Tag: Scripture

Avoid Deception – Read the Word Purposefully

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

The Galatians were deceived by the Judaizers. Instead of continuing to follow God’s Word, they allowed a group of people to convince them they needed to add something to God’s Word regarding salvation in order to experience salvation. The Judaizers told them salvation wasn’t found in Jesus alone. Rather it was found in Jesus plus works. In this instance, it was the work of circumcision.

Paul is shocked they would submit themselves to the law. He lets them know in his letter to them.

What contributed to their deception?

One reason the Galatians were deceived by the Judaizers was their inability to listen to the Law.

“I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” (Ga 4:20–21)

What does it mean to “listen to the Law”? Why is it important we listen to the Law?

BDAG Defines it as:

to hear and understand a message, understand

Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 38

Listening to or hearing the Law implies more than hearing it read aloud or preached. It implies understanding the message the text is attempting to convey.

The Galatians Misunderstanding and Paul’s Clarification

The Galatians did not understand the message of the OT Law, namely, one cannot earn salvation through works. Over and over again the Law points to our inability to keep the Law to gain salvation. Incase the Galatians did not understand the laws application, Paul makes it clear in chapter 5:

“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” (Ga 5:2–4)

It is important we listen to the Law, it tells us we cannot keep it and we need a Savior, so that we are not “obligated to keep the whole law” and end up “severed from Christ”.

The Law cannot justify us. Only Christ can provide justification through His work on our behalf.

How can we be better listeners to the Law ourselves?

Work on being better Bible readers

(1) Association – Find a way to associate the text to an experience you have had in the past, or something you are going through right now.

(2) Pray for Understanding – Before you read, pray the Lord would open the text up to you.

(3) Pray the Text – After you read, pray through the text. Praying the text isn’t rocket science. Start with the first verse you read and pray whatever comes to mind. When you have milked that verse dry, move on to the next, and then the next, until you have prayed all the verses you read. If you want further ideas and reasons why praying the text is helpful, Donald Whitney has written an excellent book Praying the Bible, which I highly recommend.

(4) Meditate on the Text – If all you do is read a chapter, close your Bible, and go about your day, chances are you aren’t going to remember much of what you read, which means you probably aren’t going to apply much of what you have read to your life. In comes meditation. By meditation, I don’t mean sitting with your legs crossed, arms out, palms up, trying to clear your mind. I have in mind just the opposite. Instead of trying to clear your mind, you should fill your mind with the text. There are several ways to do that:

  • Think through the key words in the text.
  • Write out the text.
  • Journal the text.
  • Memorize a key verse(s).
  • Visualize the text by drawing it (probably more for you artsy types).
  • Think of how the text applies to your life, your family, or your community.
  • Formulate the main idea of the text. Think about what the text is telling you is true, and then ask what you should do, think, or believe based on that truth.
  • Ask yourself how the text points to Jesus.

By employing these tips, you should be able to read the Bible in a way that allows you to hear what God’s Word is saying.

Understand the purpose of the Law

The Law points to Jesus.

How does the Law point to Jesus?

  • The Law also shows us we cannot keep the Law – The continual sacrifices are meant to show us that we are incapable of keeping the Law. That in and of ourselves, we would remain under God’s judgment.
  • The Law shows us we need a substitute – We don’t atone (make right) for our own sin. In the OT Law an animal is sacrificed in our place. The sacrificial animal is meant to point to another sacrifice to come.
  • The Law points to Jesus through its ineffective nature – Sacrifices have to continually be made. The sacrifices are not sufficient to provide us with salvation from God’s wrath.

Conclusion

If we want to keep ourselves and others from being deceived by faith teachers, we must be students of the Word reading it for all it offers. We cannot pick and choose which verses to read, nor can we read it in isolation from the other texts in Scripture. Rather, we must read it in context and in a faithful manner.

Should we submit to the government?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Rom 13:1)

Among all the the things we have experienced in 2020, we can add a season of political turmoil. A season that doesn’t want to end. Come January though changes will happen. Some of you may be glad for those changes while others will disagree.

Whether we agree or disagree, we are to heed the instruction found in God’s Word. We are to be subject to the governing authorities. Whether they represent our political party or not, we can be subject to them because every authority has been instituted by God. Paul even goes so far as to call them God’s servants for our good and the avenger who carries out God’s wrath (Rom 13:4).

Given some authorities bent towards immorality it is hard to believe they are put in place by God, considered His servants, and are to carry out His wrath. But God’s Word reveals that is their position. It is how the sovereign Lord uses them. Since they are appointed and used by God, we are to respect their position. We are to pray for them. Where we can, in good conscience, we are to follow their direction and the laws of the land. To be sure, God is our first ruler. Where His law would be transgressed, we are to resist, but by and large we are to respect and honor our rulers.

While we may believe that to be a radical request, Paul, the author of Romans, is writing these words while living under Roman rule. Rule that was ruthless and, at times, antithetical to and persecutor of Christianity. As Christians in the USA we experience much more freedom than those in Roman society. While many would like to erode those freedoms, we are still to trust the Lord, His wisdom, and His Word. We are to be subject to the ruling authorities for they have been instituted by God.

Why Reading God’s Word is Important

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

(Ps 119:9)

God’s Word is the answer for how we are to live. It represents God’s will for our life. When we read it, meditate on it, and allow it to influence the way we think and act, we are living in line with God’s holiness. Our thoughts and actions will be pure.

God’s Word, however, doesn’t enter our life by accident, osmosis, or through the efforts of others. We must personally invest in it, realizing it makes us richer than all treasures (Ps 119:14).

The best way to store God’s Word in your heart, to begin meditating on it, is to read it (Ps 119:11, 15). To actually dive into the the text of Scripture. Not a devotional or a book about the text, but the Scriptures themselves. There is a place for devotional reading and commentaries. They help us understand apply the text but we must not forsake our own time of mining the riches out of God’s Word.

What Scripture did you read today?

The Importance of Reading the Bible in Context

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, PracticalLeave a comment

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

(Matt 19:21)

Yes, Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. But why? The context tells us and the context is key. The rich young ruler thought he could earn his way into heaven through good works. Jesus, however, used his possessions to show him that was not true.

In the case of the rich young ruler, he may have kept some of the commandments but when it came to putting other gods before Yahweh, he failed. He worshipped his possessions, which is idolatry. When asked to put away his idols, he refused.

Our hearts are desperately wicked. An idol factories even. We don’t need the secret combination of works. Selling your possessions does no more to earn you a place in the kingdom than does keeping all the rest of the commandments. It is not about our actions, but our heart. Our heart is sick with sin. We need a complete heart change. We need a Savior. We can’t be our own. We need Jesus to pay our debt because we can’t pay it ourselves.

Be a responsible Bible reader. Don’t read verses in isolation. Read the context. It is important to understanding God’s will.

Eat the Word for Breakfast

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Pastoral6 Comments

Holy Bible

Every Friday morning at 6:30am for the last three years I have gathered with a group of men at IHOP for breakfast and Bible study.

The Plan – One Chapter

When we get together, our plan is to cover one chapter in God’s Word. As we cover that chapter, we work to understand what it means and how it applies to our lives, church, and culture. We don’t use any particular studies, nor is anyone designated as the teacher. We are all responsible for reading and studying ahead of time, and participating in the conversation. I was first introduced to this concept through David Helm’s book One to One Bible Reading.

The Effect – Changed Lives

The method is simple, but it has been effective. Over the last several years, we have covered all the Minor Prophets and most of the New Testament. During that time, not only has our knowledge of God’s Word and ability to interpret Scripture grown, but our minds have been renewed, our hearts transformed, and our actions corrected. As well as our relationships with one another have grown, allowing us the ability to encourage and help one another work through difficult situations and sin that the Word has exposed through our study.

Reflecting on the group and the changes over the last several years, I am reminded of the Cry of the Reformers

The church reformed and always being reformed according to God’s Word.

While I have always known God’s Word changes lives, experiencing it in my life and that of others has given me the confidence to stand with the Reformers of years past in calling for the primacy of God’s Word in our lives and churches.

The Encouragement – Eat the Word for Breakfast

Knowing the effect our gathering has had on our lives, I encourage you to do the same. Get together with a few people in your community and eat the Word for breakfast.

Question for Reflection

  1. How has consistently studying God’s Word changed your life and the lives of those around you?

Resources

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David Helm One to One Bible Reading

Our Scriptural Call to Missions

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, EvangelismLeave a comment

Mission

During our Sunday service yesterday, our music minister and his wife read the following responsive reading to the congregation. The readings topic is missions. It specifically highlights the Christians Scriptural call to missions work.

Whether we leave everything behind and head overseas, or remain in the same town our entire lives, we are all called to spread the gospel. It is our biblical mandate. The following verses confirm our calling.

Note: I preserved the responsive reading breaks below.

Matthew 28:16-20, ESV

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 4:35, ESV

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” 

Romans 10:8–15, ESV

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do these verses challenge or motivate you to missions work?
  2. How are you living as a missionary in your own city?

Resource

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