Pick a single word to describe God

If you had to pick a single word to describe God, what would it be?

Holy.

In the Old Testament, God allowed Isaiah to look up into heaven and see the throne of God. Angels were around it proclaiming, “holy, holy, holy.”

In the New Testament, it is the same. John saw the throne of God in heaven with beasts flying around it proclaiming, “holy, holy, holy, …”.

Hebrews 12:14 declares that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

1 Peter 1:15–16 also supports this with “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

It is because we are all sinners and have offended God’s holiness that Christ came to die and rise again for all who believe. Payment was made: Love satisfied holiness on the Cross of Christ.

Authored by Ptr. Jerry Smith, Quora answer, edited for Theology In Use blog. 

Why Do So Many People Leave Seminaries With Less Faith in the Bible?

I think many people start off believing what is written in the Bible. However, they mistakenly believe also that if they study in a seminary they will become deeper rooted in the Bible and Christianity. Sadly, often the opposite is true.

In seminaries and Bible colleges they are taught by professors who often correct the Bible and teach them from various Bible versions. The word of God becomes diluted and polluted with humanism, modern psychology, and naturalism. One of the first things attacked is that God did not really mean six days, and it degrades from there. 

This happens repeatedly for 2, 4, 6, or 8 years until they leave the seminary quoting authors instead of the Bible. By the time they graduate, they have received a lot of information but have missed the deeper things of God—through faith we understand (Hebrews 11:1–3). 

Often their faith has been so undermined that when they assume positions in churches they proliferate the same teachings to their congregations (Acts 10:28–31). The members believe these teachings because, hey, the teacher came from a seminary. 

The church has fallen into the trap that to understand the Bible, one must leave the church and attend a seminary. The teachings of seminary professors cannot be monitored by the church. The church member is now under the teaching of a professor instead of a pastor-teacher. 

But the Lord has ordained the church as the means for education of His people. He did not ordain sending people from the church to learn theology elsewhere. Christians are supposed to learn their theology from the local body (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 4:11–15). Here the pastor-teacher is supposed to protect the flock from false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). 

Sometimes learning takes years of sitting under church teaching. But in our weakness as humans, especially humans in modern western culture, we seek shortcuts to what is supposed to take time and maturation (cf. 2 Peter 3:18). This is one of the concepts behind the term “elder,” in the Bible, and the idea behind a bishop not being a new convert (1 Timothy 3:6).

Some people reading this may agree that they learned some of the best lessons sitting under a God-fearing preacher who practiced Bible exposition in his messages. And I suppose there will be others who think they learned the most in Bible school.

But to answer the question more succinctly: People come out of seminaries with less faith then when they went in because we have failed to heed God's word. 

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By Jerry F. Smith

Image source: unsplash.com

What Is the Difference Between the KJV and the NIV?

In a discussion of this topic, manuscript evidence only leads to endless debate (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4). But that's a smokescreen to keep believers from looking at the differences in doctrine between the two versions. 

Look at the differences and judge the doctrines for yourself: 

Proverbs 16:6 

(KJV) By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. 

(NIV) Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil. 

"Mercy and truth" are external; "love and faithfulness" are things that we have or do. The NIV teaches that forgiveness is attained by working for it. I can use the NIV to cast doubt on salvation by grace. 

The KJV teaches that by something outside of ourselves we can find forgiveness—mercy and truth from the LORD. And that is what we understand to be true regarding salvation. The KJV supports the doctrine of salvation. 

Colossians 1:14 

(KJV) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

(NIV) ...in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Redemption means salvation from sin and its penalty. The blood of Christ is missing for redemption in the NIV. The doctrine of Christ's atoning blood is detracted from. 

In the KJV, the blood is an essential element (cf. Ephesians 2:13, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 1:19, 1 John 1:7). 

Luke 2:33 

(KJV) And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 

(NIV) The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 

Joseph was Mary’s husband in the KJV but not the father of Jesus Christ. The deity of Jesus Christ cannot be attacked. 

The "child’s father" in the NIV supports the idea that Jesus Christ had a human father. The doctrine of the deity and sinless perfection of Christ can now be questioned. 

John 6:69 

(KJV) And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 

(NIV) We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. 

This was Peter's testimony of Jesus Christ the Anointed One, the Messiah. Where is Christ in the NIV? The doctrine of Christ loses efficacy in the NIV. 

Any religious man (such as the Pope) can be called the Holy One of God. I can use the NIV to cast doubt on the need for Christ to be saved. I could argue that the Bible says any holy person is the path to salvation. 

In the KJV, there is no doubt who Peter testified of. The doctrine of Christ is supported. 

Acts 16:31 

(KJV) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

(NIV) They replied, Believe in the LORD Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household. 

Do we believe on Jesus or Jesus Christ to be saved (2 Corinthians 11:4)? There is a HUGE difference. 

The NIV leaves the door open to salvation by believing in a historical Jesus, a good man, a good teacher. The KJB elevates salvation to believing on Jesus the Christ. 

There is soooo much more… 

In the end, it isn't the endless debates about the genealogies of manuscripts but what these versions teach. Again, the so-called "manuscript evidence" and "original manuscripts" debates are simply distractions. One version teaches the fundamentals of the faith, the other removes them. 

As a Christian, which do you feel more comfortable with? 

Which one is safer? 

Which one makes more sense? 

Which supports basic Christian doctrines?

And keep in mind, there can be only ONE magnified (Psalm 138:2), inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), preserved (Psalm 12:6-7), settled (Psalm 119:89), truth (John 17:17). 

With the differences in wording and (often) meaning, they can't all fulfill these criteria. 

So, which version is it? It’s pretty clear. 

What do you think? You're invited to share your comments.

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Written by Jerry Smith

Feature Image Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/skhoward 

Open KJB: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/crucifixion

How Not to Be Deceived

Paul wrote to Christians, "Let no man deceive you" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Ephesians 5:6) God's will is that believers are not deceived by false teachers or false doctrine that would lead them into wrong paths, unfruitful lives, or shame when all is said and done (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

But He didn't just leave it there. In His love, God gave us instructions how to prevent such deception. He tells us not to be deceived then tells us how not to be deceived. 

1. Test Everything 

God tells us to prove everything and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). There are two activities at play in this passage that give us a result: 

(1) We are to prove everything; that is, we are supposed to put everything we encounter to the test. 

(2) We are to hold fast to that which is good; if we are supposed to test everything, we must have a baseline. That baseline is the word of God. 

If we are intimately familiar with the Bible, we will immediately notice false teaching. Christians are to be narrow-minded when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith. 

The result: 

(3) If we examine everything through the eyes of the word of God, we will be able to spot false teaching. 

2. Scrutinize Teachers and What They Teach 

We are commanded not to believe everyone who calls themselves a Bible teacher (1 John 4:1). Furthermore, we are commanded to examine everyone who claims to be a Bible teacher so we will know if they are really from God. 

That means we do not simply sit in a pew and listen to someone teaching the Bible on a Sunday morning. We are to be active listeners—checking the verses, checking the speaker's words, and checking the doctrine in them. We are not supposed to just sit and believe everything that is being taught—open your Bible and check! 

The Bereans were an excellent example of this (Acts 17:11). Even though they had the famous Paul the Apostle standing in front of them teaching them, they took the time to search the Scriptures to see if the things Paul taught them were in-line with what was written in the Scriptures—to see if the things Paul said were so. 

3. Know the Word of God

How do we know what to scrutinize teachers about? 

How do we know what right doctrine is? 

God directs us to do what many of us seem to have an aversion to . . . study (2 Timothy 2:15)! 

We are commanded to study for three reasons: 

1. So we will enjoy God's approval. 
2. So we do not need to be ashamed. 
3. So we will correctly handle the word of God. 

Why would God command us to study? The answer is clear: 

• He loves us. 
• He cares about our welfare. 
• He does not want to see us suffer. 
• He does not want us to be ashamed. 

Parting Thoughts 

These days, in our social media, fake news environment, it seems people believe almost everything they hear. But the Lord commands us to search the Scriptures and study the word so we will not be ashamed. 

Paul wrote, let no man deceive you... and God shows us how not to be deceived. It's all there in the word if we look for it. 

So, how not to be deceived? Be rooted and grounded in the word of God, and you will be able to spot false teachers and false teaching a mile away! 

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By Jerry Smith

Feature image source: nicole-honeywill-703542-unsplash 

Open Bible image source: kelly-sikkema-275193-unsplash 

Open Bible listening image source: Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash 

Open Bible highlighting image source: rod-long-425679-unsplash 

Jesus Knew No Sin

The term knew in this context carries the idea of experiential knowledge. It is used in the Bible to refer to a personal knowledge of sin rather than simply understanding what sin is or observing it.

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21 in the King James Bible:

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We know that God sees all things (e.g. Psalm 69:5, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Hebrews 4:13). He knows the depths of wickedness of our hearts (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9–10) and minds (Psalm 94:11), and He sees the wicked deeds of mankind (Genesis 6:5). So God does indeed understand what sin is and is faced with it continually. He knows what sin is.

But when we read that Christ knew no sin, it means He never sinned (1 Peter 2:22), and reinforces a foundational truth of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ came to earth in the likeness of man (Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:7) and was tempted in every way yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15, John 8:46)—He was the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19, Isaiah 53:7, 1 John 3:5).

Jesus was like us but separate from us (Hebrews 7:26) because He knew no sin (i.e. he never sinned).

We, as a corrupt race of humans on the other hand, are not only guilty of sinning, but are well-acquainted with sin (cf. Isaiah 53:3–5, Romans 3:10–18, Isaiah 1:1–6). Paul gives a list of sins in Galatians 5 to remind us of the variety of ways that mankind lives in sin (Galatians 5:19–21).

Jesus Christ committed no sin, but was made sin for us, that we might become righteous in the eyes of God. Through faith in Christ, we become sinless in Christ—that is, God sees us in Christ as He sees His own Son (cf. 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 4:17).

So how can we emulate Christ in not knowing sin—the answer is that we allow ourselves to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Galatians 2:20 tells us that we are crucified with Christ and our new life is in Christ who now lives in every believer. We are told that we are new creatures in Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:17. We read in Galatians 5:16 that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Finally, Romans 8:29 tells us God’s plan is that we be molded into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

When we yield to the leading of the Lord and humbly follow His path, His Spirit lead us into righteous thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. We can recognize the leading of the Lord through studying His word. As we yield to the word of God, the Spirit of Christ leads us into the mind of Christ (cf. Romans 12:2, Philippians 2:5, Colossians 3:16). For more reading, Ephesians 5:1–20 and Colossians 3:1–17 provide practical guidance on how believers walk in the Spirit. We can even view these passages as evidences of walking in the Spirit.

As we conform to the image of Christ, we will naturally emulate Christ. We do not have to try to be like Christ—that is human effort—but we can let Christ live through us (e.g. Philippians 2:5, 2 Corinthians 7:1,10:17; Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 4:26–29,31 ...). The more we let Christ live through us, the more we become like Christ. Nevertheless, while we are in this world, we will always struggle with sin (Romans 7:17,21; Romans 8:23). But remember, it is not through effort on our part, but in denying self that we can emulate Christ; otherwise, it becomes a work.

[END]

Written by Jerry Smith
Image source: www.LumoProject.com on FreeBibleimages.org

Beware of Pastors Using Subtle Bible Translations

Some time ago, I attended a service where the pastor made a few comments on Philippians 2:6. The problem was that he was using a passage from a modern Bible version that demoted Christ from being equal with God to being less than equal with God. 

The pastor was using a passage from the ESV:

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:6, ESV). 

For clarity, the ESV verse above could be paraphrased to read: 

...even though he seemed to be God, he did not consider being equal with God something to be apprehended. 

However, the King James Version reads: 

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

For clarity, a paraphrase of the KJV verse above could be:

...appearing as God in the flesh, did not think it was a crime to be considered equal with God.

The KJV does not tamper with the Deity of Jesus Christ. 

There is no doubt in the King James Bible that God and Jesus Christ are equal (See also: John 1:1-3, 14; John 10:30, John 17:22 1 John 5:7). 

However, the subtle change in the wording used by the English Standard Version (ESV) along with other modern translations such as the BLB, the NASB, HCSB, NET Bible, ASV, ERV, and the WEB, lowers Christ from being equal with God to something less. 

Examine the subtle changes between the ESV and the KJV above for yourself, and remember, subtlety is the key word: 

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden (Genesis 3:1)? 

The Devil, always seeks to undermine the word of God because it is the believer's foundation. 

You should be alert to these subtle changes that are leading Christians further toward a liberal, hellish, and dangerous theology: 

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1).

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

Conclusion

Pastors are supposed to protect the sheep from bad doctrine and false teaching (Acts 20:29-32, Hebrews 13:17). 

Sadly, many pastors themselves are the victims of bad doctrine that modern versions subtly push on them; and they are perhaps inadvertently leading others into the same. 

Nevertheless, you as a believer, are also responsible to study (2 Timothy 2:15), and will be held personally accountable. You cannot blame your pastor if God has told you to study. 

By Jerry Smith

Feature image source: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/skhoward

Are Seminaries Biblical?

There is zero support for seminaries in the New Testament.

There was an instance where Paul disputed daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years (Acts 19:810). But it was more or less evangelism.

The best place to learn, and the place ordained by God for teaching Christians is the local church.

In Ephesians 4:11–15 we are told that certain people are a gift to the church:

(11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
(12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
(13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
(14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
(15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

A good pastor should be teaching and training members in right doctrine. There should be no reason members have to go to a seminary to learn what the pastor should be teaching everyone.

Some of the greatest biblical truths I have learned were when I was growing up in church sitting and listening to messages being preached. Many times, those messages were confirmations of what I had learned in quiet times reading the Bible and in prayer. 

By Jerry Smith

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Feature image: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/nazarethman

What Does 'Ever Learning But Never Able to Come to the Truth' Mean?

In reference to 2 Timothy 3:7, you must look at the context to understand this verse. The chapter begins with a reference to the last times (2 Timothy 3:1). In the last times people will be (2 Timothy 3:2–5): 

(2) …lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
(4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
(5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…

Paul warns Timothy to stay away from those people (men at the time) because they are the kind of people who capture the hearts and minds of silly women (verse 6; typically housewives at the time) who listen to everything no matter how dangerous it could be—women who are easily influenced and deceived. 

Verse 7 is a reference to these women. They are always listening to something from these men, wanting to learn something new, trying to catch something curious, and being led astray by it. As a result, they can never understand the truth of the word of God—i.e. right doctrine. 

These women are deceived by the smooth-talking teachers characterized by verses 2–5. 

These days, we could equate the silly women with silly men and women who may sit and listen to televangelists, tele-pastors, tele-teachers who bring into their homes (through the airwaves) damnable heresies—departures from fundamental doctrines of the faith. 

A quick Google search for ‘false Christian teachers’ will identify some of the false teachers out there that fit the bill. 

By Jerry Smith

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Feature image: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/rudall30

Second image: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/hypnotic-gm168400705-16920848

What Is the Difference Between a Christian and a Non-Christian?

The fundamental difference between a Christian and a non-Christian, in the purest sense of the words, is the difference between being born again and not:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

That is, believing on Jesus Christ in all the fullness of who He is:

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

It’s pretty much that simple.

Many who call themselves Christians today may not have gotten past this first basic point. 

Those who have, may not be living as the Bible teaches (at times, myself included), so the God of Christianity is shamed (Romans 2:24).

By Jerry Smith

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Image source: Davide Cantelli on Unsplash