Almost every cult with which we have any acquaintance practices this art of selecting and ignoring. The no-hell cults, for example, habitually stress everything in the Bible that seems to support their position and play down or explain away all the passages that deal with eternal punishment.But we do well to look closer to home. Proneness to heresy is not confined to the cults. By nature, we are all heretics. We who count ourselves to be in the historic tradition of sound doctrine may in actual practice become heretics after a sort. We may unconsciously select for special attention such Scriptures as comfort and encourage us and pass over the ones that rebuke and warn us. This trap is so easy to fall into that we may be in it before we are aware.
Take, for instance, the “well-marked” Bible. It might be an illuminating experience to peep into one sometimes and note how the owner has underscored almost exclusively the passages that console him or that support his views on doctrine. We habitually love the verses that are easy on us and shy away from the ones that disturb us.
Category: Study
The Sword of the Spirit – by A.W. Tozer
Undoubtedly God goes along with us as far as He can in this weak and one-sided treatment of the Holy Scriptures, but He cannot be pleased with this way of doing. Our Heavenly Father takes pleasure in seeing us develop and grow up spiritually. He does not want us to live entirely on a diet of sweet stuff. He gives us for our encouragement Isaiah 41, but He gives us also Matthew 23 and the book of Jude, and He expects us to read it all. The eighth chapter of Romans is one of the most elevating passages in the entire Bible, and its popularity is well deserved; but we need Second Peter as well, and we should not neglect to read it. When reading Paul’s epistles, we should not stop with the doctrinal sections but should go on to read and ponder the bracing exhortations that follow. We should not stop with Romans 11; the rest of the epistle is also important, and if we would treat our souls fairly, we must give it the same attention we gave to the first ten chapters.
Briefly, the health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us. We cannot afford to be selective with anything so important as the Word of God and our own eternal future.
Giving glory and praise to God
“and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him ‘is’ the glory in the assembly/ekklesia in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.”
—Ephesians 3:20, 21 YLT
“When we come to ask for grace from God, we ought to give glory to God. Unto Him be glory in the church/ekklesia by Christ Jesus. In ascribing glory to God, we ascribe all excellences and perfections to Him, glory being the effulgency and result of them all. Observe, The seat of God’s praises is in the church/ekklesia. That little rent of praise which God receives from this world is from the church/ekklesia, a sacred society constituted for the glory of God, every particular member of which, both Jew and Gentile, concurs in this work of praising God. The Mediator of these praises is Jesus Christ. All God’s gifts come from Him to us through the hand of Jesus Christ; and all our praises pass from us to Him through the same hand. And God should and will be praised thus throughout all ages, world without end; for He will ever have a church/ekklesia to praise Him, and He will ever have His tribute of praise from His church/ekklesia. Amen. So be it; and so it will certainly be.”
— Matthew Henry on Ephesians 3
Original: ἐκκλησία
Transliteration: Ekklesia
Phonetic: ek-klay-see’-ah
Definition:
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating
b) the assembly of the Israelites
c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously
d) in a Christian sense
1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake
3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
Origin: from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
Part of speech: Noun Feminine
Strong’s: From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out that is (concretely) a popular meeting especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): – assembly church.
Look upon God as a Father
“Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever! Amen.”
—Philippians 4:20
“Observe,
(1.) God is to be considered by us as our Father: Now unto God and our Father. It is a great condescension and favour in God to own the relation of Father to sinners, and allow us to say to him, Our Father; and it is a title peculiar to the gospel dispensation. It is also a great privilege and encouragement to us to consider him as our Father, as one so nearly related and who bears so tender an affection towards us. We should look upon God, under all our weaknesses and fears, not as a tyrant or an enemy, but as a Father, who is disposed to pity us and help us.
(2.) We must ascribe glory to God as a Father, the glory of his own excellence and of all his mercy unto us. We must thankfully own the receipt of all from him, and give the praise of all to him. And our praise must be constant and perpetual; it must be glory for ever and ever.”
—Mathew Henry on Philippians 4
I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” — Psalm 119.11
Here is,
1. The close application which David made of the word of God to himself: He hid it in his heart, laid it up there, that it might be ready to him whenever he had occasion to use it; he laid it up as that which he valued highly, and had a warm regard for, and which he was afraid of losing and being robbed of. God’s word is a treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safely but in our hearts; if we have it only in our houses and hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us: but if our hearts be delivered into the mould of it, and the impressions of it remain on our souls, it is safe.
2. The good uses he designed to make of it: That I might not sin against thee. Good men are afraid of sin, and are in care to prevent it; and the most effectual way to prevent is to hide God’s word in our hearts, that we may answer every temptation, as our Master did, with, It is written, may oppose God’s precepts to the dominion of sin, His promises to its allurements, and His threatenings to its menaces.
— Matthew Henry on Psalm 119