USE  COMMON  SENSE

           IN  BIBLE  STUDY     

 

Consider how to look at the Bible – the Lord’s Word.  God never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.   He didn’t say anything to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, or to His people Israel that He doesn’t want us to follow, today (Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8).

We learn what the two trees in the Garden of Eden symbolize (Gen 2:9).  We have a choice of two trees to eat from.  The desire of the devil, Satan, is to make us choose the wrong instead of right, and to lose eternal life (Gen 2;17, Mt 13:18-23).

That is, we are to learn what “teachings” to eat for our life – the Tree of Life (good), or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Then we are to CHOOSE God’s pure good teachings to follow in life (Jn 6:48-57).  

The whole Bible applies to all of us.  We still have our HOPE of rest on God’s promise to Abraham the father of a multitude of nations that He will be our God (Gen 17: 1- 8, 26:4-5, Romans 4:11-12).

  We learn through the Bible that God never changes and the law never goes away.  He created the universe and all things in nature and all His covenant laws to live by. There are no changes in any of God’s Laws, physical or spiritual. Water still freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Water still boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Sound still travels at 1125 feet per second. The human body normal operating temperature is still 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Uni-verse” means “one law.” There are no changes in the “fixed order” (statutes) of the moon and stars (Gen 1:14-18, Jer 31:35-36).

The Holy Times of the Lord have not been changed.  The weekly Sabbath is still on the seventh day (Saturday) and is still Holy (Gen 2:2-3).  The Roman Catholic Church claims to have the authority to change the times and law (Dan 76:25).  Search the Catechism of the Catholic Church, where they claim to have done this – an admission of guilt as the beast out of Rome Jesus taught in His Revelation of John (Dan 7:19-27, Rev 13:11-18).  Also study ‘Rome’s Challenge.’

The Holy scriptures say the law will not change till heaven and earth pass away (Lk 16:17).  His regulations of divine worship still apply (Heb 9:1).

 The Old covenant laws = New Covenant law.  I will put My Laws within them and in their heart I will write it (Jer 31:31-34, Heb 8:8-12, 10:15-18).  The same laws are still the covenant laws. They are the Laws of Moses' covenant given on Mount Sinai (Ex 20:1 - 24: 8, Jn 5:46-47).  Since Jesus died for us they are sealed with better blood - the blood of Jesus instead of animals (Heb 9:13-14).     

We must come out of hiding and return to God as Adam and Eve did. Then confess our sins to Him.

      Two gardens are described in the Bible. The Lord placed Adam and Eve his helpmate to live and work in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the Bible.  Jesus tells us in the beginnings of the New Testament to weed the “garden” of your heart (Luke 8:9-15).  Remember sin is crouching at the door of heaven and its desire is for you – but you must master it (Gen 4:7, 2Thes 2:7-12).  Satan the devil is the same as 5000 years ago.

We need spiritual sense to seek the Lord, not earthly logic (1Cor2:6-14).   See the critical role of the Holy Spirit in the next two pages.  

PRAY and ASK for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:1-3). Our heavenly Father wants to send Him to you. 

                   He will guide you into all Truth (JN 16:7-15).

                   He will counsel you

                   Do not ignore Him – He is teaching you the Truth.

 To gain eternal life in heaven, the Lord requires us to choose Him as our God and to separate from defilement of un-pure teachings and un-pure holiness. Do not follow people as gods that are foreign to His teachings as Adam did in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1-5, 17:15, Num 15:14, 33:50-55, Dt 32:16-18, 1Pet 1:22, 2:2, 8, 11, 2Pet 2:6).

Separate from the world of idolatry in “the steps of faith” as Abraham did, and Jesus taught (Gen 12:1, Lk 14:22, 23, 33, Rom 4:11-16).

Keep practicing and repenting to His covenant laws (Jn 3:18-21, 1 Jn 3:7-8).

The Apostle John says, “You have an anointing from the Holy One and you have no need of any man to teach because you because His anointing teaches you” (1 John 2:20-27).  

Jesus taught,”If you ask for His Helper, the Holy Spirit, and afterward, reject His teaching – you have blasphemed (Mt 12: 30-32, Mk 3:28-29) and will not receive forgiveness.”

Be “DISCIPLES.” Hear God’s Word and discipline your life, be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer

                   God’s Word stands forever – all of it.

                   God’s Word – nothing taken away from it.

                   God’s Word – nothing added to it.

We must seek Jesus and His Covenant teachings, not someone in an individual church denomination.  Many teachers are pushy or forward because they want to be called teachers.  Jesus warned about them (Mt 23:1-12).  Jesus was lowly and humble (Mt 11:29).

If we disciples must be in unity, with the same Spirit, and same faith, and same baptism, it means we are being immersed into the same teachings (Mt 3:11, Jn 17:22-23).

We can have diverse backgrounds but we must follow the One Holy Spirit sent by the Lord, to arrive at the same Truth. To be one church with Jesus, all with one faith in Jesus’ death and substitute for our sin (Eph 4:5-6).

We are all sinners.  We all need God’s forgiveness and redemption through Jesus (Acts 2:37-41).  

We need Holy Spirit Wisdom. The Lord does not change common sense. It stays the same because Holy Scripture does not change (Mt 5:18,  Lk 16:17).

     The Holy Spirit wisdom is common sense in the Spiritual world. We cannot have it without God’s Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14).

WISDOM is described in (Proverbs Ch 1:1-7)  There are many interpretations by natural man who do not accept the spiritual things of God (1Cor 2:14). This is foolishness (1Cor 3:16-18,1Cor 4:20, 6:11).

 If we want the blessings of the covenant Jesus made with “Israel," including the inheritance of eternal life with Him (Gal 3:29), we need to show our faith, loyalty and allegiance to the Covenant He offers us with them (Gen 17:5), following Jesus Words and teachings to His people Israel.  

Israel is to be an example to for us today (Num 15: 14-16, Rom 3:1-2, 9:4-5, 1Cor 10:1-11).

 “Abraham” is the name the Lord gave Abram, which meant he would be the "father of a multitude of nations and kings" (Gen 17:5-6).

 Do not mix traditional teachings of surrounding nations and churches with God’s teachings (LAW).  We must show our faith in God. Glorify Him above all (Judges 2:1-3, 6-10, 11-23, 25, 3:1-7, Num 15:14-16,  33:50-56).  Do not glorify a man or woman who heads a church denomination (Mk 7:6-8). 

Follow God’s Scripture.  When He says a story is an example for us - believe Him – not a earthly congregational salesman who is paid from your donation at church.  Israel is God’s  example for us (1Cor 10:1-11).

                Go to the LIGHT (JN 1:4, 9, 3:19-21, 8:12).

Look for humbling situations in the Bible where the Lord put men into to GROW. He will work and train and discipline all of His followers.  A pupil is not above his teacher; but after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher (Lk 6:40).

We are to teach Jesus’ ways through our life and our testimony as we bear fruits of the Holy Spirit (Mt 7:16, Col 1:10).

His followers should live in (abide) in the Covenant Jesus taught and made with us and sealed with His blood.  He said “The great and foremost commandment is to love God with all heart, soul, mind and strength. The second commandment is like the first, love your neighbor as yourself.”

Don’t make second things first (Mk 12:29, Mt 22:29-32, 19:4, 12:5,24).  If you love those who love you, what credit is that?  Even the sinners love those who love them (Lk 6:32)! We are to love our enemies to be sons of your Father who is in heaven (Mt 5:44-45).

Jesus said, “If you love Me, - keep My commandments,” then love your neighbor, as I have loved you (Lev 19:18, Jn 14:15).

 If we know the Lord – our charge is to act like you believe in Him. He tells us He will put His Laws into our heart!

Jesus teaches, “THIS IS THE JUDGMENT (Jn 3:19-21).  He who does evil hates the light. He who practices the truth comes to the light. You choose your fate by your actions (Jn 5:28-29).

Notice.  All  of His people who are in tombs  wait to hear the voice of the Son of God, when He judges their deeds (Jn 5:29).  They are not in heaven yet.

 "Why do some people continue to want to worship in vain with people who ignore the Lords Laws and His Covenants (Mk 7:7)!

RESPOND

    All the way through the Bible we are told to come out from among them nonbelievers and  Separate (Gen 1:4, Jer 51:6, 9,45, 2Cor6:14-7:1, Rev 18:4).

 Separate means to cut off the “world.” The New Testament teaching is circumcision of the heart from the “world of the flesh.” That is, beliefs foreign to our Lord’s teachings should be cut-off from our heart, mind and life (Gen 2:16-17, 17:9-14, Num 33:50-56, Mk 7:6-8, Rom 2:22-29, 1 Jn: 15-18).

 Jesus made His New Covenant with the House of Israel and the house of Judah (Heb 8:8) .  

We are all welcome to join God’s covenant people and assimilate (Repent) to His laws to show our trust grounded obedience, allegiance and our gratitude for His grace (Num 15:14-16,  Rom 4:1-8). If we do deeds in secret and believe that God repays our rewards in secret (Mt 6:4).  Strive to be the firstborn spiritually, as Jacob desired God’s blessing as a firstborn son (Gen 25:26, Heb 12:16).

 

      Abram’s grandson Jacob was called “Israel” because he would be the father of a multitude of nations and kings (Gen 35:10-11). 

Similar to the covenant with Abraham, in the New Covenant we are to cut off the “world of the flesh,” including man’s teachings, as Abraham’s people were to cut off physical flesh.  These ideas can be found throughout the Bible in God’s Law of Moses (Gen 17:10-14, Dt 10:16, Mal 4:4, Rom 3:1-2, 4:9-17, 9: 4-5, 11:22, Col 2:11-14, Js 4:4, 1 Jn 2:15-17).

To Jesus, physical circumcision was not the sign of one of the Lord's disciples. Whether a person practiced the world's sins or practiced righteousness of Jesus' covenant laws was what the Lord looks for (Gen 26:4-5, 1Cor 7:4, 1Jn 3:4-10).  See THE JUDGMENT (preceding).

In the Old Testament God’s men were to cut off the flesh of foreskin.  In the New Testament, we are to cut off the “world of the flesh.” This is circumcision of the ‘heart.’

The idea of circumcision of the heart was included in the law Moses gave to God’s people on Mt. Sinai (Dt 10:16).

CONSISTENCY

To recognize these ideas in only one portion of the Bible does not make sense, and is not wise.  The Lord never changes. The Holy Spirit teaches us the knowledge of God consistently,  not just here and there. This is WISDOM.

The NLT Bible translation uses the words Common Sense for Wisdom seven times.  Wisdom tells us how to act according to God’s wisdom (1Cor 2:7-16).

If we are no different after we understand our lost condition in eternity and don’t show our gratitude to God’s Son for redeeming us, then our testimony is not right, as with the Pharisees and like Lucifer (called the devil and Satan (Lk 18:9-14, Rom 2:4-8, Rev 12:8-9).

God’s people showed their offensive evil nature when they rebelled and transgressed from God’s law which they had just sworn to follow (Ex 24:1-8).  He taught Moses that He forgives offensiveness, transgression and sin (Ex 34:6-7).  We can see how forgetful and unfaithful we are in our own life too!  Scripture says there is none righteous (Rom 3:10).

 See the pattern of God’s dealing with us. We are to repent and respond to His discipline, confess our sins and the sins of our fathers, and return to the Lord while making amends (Lev 26:40 –43).

Jesus came to save the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Mt 15:24, Heb8:8).

We are just like that.  We need His grace (Rom 2-3).

 One of Jesus’ most important parables warns us to take care how you listen (The Parable of the Sower Mt 13, Mk 4, Lk 8).

 If we turn away from the Lord…… He will talk to us in parables, in order that hearing we won’t hear (Is 6:9-10).  His faithful followers will be winnowed like grain and the unfruitful chaff burned up, (Lk 8:9-10, 18, 21, Is 6:7-13, Phil 2:12-18). A parable is a fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.

 The Lord has always wanted people to be doers of His Word and not just hearers. People have ears which the Lord gave them, but they don’t listen to the Lords words (Rom 2:13, 3:1-2, 9:4-5).  Joshua taught us to incline our heart to the Lord (Josh 24:23).

The New Testament is the same (Lk 8:9). Jesus answered questions for His disciples.  Some today don’t believe we need to follow God’s teaching – they only believe Jesus lived 2000 years ago but don’t learn His ways!

We must believe He is alive and wants us to ASK for the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us (Lk 11:9-13).

KEY:

 We are guilty if we have seen God’s miracles and wonders and are not changed into a believer to follow and discipline our lives to Him. We will have condemned ourselves (Mt 11:23-24). 

See an example of this in the people of the city of Capernaum.  Jesus settled in their city and worked miracles.  But the people didn’t believe the miracles or believe in Jesus (Mt 4:13, 11:23-24).

Capernaum was prophesied to have a miracle occur in it (Is 9:1). Jesus fulfilled the miracle when He settled in Capernaum (Is 9:10, Mt 4:13-16, 11:23, Lk 10:15).

These people were already judged by Jesus!  He settled there in Capernaum but the people didn’t believe in Him (Lk 4:16-30). 

 Believe and worship in spirit and in Truth.  Physical man must become spiritual (Rom 8:4-6, 1Cor2:14).

 

PAY ATTENTION

 “COVENANT” is mentioned throughout the bible referring to God’s legal contract which He gives to guide people into righteous fellowship with Him. 

 Ignoring His laws shows Him that we don’t care if we live lawlessly, which is SIN (Rom 3:1-2, 9:4-5, Heb 10:26-29).

Laws different from God’s Laws are from the beast, Satan through man (Gen 3:1-5, 2 Cor 4:4, 2 Cor 11:13-15, 2Thes 2:7-12, 1 pet 5:8, Rev 13:11-18). 

         Jesus emphasized being careful to what we listen to (Mark 4:24).  He talks in pa parables because His “people’ didn’t obey the prophets and messengers He sent to them to get them to return to Him (2 Kin 17:7-15, Is 3:8-12, 6:8-12, Mk 4:11-13). 

        Only His DISCIPLES were given understanding to know what the parable        stories meant, because they were the ones disciplining their lives to the                principles the stories taught. So they were given more understanding and                   and knowledge (Luke 8:9-10).

Jesus said it is the “doers of the law” that will be saved (Rom 2:12-15, Js 1:22-25).

We must be careful to become accustomed to the Lord’s voice, like Elijah (2 Kin 19:11-13, John 10:3-5, 16).  We have to recognize His voice or we will follow a false shepherd.  Practice listening to Him so that when He returns and calls us – we will hear and recognize when He calls us (Jn 10:27).   

 Why are there so many Denominations? (1Cor 1-3).  Groups listen to denominational men who have a new teaching. New to the group.  Then they ignore the one Holy Spirit when He teaches new Bible truths from God’s printed word (1Jn 2:20-27, Mk 7:7, 1Cor 1:9-10). 

The world is a confusion of teachers – is there any wonder the churches follow after the author of confusion, Satan (Lk 8:11-15, Jn 8:44, 1Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 11:13-15, 1 Pet 5:8)?

Before you go off half cocked – be ready to exchange what you have learned from “some guy” and repent to what the Bible teaches. If you don’t agree with the facts, the problem is not the facts!

      Two studies to aid in awareness of Satan's scheme

    ADAM AND EVE'S SIMPLE CHOICE  (scroll halfway down to "Beware of Satan's Schemes).

    THE MARK OF THE LORD   (scroll 2/3 down to "Beware of Satan's Schemes).

 

 Link to THE COVENANT - THE LORD'S WAY OF SALVATION

 Other studies on HARMONY BIBLE STUDIES