Day 19 – God’s Word Teaches
Who/What should be our teacher? Your rabbi? Your priest? Your pastor? The popular commentaries of today? Who? What? How does the Word of God respond to that question? (Jas 1:5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
My friend, upon being born-again, I received the Holy Spirit and He became my Teacher. (Eph 1:13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Since He wrote the Bible, He ought to be my main source for learning.
Use your logic today. God gave you a brain – exercise it! If you want to know all about plumbing, you go to a plumber, correct? If you want to learn how to rewire the electrical in your home, you would seek the help of an electrician. If you want to know about God’s Word, go to the One who wrote it! It’s as simple as that. The born-again believer receives the Holy Spirit the day he is saved. The Holy Spirit’s job is to teach (Eph 1:13 above) and, therefore, go to the Teacher! He speaks the same thing to all His children. Granted, we may not all learn at the same pace, but once He has taught us a certain doctrine, it will be the same thing that all other born-again believers have learned about the same doctrine.
For example, I learned about tithing around the fifth year after I was saved. Before I learned about it, whatever I heard on the subject didn’t really stick with me. When God saw that I was ready to learn this subject He saw fit to teach me. But until I learned it, I had the wrong “concept” and thought it was only for the Jews. Of course, once He taught me, I learned what God’s Word actually said on the matter. He later confirmed what He had taught me at home with a message the Pastor preached one Sunday evening. I knew then that I had learned what God had wanted me to learn. Why are there different “interpretations” today? It is only because of man’s laziness to study the matter out. God is not man that He should lie. He will not teach you one thing on tithing and then teach me something totally different on the same subject. That is not consistent with His character.
Therefore, if there be any deviations, it is because man has brought his own ideas into the matter due to laziness. He has not studied it out and allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to him – or this man is not born again and does not possess the Holy Spirit of God in his life. God says we can have wisdom – all we have to do is ask Him (James 1:5 above) and He will give it to us liberally and won’t withhold any of it. Why would He promise that if He could not fulfill it through the Holy Spirit? What the Holy Spirit teaches us on a daily basis will be confirmed in the preaching of the Word of God when you go to church services. The man of God will speak that which the Holy Spirit has given to him for your benefit. If you do not agree with what you hear, dig into the Bible and find out whether these things be so. The Bereans did that and were commended for doing so. (Act 17:10) And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. (Act 17:11) These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Why would God compliment the Bereans here for searching the Scriptures daily to confirm what they had been taught by Paul and Silas? These Bereans did not even take Paul and Silas’ words for granted. They did not assume because Paul was a church leader that his words were gold! No – absolutely not. They searched the Word and made sure that they were being taught according to the Word of God not man’s!
Over and over in the Word of God, we find the phrase “teach me.” Repeatedly we see that God’s Word is to be followed. That is God’s desire for us. (Num 23:19a) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: He will not cause us to believe one thing and then lead someone else to believe another. It is not His nature to do so. This verse says that He will not repent. If the Holy Spirit taught you that you should tithe 10% and taught me that I don’t need to tithe at all, He would have to repent. That goes against this verse! Therefore, all of us who are in Christ will be taught the same thing through His Holy Spirit. Again, we may not all learn at the same time but we will eventually be taught the same things in time. Whether we learn it and apply it to our lives depends on whether or not we grieve the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at the following verses. I hope that they will open your eyes if you think it is OK that learning from a man supersedes what God has written in His Word.
(Psa 25:4) Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.The Psalmist didn’t want to learn someone else’s ways. No, his prayer was that God would show him His ways. He so wanted to be taught by the Lord. What a humble heart! He says it again in the following:
(Psa 25:5) Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
(Psa 27:11) Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.(Psa 86:11) Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
(Psa 119:12) Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
(Psa 119:26) I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
(Psa 119:33) HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.(Psa 119:64) The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.(Psa 119:66) Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.(Psa 119:68 ) Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.(Psa 119:108 ) Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.
(Psa 119:124) Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
(Psa 119:135) Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
(Psa 143:10) Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Is it any wonder that David was the apple of God’s eye? He so desired to learn God’s Word and to be taught by the Master Teacher!
(1 Cor 2:13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Cor 2:14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. No wonder there are so many different “interpretations” of God’s Word today! Man has given way to being taught “man’s wisdom” rather than the teachings of the Holy Spirit. Instead, they use as their defense that the born-again believer’s interpretation is his “own.” Again, they limit the God of Glory, the Almighty! They say that He cannot possibly give us His Word today. It must be given to us through church leaders and if the church leaders change it or add to it, it’s OK because they have extra unction from above!
(1 John 2:26) These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (1 John 2:27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. The Apostle John did not mince his words here. He boldly states to the believers that they should not be deceived because they have the Holy Spirit revealing to them His Truths! The One who anoints us at the new birth is there to teach us – He is not a liar so He will not teach us different things but will teach us all the same way as we grow in His grace.
Don’t be caught up in a religion of works which teaches you that you can be saved through Christ plus anything else. This is a false Gospel. It is salvation through Christ plus nothing. Period. No church tradition – no baptismal regeneration – no purgatory – no Joseph Smith – no Allah – no Buddha – nothing!
The Word of God says if you believe that there is more to salvation that you are wells without water – you are in darkness. (2 Pet 2:17) These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2 Pet 2:18 ) For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. (2 Pet 2:19) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. (2 Pet 2:20) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. (2 Pet 2:21) For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Pet 2:22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. These people once believed the truth but they corrupted it and believed the truth “plus something more” – They now are under bondage again – leading others to hell along the way.
(Pro 14:12) There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.(Pro 16:25) There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.(Mat 7:13) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (Mat 7:14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
You know what, my friend? I would rather follow the Berean’s pattern and know that it was the right pattern because God complimented their diligence in studying the Word! Also, I would rather do that which pleases God than to do that which man says I must do. If a conflict arises between God’s Word and man’s word, God’s Word will win, hands down!
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