Bible Study verses Indoctrination
Part 1 of 3
When my book was published, “My search for the real God”, in its first ad campaign it was labeled as the book that made the preacher cuss. It had
a greater acceptance by those who existed outside of the mainstream church family, than those of the household of faith . Many
religious entities considered it a sacrilege to use such words in the title of
a book . “ My search for the Real God” ,
merely detail my struggle to find God amidst what I had the gall to call
confusing rhetoric, in a time when I needed God more that ever. It was and is a challenge to the pious elite to
step outside of their immaculate sanctuaries and take a look at the confusion
that is being created in the name of the God of our salvation.
The message has not changed, it is the messengers that have changed. The entertainment and financial aspect of Christianity
has created a host of new playesr and the desire to appear as a wonder takes precedent
over the true word of God. Consider the
Devil in the garden, the technique used by that old serpent was to reinterpret the
Word of God. Are we guilty of the same
when we reshape the Word of God? Most churches
conduct Bible studies, but they are not a platform for in-depth study of the
scripture. Lessons and guidelines are
set by denominational leaders and the Bible study is used as a means of
indoctrinating the believers to adhere to the guidelines of the denomination or
the group. Any belief or questions that are considered to
be contrary to the indoctrinated belief is quickly suppressed. Many time the biblical knowledge of the
teacher is less than that of the student, “filler words” and sound bites are used to present the front
of an engaging discussion while nothing new is forthcoming.
The message has not changed, it is the messengers that have changed. The entertainment and financial aspect of Christianity
has created a host of new players and the desire to appear as a wonder takes precedent
over the true word of God. Consider the
Devil in the garden, the technique used by that old serpent was to reinterpret the
Word of God. Are we guilty of the same
when we reshape the Word of God? Most churches
conduct Bible studies, but they are not a platform for in-depth study of the
scripture. Lessons and guidelines are
set by denominational leaders and the Bible study is used as a means of
indoctrinating the believers to adhere to the guidelines of the denomination or
the group. Any belief or questions that are considered to
be contrary to the indoctrinated belief is quickly suppressed. Many time the biblical knowledge of the
teacher is less than that of the student, “filler words” and sound bites are used to present the front
of an engaging discussion while nothing new is forthcoming.
Many of the so-called unbelievers, the ungodly, find Christianity, not the Bible to be one of
the most confusing aspects of the human journey. A sad reality is, many would find the Word of God more
believable if the messengers of God would join together and present a cohesive
front, in search of the existing truth rather than constantly redefining the
truth. There was no difference between
the Gospel that Paul and Peter preached, each one complimented the other. Their message was not separated by different concepts and ideologies, even the message of
the prophets complimented the message that Peter, James and John preached. Listen to the messages delivered on any given
Sunday today, they vary from mainstream believable to the ridiculous and unbelievable.
The Bible, incomparably the most widely circulated of books, it provokes and baffles study. Even the
non-believer in its authority rightly feels that it's not an intelligent decision
to remain in almost total ignorance of the most famous and ancient of books. And yet most, even of sincere believers, soon
retire from any serious effort to master the content of the sacred writings. The
reason is not so far fetched. It is found in the fact that no particular
portion of Scripture is to be intelligently comprehended apart from some
conception of its place in the whole.
Yet too many have surgically divided the Bible into segments to validate
a saleable point that is used to attract followers. The Bible story and message is like a picture
wrought out in mosaics: each book, chapter, verse, and even word forms a
necessary part, and has its own appointed place. Thus the words spoken by Jesus was adequate
in Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him,
saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word of God. Not segments out of
context, not even do, but live by every word. It is, therefore, indispensable to any
interesting and fruitful study of the Bible that a general knowledge of every
word be gained. 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The Bible is one book. Seven great marks attest this unity.
(1) From Genesis the Bible bears witness to one God. Wherever he
speaks or acts he is consistent with himself, and with the total revelation
concerning him.
(2) The Bible forms one continuous story--the story of humanity in
relation to God.
(3) The Bible hazards the most unlikely predictions concerning the
future, and, when the centuries have brought round the appointed time, records
their fulfillment.
(4) The Bible is a progressive unfolding of truth. Nothing is told all
at once, and once for all. The law is, "first the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn." Without the possibility of collusion, often
with centuries between, one writer of Scripture takes up an earlier revelation,
adds to it, lays down the pen, and in due time another man moved by the Holy
Spirit, and another, and another, add new details till the whole is complete.
(5) From beginning to end the Bible testifies to one redemption.
(6) From beginning to end the Bible has one great theme--the person
and work of the Christ.
(7) And, finally, these writers, some forty-four in number, writing
through twenty centuries, have produced a perfect harmony of doctrine in
progressive unfolding. This is, to every candid mind, the unanswerable proof of
the divine inspiration of the Bible.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The Bible is a book of books. Sixty-six books make up the one
Book. Considered with reference to the unity of the one book the separate books
may be regarded as chapters. But that is but one side of the truth, for each of
the sixty-six books is complete in itself, and has its own theme and analysis.
In the present edition of the Bible these are fully shown in the introductions
and divisions. It is therefore of the utmost moment that the books be studied
in the light of their distinctive themes. Genesis, for instance, is the book of
beginnings--the seed-plot of the whole Bible. Matthew is the book of the King,
& etc. Third. The books of the Bible fall into groups. Speaking broadly
there are five great divisions in the Scriptures, and these may be con-
veniently fixed in the memory by five key-words, CHRIST IS THE ONE THEME. Luke
24:25-27 Then he said unto them, O
fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself.
In other words, the Old Testament is the preparation for Christ; in
the Gospels he is manifested to the world; in the Acts he is preached and his
Gospel is propagated in the world; in the Epistles his Gospel is explained; and
in the Revelation all the purposes of God in and through Christ are
consummated. And these groups of books in turn fall into groups. This is
especially true of the Old Testament, which is in four well defined groups. REDEMPTION, ORGANIZATION, POETRY, SERMONS
Genesis Joshua Job Isaiah Jonah Exodus Judges Psalms Jeremiah Micah
Leviticus Ruth Proverbs Ezekiel Nahum Numbers I,II Samuel Ecclesiastes Daniel
Habakkuk Deuteronomy I,II Kings Song of Solomon Hosea Zephaniah I,II Chronicles
Lamentations Joel Haggai Ezra Amos Zechariah Nehemiah Obadiah Malachi Esther
Again care should be taken not to overlook, in these general
groupings, the distinctive messages of the several books composing them. Thus,
while redemption is the general theme of the Pentateuch, telling as it does the
story of the redemption of Israel out of bondage and into "a good land and
large," each of the five books has its own distinctive part in the whole.
Genesis is the book of beginnings, and explains the origin of Israel. Exodus
tells the story of the deliverance of Israel; Leviticus of the worship of
Israel as delivered people; Numbers the wanderings and failures of the
delivered people, and Deuteronomy warns and instructs that people in view of
their approaching entrance upon their inheritance. The Poetical books record
the spiritual experiences of the redeemed people in the varied scenes and
events through which the providence of God led them. The prophets were inspired
preachers, and the prophetical books consist of sermons with brief connecting
and explanatory passages. Two prophetical books, Ezekiel and Daniel, have a
different character and are apocalyptic, largely. Fourth. The Bible tells the
Human Story. Beginning, logically, with the creation of the earth and man, the
story of the race sprung from the first human pair continues through the first
eleven chapters of Genesis. With the twelfth chapter begins the history of
Abraham and of the nation of which Abraham was the ancestor. It is that nation,
Israel, with which the Bible narrative is thereafter chiefly concerned from the
eleventh chapter of Genesis to the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
The Gentiles are mentioned, but only in connection with Israel. But it is made
increasingly clear that Israel so fills the scene only because entrusted with
the accomplishment of great world-wide purposes (De 7:7).
To be continued
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