God (1 JOHN 4:1). (First Reference, ACTS 2:42; Primary Reference, ACTS 2:42; TITUS 3:10).
APOSTLES DOCTRINE _ ACTS 2:42
CHURCH DISCIPLINE _One of the first religious exercises of the New Testament church after Pentecost was persevering in the apostles doctrine. Doctrinal purity was essential to a New Testament church. The local churches placed themselves under God's authority by accepting the discipline of the Word of God. The proclamation of the Scriptures became a positive discipline, developing correct beliefs and life-style. When Christians need to be confronted and rebuked for sin or false belief, either individually or corporately, negative discipline will correct the error and bring the church back to its biblical role. When an assembly of people removes itself from the authority of Scripture, that assembly ceases to be a New Testament church. ILLUSTRATION: Although the church at Sardis had quite a reputation in its community, Jesus viewed it as having already died (REVELATION 3:1).
APPLICATION: All Christians should carefully evaluate the beliefs and practices of a church by the standard of God's Word. Then they should associate with and support the one that meets the New Testament standards. (First Reference, MATTHEW 18:17; Primary Reference, ACTS 2:42; MATTHEW 28:19.)
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 __As we study the Word of God, we should apply both the spiritual and literal principles of interpretation. The spiritual principles include prayer (PSALM 119:18), cleansing (1 JOHN 1:9), and the illumination by the Holy Spirit (1 CORINTHIANS 2:12__16). The principle of literally understanding Scripture is to interpret it according to: (1) __the mind of the author; (2) __its historical background; (3) __the context of the passage; and (4) __the basic rules of grammar. ILLUSTRATION: Joshua was promised success if he meditated on the law (JOSHUA 1:8), and he won that success when he conquered the kings of Canaan. As a disciple of Moses, and as one who had a personal relationship with God, he could interpret the law of God and understand God's will for his life. APPLICATION: If we desire the will of God in our lives, we must regularly and systematically interpret God's Word according to its proper meaning. (First Reference, JOSHUA 1:8; Primary Reference, 2 TIMOTHY 2:15; ACTS 2:42.)
I WILL TEACH YOU THE READER. ____ THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE.
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