How do preachers or teachers explain this?

[Godsgood]

I am not sure that you could force me, anyway, but thank you for saying that you won't.

Certainly:

NKJV Luk 8:38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39 "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you." And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

I am not sure that you could force me, anyway, but thank you for saying that you won't.

The Lord Jesus, in His role as the Son of the Living God, does not force anyone. The multitudes whom He fed, after He shared the truth with them, did not believe in Him, and so He simply allowed them to leave.
It was enough that the Lord had shared the truth with them.
JOHN 6:66
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Therefore, we who have come to know the one true God, with the Lord Jesus as our model whom we strive to imitate (1 Peter 2:21), are also content simply to share the truth.
We do not force anyone to believe.

During the time of the Lord Jesus, those who insisted that others believe them rather than God were the Scribes and Pharisees. Because the Lord did not accept their interpretation of the words of God, we know that they spoke badly against Him.


And this is our testimony concerning Ecclesiastes 1:9 and Matthew 24:35, that the same thing continues to happen and does not pass away.
Even today, there are those who teach in a way that is no different from the Scribes and Pharisees.
When their teachings are not accepted, they also speak badly against others, as though they are forcing people to accept their own interpretation of God’s word, even when it does not agree with the truth.


Therefore, for us, it is clear that such a person is not from God, just as the Scribes and Pharisees were not.

 

[Dino246]

Of course there is.

Which Book of Life do you know about?

There is only one Book of Life.

 

[Dino246]

Because anyone can quote the word of God.
Even the devil uses it.
But only the word of God revealed through His words will serve as the truth

It was just as true when the devil quoted it. The problem is not that it was untrue in his mouth, but that he tried to use it inappropriately.

 

[Dino246]

Even today, there are those who teach in a way that is no different from the Scribes and Pharisees.
When their teachings are not accepted, they also speak badly against others, as though they are forcing people to accept their own interpretation of God’s word, even when it does not agree with the truth.

Therefore, for us, it is clear that such a person is not from God, just as the Scribes and Pharisees were not.

You testify against yourself.

 

[Godsgood]

Firstly, Revelation 20 does not have a verse 25.

Secondly, Scripture calls you a liar. You could not have seen your name written in the book of life, because the book has not been opened yet. See Revelation 20:12.

Firstly, Revelation 20 does not have a verse 25.

You're right, there is no verse 25 in Revelation chapter 20.
It was a typo on my part; I should have written verse 15.
Thank you for the correction.

 

[DavidLamb]

Anyway, the word Using context to understand the Word of God was not taught by God to us who have come to know the one true God.
For context has served as a tradition that comes from man.

Using context is not a man-made doctrine. It is important to remember that chapters and verses were added to the Bible hundreds of years after it was completed. Chapters and verses are helpful aids to finding our way around the Bible, but itis dangerous to separate what is written in one verse from what is found in surrounding verses.

The Lord God Himself has taught us how to understand His words.
ISAIAH 28:10
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isaiah is not saying that God's word should be understood a line at a time, taking what is written in one line as separate from the surrounding lines. Anyway, the Hebrew word translated "line" there refers to a line that a builder might use to ensure that a row of bricks is level and straight, not a line of written or printed text. If I were to take some lines of printed text from my Bible, they would make no sense apart from the surrounding lines. Just a few examples, all from Isaiah 28:

To whom He said, "This is the rest with which

scornful men, Who rule this people who are in

GOD of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the

not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or

Those lines of text, by themselves, make no sense at all.

I testify to this because I have read less than one-fourth of the entire Holy Scriptures.
Yet through what I have read, the one true God has revealed Himself to me.
God has also enabled me to understand His words even though I have read only a small portion of them.

I would encourage you to read the whole of the Bible. It is all God's revelation to mankind. If you have only ever read less than a quarter of it, you have missed so much of what God has revealed.

 

[DavidLamb]

Of course there is.

Which Book of Life do you know about?

The book of life we read of in the Bible, where we are told that the book of life will not be opened until the judgement at the great white throne:

NKJV Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Rev 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

So at the moment, the book of life is closed. Nobody can see their name written in it.

 

[DavidLamb]

What ever does that mean? The Scriptures are God's word. How can the Scriptures not be considered truth until God's revelation is given through His word? His word is Scripture.

Because anyone can quote the word of God.
Even the devil uses it.
But only the word of God revealed through His words will serve as the truth
MATTHEW 4:6
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

PSALMS 91:11-12
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

What belongs to the devil is merely what has been written, so it is not yet the truth.

But what belongs to the Lord Jesus is the revelation of God through His words, and that alone is the truth.
MATTHEW 4:7
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

The devil quoting the Bible is nothing to do with what I wrote in my post. You had written that the Scriptures cannot be considered truth until God's revelation is given through His word. I replied: "What ever does that mean? The Scriptures are God's word. How can the Scriptures not be considered truth until God's revelation is given through His word? His word is Scripture."

Incidentally, you said in another post that context is a man-made doctrine. Your sentence about the devil quoting Scripture is a good argument for the importance of context. The devil, in tempting Jesus, quoted Bible words out of their context, and drew ridiculous conclusions by doing so. For example, the context of the words he quotes from Psalm 91 shows that it is not talking about deliberately doing something dangerous, then expecting God to send His angels to help you:

NKJV Psa 91:9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
Psa 91:10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
Psa 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
Psa 91:12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

No idea there of deliberately doing something that results in dashing your foot against a stone.

 

[DavidLamb]

That does not make sense either. The Scriptures, the Bible, God's word will not pass away. Ecclesiastes 1:9 and Matthew 24:35 are in the Bible, God's word, the Scriptures.

Do you understand Ecclesiastes 1:9 and Matthew 24:35 to mean that God’s word should be preached at all times and should never be stopped, as if it were merely a story that happened in the past and should not be forgotten? Am I correct?

No you are not correct. Most of the events recorded in God's word are in the past, but even those events provide us un the present with much teaching. Some of the teaching, for example much of what is written in the epistles, applies to people of all times. For example:

NKJV Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

 

[DavidLamb]

LUKE 8:38-39
38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

The Lord Jesus said " Return to thine own house".
Since you said that this verse is neither a parable nor a dark saying, then its meaning should be clear to you.
If you were the man whom the Lord commanded here, what exactly would you do according to your clear understanding of the command?

Could you explain in detail?

Yes. If I were that man, I would have done what Jesus told me to do. I would have gone home, and shown people that Jesus had done such great things for me that I was no longer rampaging around naked amongst the tombs, but was "clothed and in my right mind."
Indeed, that is what the man himself did, for we read:

Luke 8:39 And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

So obviously he didn't take the words of Jesus as a parable. He did exactly what Jesus said.

 

[DavidLamb]

I mean Revelation 20:15 and not verse 25

Thanks. That verse says:

NKJV Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

But earlier in the same chapter about the great white throne judgement, we read:

NKJV Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

So up to that point, the book of life was closed. Unless you believe that the great white throne judgement is happening now, you cannot have actually read your name in the book of life. It is a closed book.

 

[Godsgood]

You testify against yourself.

Using context is not a man-made doctrine. It is important to remember that chapters and verses were added to the Bible hundreds of years after it was completed. Chapters and verses are helpful aids to finding our way around the Bible, but itis dangerous to separate what is written in one verse from what is found in surrounding verses.

Isaiah is not saying that God's word should be understood a line at a time, taking what is written in one line as separate from the surrounding lines. Anyway, the Hebrew word translated "line" there refers to a line that a builder might use to ensure that a row of bricks is level and straight, not a line of written or printed text. If I were to take some lines of printed text from my Bible, they would make no sense apart from the surrounding lines. Just a few examples, all from Isaiah 28:

To whom He said, "This is the rest with which

scornful men, Who rule this people who are in

GOD of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the

not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or

Those lines of text, by themselves, make no sense at all.



I would encourage you to read the whole of the Bible. It is all God's revelation to mankind. If you have only ever read less than a quarter of it, you have missed so much of what God has revealed.

 

[Godsgood]

Using context is not a man-made doctrine. It is important to remember that chapters and verses were added to the Bible hundreds of years after it was completed. Chapters and verses are helpful aids to finding our way around the Bible, but itis dangerous to separate what is written in one verse from what is found in surrounding verses.

Remember that the original Bible, as God instructed it to be written, did not have chapters and verses. People added the chapters and verses simply to make it easier to locate and remember where a particular subject or passage is found. Therefore, it is clear that these are merely human methods, not God’s method.


God’s method for understanding the truth in His words will remain effective even without the chapters and verses added by people. This is because God Himself guides His chosen ones in how to read and understand His words.


As evidence, consider the people who believe in and read the Holy Scriptures. They have different understandings of God’s words even though they follow the context that you are talking about.
Yet we who have come to know the one true God have only one understanding of the truth in His words. And we do not use the so-called context that you are referring to.

 

[Godsgood]

Using context is not a man-made doctrine. It is important to remember that chapters and verses were added to the Bible hundreds of years after it was completed. Chapters and verses are helpful aids to finding our way around the Bible, but itis dangerous to separate what is written in one verse from what is found in surrounding verses.

Isaiah is not saying that God's word should be understood a line at a time, taking what is written in one line as separate from the surrounding lines. Anyway, the Hebrew word translated "line" there refers to a line that a builder might use to ensure that a row of bricks is level and straight, not a line of written or printed text. If I were to take some lines of printed text from my Bible, they would make no sense apart from the surrounding lines. Just a few examples, all from Isaiah 28:

To whom He said, "This is the rest with which

scornful men, Who rule this people who are in

GOD of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the

not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or

Those lines of text, by themselves, make no sense at all.



I would encourage you to read the whole of the Bible. It is all God's revelation to mankind. If you have only ever read less than a quarter of it, you have missed so much of what God has revealed.

I would encourage you to read the whole of the Bible. It is all God's revelation to mankind. If you have only ever read less than a quarter of it, you have missed so much of what God has revealed.

If it is true that a person must read the entire Holy Bible in order to learn more, then why is it that the different groups within Christianity today have people who have not only read the entire Bible but have also studied it for five to ten years? Yet, after completing their studies, they all say the same thing: that God is mysterious and cannot be known.


How, then, can you prove to the people you are encouraging that they should read the entire Holy Bible?


We who have come to know the one true God are living witnesses. That is why we testify to people about Him. Although we have read only a small portion of the Holy Bible so far, our reading has been accompanied by God’s guidance. Nevertheless, we have come to know the one true God.


And I testify that none of us studied in Bible schools or seminaries. We also did not study in the Bible studies conducted in chapels.

 

[Godsgood]

The book of life we read of in the Bible, where we are told that the book of life will not be opened until the judgement at the great white throne:

NKJV Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Rev 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

So at the moment, the book of life is closed. Nobody can see their name written in it.

If you believe that the Book of Life will only be seen in the future, this is because people understand God’s words literally. Since they cannot literally see their names written in the Holy Book, they therefore preach that the Book of Life will only be revealed or seen at some future time.

However, this belief is contrary to what the Lord said in Matthew 24:35, that His words will not pass away. Why, then, has the Book of Life not yet been seen, even though God’s word is for all generations and all times? Why is the Book of Life not present in our time?

However, we who have come to know the one true God have been given the revelation that the Book of Life He is referring to is the Holy Bible, the words of God that contain His revelation of the truth in His words, which gives life.

These are the spiritual words of God that lead to salvation.
JOHN 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

And through God’s revelation, we clearly see our names written in the Book of Life.
Therefore, we testify to people about this truth.

 

[Godsgood]

Yes. If I were that man, I would have done what Jesus told me to do. I would have gone home, and shown people that Jesus had done such great things for me that I was no longer rampaging around naked amongst the tombs, but was "clothed and in my right mind."
Indeed, that is what the man himself did, for we read:

Luke 8:39 And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

So obviously he didn't take the words of Jesus as a parable. He did exactly what Jesus said.

If you are going to follow the Lord Jesus’ command exactly, and you say that it is not a dark saying, then you should show the great things the Lord Jesus has done for you only to those who are in your own household.
This would include your parents and siblings. If you have your own family, it would include your wife and children.

To follow the Lord’s command exactly, you should show it only to them, because they are the ones who are in “thine own house.”
LUKE 8:39
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

 

[DavidLamb]

Using context is not a man-made doctrine. It is important to remember that chapters and verses were added to the Bible hundreds of years after it was completed. Chapters and verses are helpful aids to finding our way around the Bible, but itis dangerous to separate what is written in one verse from what is found in surrounding verses.

Remember that the original Bible, as God instructed it to be written, did not have chapters and verses. People added the chapters and verses simply to make it easier to locate and remember where a particular subject or passage is found. Therefore, it is clear that these are merely human methods, not God’s method.

Yes, I have post exact that myself. Verses and chapters are merely helps to find our way around the Bible. Their existence doesn't mean that using context is a man-made method.

 

[DavidLamb]

I would encourage you to read the whole of the Bible. It is all God's revelation to mankind. If you have only ever read less than a quarter of it, you have missed so much of what God has revealed.

If it is true that a person must read the entire Holy Bible in order to learn more, then why is it that the different groups within Christianity today have people who have not only read the entire Bible but have also studied it for five to ten years? Yet, after completing their studies, they all say the same thing: that God is mysterious and cannot be known.

If the Bible is God's word, why should we be satisfied with reading only parts of what He has revealed?

How, then, can you prove to the people you are encouraging that they should read the entire Holy Bible?

I cannot prove that to anybody. All I can say again is that as the whole Bible is God's word, it is wrong to neglect parts of it.

We who have come to know the one true God are living witnesses. That is why we testify to people about Him. Although we have read only a small portion of the Holy Bible so far, our reading has been accompanied by God’s guidance. Nevertheless, we have come to know the one true God.


And I testify that none of us studied in Bible schools or seminaries. We also did not study in the Bible studies conducted in chapels.

Who are the "us" whop don't partake in Bible studies? It seems strange that you almost boast that you have only read a small part of the Bible, that you don't attend Bible studies, yet here on Christian Chat you proclaim what you believe based on what is in the Bible. You write a lot about God revealing things, yet you have not read most of what He has revealed in His word!

 

[DavidLamb]

If you believe that the Book of Life will only be seen in the future, this is because people understand God’s words literally. Since they cannot literally see their names written in the Holy Book, they therefore preach that the Book of Life will only be revealed or seen at some future time.

However, this belief is contrary to what the Lord said in Matthew 24:35, that His words will not pass away. Why, then, has the Book of Life not yet been seen, even though God’s word is for all generations and all times? Why is the Book of Life not present in our time?

Because it is in heaven, and it is closed, until it will be opened when the judgement at the great white throne takes place. That is in no way contrary to Matthew 24:35:

Mat 24:35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

That says nothing about where the book of life is, or whether anybody can read it now.

However, we who have come to know the one true God have been given the revelation that the Book of Life He is referring to is the Holy Bible, the words of God that contain His revelation of the truth in His words, which gives life.

If the book of life in Revelation meant the Bible, how would the names of every Christian appear in the Bible? And as the book of life will only be opened at the white throne judgement, how do we have the Bible to read now?

These are the spiritual words of God that lead to salvation.
JOHN 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

And through God’s revelation, we clearly see our names written in the Book of Life.
Therefore, we testify to people about this truth.

 

[Dino246]

As evidence, consider the people who believe in and read the Holy Scriptures. They have different understandings of God’s words even though they follow the context that you are talking about.

That is not evidence for your assertion regarding context.

Yet we who have come to know the one true God ... do not use the so-called context that you are referring to.

Your loss.