Tuesday, August 20, 2024

USE OF SCRIPTURE AS FIERY DARTS

What is the purpose of scripture? What IS scripture? Scripture is simply “written things” (Strong 2006). It is known from 2 Timothy 3:15 that the reference is about “holy scripture,” or holy written things. At the time that was written, the main extant holy writings were in the Old Testament: the Law, the wisdom literature, the psalms, and the prophetic writings.

The gospels were not written by the time of that letter that Paul wrote to Timothy (below). The “gospels” were at best, the same decade as the Pauline letters. The holy gospels were of two types: (1) the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; and (2) the gospel of John that is unlike any of the others, going back to the Word in the beginning.

Mark wrote about the gospel:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send My messenger before your face, which shall prepare thy way before you.” (Mark 1:1-2) 

The gospel is the account of the life and times of Jesus Christ as previewed in holy scripture; specifically in Malachi 3:1. Mark referred to the scripture that was the reference for what he was about to write; so technically, the prophetic scripture is the beginning of the gospel, and indeed, the prophetic books are mostly about Jesus. With that said, the prophetic books are part of the gospel.

The “gospel” is the English word for “euangelion” — “a good message” (ibid). According to Mark that good message begins with the activities of John the Baptist, which is found in the gospels, who was preparing the Way for the Good Messenger, Jesus (Mark 1:3).

The gospels are, therefore, the writings about both John’s preparation for Jesus and the Words of Jesus Himself.

As you can see, the simple answer is that the gospels are the written Words and actions of Jesus and about Him.

The gospel is all about Jesus, but Paul wrote about Jesus too! Paul’s words made him the new messenger in the absence of Jesus, so since he was given authority by Jesus and the other apostles, Paul’s writings are “canon” as well, meaning that they are “an authoritative list of books accepted as Holy Scripture” (Merriam-Webster 2023).

Note that the scribes did not carry around the writings of the gospels nor the letters of Paul and the others. Hence, the “holy writings” were the Law, the prophets, and the ancillary books of the Old Testament.

Paul wrote to Timothy about those holy writings:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

God inspired the prophets of old to write their prophecies. Those prophecies were, according to Mark, about the life and times of Jesus that would come to pass. Therefore, the gospels are validation of the Word of God written down by the prophets.

What is missed is that all the patriarchs of the Old Testament: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David et al were, as well as the major and minor prophets, in that God spoke truths to them.  

For instance, David wrote psalms about the coming of the Lord God in the flesh. God gave him insight about the coming of the Lord — the gospel Messenger — long before the gospel writers set down their quills. Hence, overall, the gospels are the subject matter about Jesus both before and after His coming, if one uses the Bible as their “dictionary.”

God inspired the writers of the Old Testament. The words written in that book are the Word of God. John validated the authenticity of that when he wrote that the Word was there in the beginning and is Jesus (John 1:1-14). John saw the gospel message a little differently than Mark and perhaps the others. He saw that the Word began not with the advent of John the Baptist, but with the first Adam (man) that we have named “Adam.”  They didn’t even argue about their differences!

Since Jesus is the “last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45), the inspired Word of God is the gospel, and it began in the beginning. Jesus was the “quickening spirit” of the book of Genesis who, according to John, made all things.

The gospel story did not begin with John the Baptist who paved the way for Jesus, as Mark wrote, but John got it right. He was not “synoptic” with the other three.

John truly saw that the gospel story began with the Creation. Since Jesus was glorified at His death (John 7:39), then He returned to the original state in which man was made — He was the very Image of God as another Adam. Jesus was there in the beginning in “phantom” (that “quickening spirit;” selem in the Hebrew).

The gospel is all about Jesus from the beginning to the ending. It is Him that is the “alpha and omega” (Rev 1:8) — the aleph and the tav in the Hebrew (the Hebrew hieroglyphs for the ox and the cross which I believe is the life and the death).

So, what is the gospel? It is the Message from God throughout time.

Where is it in Genesis? It is God giving life in the beginning; it is God saving life after the two Adamah sinned (Gen 3). The Lord God who made Adam and Eve coats of skin and clothed them (Gen 3:21) was about the preservation of mankind; the very “gospel message.”

What I am leading to is that oftentimes there is no simple answer to what seems simple questions. I believe that the gospel message includes the Old Testament, and both Mark and John saw it that way as well.

The problem is that theologians call only the first four books of the New Testament “gospels.” Most people miss that the gospels began when the Word made Adam and the woman glorious in the very Image of God. All scripture is from people inspired by God with that message from the beginning of time.

Scripture, according to Paul’s letter “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

“Doctrine” is the Message from those inspired from God.

“Reproof” is the evidence for the message and the Messenger. The Old Testament proves the things to come came from God because the prophets got it all right.

“Correction” is to make upright again. It is lifting-up, not putting down.

“Instruction” is nurturing in righteousness, not by diminishing those who are learning, but guiding them by the hand, so to speak to understand what is right — what is acceptable to God.

Note that within those uses for scripture nothing is said about judging others or putting them down. It is about exalting God and others, especially other Christians, because they (me included) have Christ in them. Why set out to destroy others who have Christ in them? Why destroy even your enemies who you should want to have Christ in them?

Each day, I write a commentary about what I have learned from the Spirit of God. Hopefully it is God that inspires me with His Word.

Sometimes I may err; perhaps often. God corrects me when I do when I discover more in the gospel story. Because I was “born again” does not mean that I became a “know-it-all” but one seeking the gospel truth about Jesus, and it begins in the beginning. Why so? Because what was “finished” on the cross (John 19:3) was numerous things, but one of them was the gospel about the truth about Jesus; that He indeed is God in the flesh.

The gospel story did not begin with John the Baptist, but with “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Technically, that is the beginning of the gospel, and it was proven at the Crucifixion and validated at the Resurrection.

Hopefully, you understand that I understand the gospel. That is my insight about the “full gospel” story.

Abraham was in Paradise because he knew and trusted Jesus long before the gospel writers were ever born (Luke 16)!

The entire Bible is, in a sense, the gospel story because it too prepared the Way for Jesus. Mark did get it right because he understood the Old Testament, but John even had more insight from God who knew that the gospel began at the beginning, not just with Malachai.

I write this with a heavy heart. I intend not to be denominational nor even ideological. My aim is not to offend anyone, nor do I desire to cut God short. I endeavor to present the message of the gospels and know that I am not perfect.  I will, and do, err at times and God corrects me. Whether you believe what I write is none of my business but the business of God. I write… God persuades (Acts 8:13) in the manner of Paul who said right things and God changed them.

What is scripture for? To present the gospel — the beginning and the ending of the truth about Jesus which indeed should be the “Good News” given that Jesus is the Source of the Virtue emanating from God.

That is the gospel; and there is no simple answer. It is the “gospel” as I understand it. If you are looking for Webster’s definition; that is his insight. If you understand it differently; that is your insight, but insight must not incite.

Many approach the Word as ammunition to “shoot” their grudges against each others. For some reason, some Christians, maybe many of them, must be right about all things and they even parse each word from the keyboard of others to find some technicality.

For myself, I can always express myself better but often do not. Some assumption must be made about the intelligence of the recipient. With children, every word must be literal, or they use it against the parent. So many Christians are like the little children in that they look for error in the ways of others.

The gospel is not a bully pulpit to put others down; it is to lift them up to the truth.

The gospel is not about catching the error of others but your own! “He that is without sin (error) among you, let him first cast a stone” (John 8:7) and nobody did so.

The gospel is not about slinging fiery darts at others; that is the vocation of the Devil.

The gospel is not about shutting anyone down but lifting them up to the standard of Jesus.

The gospel is not for warring but for making peace.

The gospel is not for destruction of others but for the salvation of their souls. You cannot argue a person into heaven; love is what persuades them!

Denominations came about, not because of different scripture, but because people understand the gospel differently. We cannot all be right! Each church errs on many points whereas the gospel is without error. It is us that may be messed up, not God.

The gospel intent is to love God and one another. It is not to diminish God and each other.

Some Christians are like Satan himself; just waiting on others to pass by and out of their own little world, and then fire scripture at them like Satan fires his fiery darts.

Theological arguments make Christians the adversaries of each other. Argumentative Christians become useful tools of Satan, and they are adversaries on his behalf. They are much like the early church and the inquisition — if you do not believe as I do, then you are dead!

I feel threatened when somebody comes at me with a gun or other weapon. I feel more threatened when someone comes at me with scripture. They are not going to convert me because I am already persuaded, so since they cannot harm that; they try to harm me.

When at odds with one another the worst weapon is one of destruction. Their “Greek fire” is using the gospel message to burn down the fortitude of another Christian. They fire scripture as if it is a rapid-firing automatic weapon to be aimed straightly at the forehead at the brain.

The message sent to me from so many is that I am smarter than you! Indeed, you probably are but I make not claim to smartness, it is not me, or as the song goes, “yet not I, but through Christ in me.”

We are to love one another. Oftentimes, I sense an attack on me operationalized by some other Christian. Sensing an attack, I get defensive and try to respond in a humble way that will keep the peace. Humility reveals my underbelly, and they take that for as soft spot to shoot.

I do wish I knew it all but only Jesus was the only man that knew all things. If I pretend that I know it all, then I am pretending to be Jesus in the same manner as Lucifer who was cleverly the “Serpent” within.

Since so many seem to know it all, then why read any more scripture? It is because none of us know the Thoughts of God and never will fully know what God is thinking. Do not ask me cunning questions to shut me down; ask God outright questions to left you up out of your arrogance.

I try not to be mean, but sometimes Christiam must defend themselves from both the barbs of the wicked ones and prideful Christians.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” (Jas 4:10).

I can be wrong and often I am wrong. God is never wrong; it is us who get it wrong.

If you genuinely seek an answer, please ask. If you want verbal warfare, please refrain. That is not the nature of us Christians to always be right in all things.



 

 

 

 

 

 

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