Welcome!
Date: Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Today: The benefit of Christian Education
Passage: 2 Tim 3: 14-16 NIV
14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (emphasis added)
It is enough to read the above scripture a couple of times, to understand the benefit of learning the scripture
Paul says, “You know those from whom you learned it”
People look not only at what is being taught, but also as to “who teaches it” and “how they live what they teach”
Any other subject may be taught in any way but with the Bible, it is different
Then, Paul goes on to say that the scripture makes one wise unto salvation
The scripture tells us what is right and what is not
Until we read the scripture, it is like, “whatever looks right for me is O.K”
But the scripture taught us that we belong to God
He created us. He paid the price to bring us out of sin
So we have to know what God’s will for us is, from the scripture
The next statement is: “All Scripture is God-breathed”
Many Christians do not believe it
They say, “Some of the scripture (Bible) is God-breathed, but not all!”
Because, it takes humility and total surrender to accept that
Jesus quoted often from the Old Testament
As we read through the pages of the Bible, we get life. Try it!
Then, there are also principles of Biblical interpretation
It is important to know, how to interpret the Bible correctly
We may just take one verse and interpret it “out of its context”
Make sure that we look at the specific context in which it is written, before using it for a totally different context
For example, in 1 Corinthians 14: 33-35, it is written:
33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the congregations of the saints, 34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. (emphasis added)
Here, we see Paul writing to the Corinthian Church, “Women should remain silent in the churches”
So many people “crucify” Paul, saying that Paul was against women
In the Corinthian Church, while the preaching was going on, women would start asking questions to their husbands about the topic that was being preached
The church would then be full of noise, when many women started doing this
(Those husbands were good in the scripture, I hope!)
That is why Paul wrote to them, “35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
Jesus gave much importance to women, in His ministry
In his ministry, Paul himself mentions the names of certain women
So we must understand that Paul is not forbidding women from praying or speaking what God has given them, but it is all about “talking in church”
We need to interpret scripture correctly
God the Holy Spirit is the best teacher of the scripture
Then, we have many gifted teachers, books and other resources
Use them and grow. God is interested in our growth in the things of God
Be blessed!
BG
Prayer: Lord, help me to understand and interpret the scripture correctly, as you would want me to. Help me find time and the right resources to learn the scripture. Amen