If you are thinking about reading through the Bible next year, but don’t want to wait to get into a good Bible reading plan, here is an idea…read through the New Testament in 90 days.
Tag Archives: Bible
Great Prayer… Wrong Verse?
In that classic film The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya says to Vizzini, in regard to his frequent use of the word “inconceivable”:
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
I’ve increasingly been hearing evangelical Christians, in prayer, say something like this: “Lord, you told us to ask for the nations and You will give them to us as an inheritance, to the ends of the earth. Lord, we’re asking.” The point of the prayer is great: petitioning for global evangelization. Far be it for any reader to read into this post that I am not excited about this emphasis!
My point is that the verse referenced, Psalm 2:8, is the wrong verse for this prayer.
Psalm 2 is a prophetic Psalm that makes perfect sense when you see it in the light of God the Father and His Anointed, God the Son. When you read the whole Psalm you soon realize that God the Father’s offer to give all the nations to His Son is so that He might pour out His wrath upon them. Verse 9 is clear: “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
This is a prophetic Psalm of the coming judgment of the Son of God when He returns in glory. Only those who fear the Lord and bow their knee to him now will escape His wrath, as verses 11 and 12 reveal:
“Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
So, as much as I love the spirit of this prayer I’m increasingly hearing, I must say to those who are quoting Psalm 2:8 in reference to global evangelization…
You keep quoting that verse. I do not think it means what you think it means.
True of Everyone Who Has Been Born Again…
From my message this past Sunday at Harvest Jacksonville… it’s amazing what happens to a person who trusts in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”
Examine Yourself… Are You Truly a Christian?
A person is a Christian by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. Works don’t contribute anything to our standing before God, but are simply evidence of our faith. Someone has said that the root is faith and the fruit is good works. You simply cannot be born again without it making a significant difference in your life. As 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.” The Bible also tells us to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13.5). The book of First John (in the New Testament) was written for that purpose. Near the end of the book it says: “These things I have written unto you so that you may know what you have eternal life” (emphasis mine). The entire book contrasts real faith with false faith. John MacArthur has come up with 11 questions based upon the tests of 1st John. Here they are:
11 Tests of True Faith
1. Do you Enjoy Fellowship with God and Christ?
2. Are you Sensitive to Sin in your Life?
3. Do you Obey the Scriptures?
4. Do you Reject this Evil World?
5. Do you Love Christ and eagerly await His Return?
6. Do you see a Decreasing Pattern of Sin in your Life?
7. Do you Love other Christians?
8. Do you Receive Answers to your Prayers?
9. Do you Experience the Ministry of the Holy Spirit?
10. Can you Discern between Spiritual Truth and Error?
11. Have you Suffered on Account of your Faith in Christ?
Now, it’s not like you have to score an A+ in all those areas. But if you have not seen a change in your life since professing faith in Christ, then you have reason to be concerned about your salvation.
Why I Have Come to Prefer the KJV and NKJV
We are living in an era when, as English speakers, we have a multitude of choices when it comes to translations of the Bible. Throughout the history of my Christian journey, I have used many translations for my daily reading, including the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard (NASB), and English Standard Version (ESV). However, the older I get and the longer I’ve studied the Bible, the more I have grown to prefer the King James Version (KJV) and New King James Version (NKJV). Here’s why…
I have come to believe that they are based upon the best collection of ancient manuscripts, known as the Byzantine family of texts. I acknowledge that this is the minority position among conservative Bible scholars today. Yet the fact remains that the Byzantine family is that which has been preserved and cherished by most Christians for the entire history of the Christian church.
Hear me clearly: If you are using a Bible based upon the Alexandrian family of manuscripts (like the NIV, NASB, ESV or NLT), you have a Bible that presents the Gospel clearly and has all the major doctrines of the Christian faith. I am not KJVO (King James Version only).
That said, I like having a Bible in my hand that does not omit certain verses or phrases or question the legitimacy entire sections of the Scripture.
Which Manuscript Family is Your English Bible Based Upon?
When it comes to the many thousands of manuscripts upon which our English New Testaments are based, there are basically two major “families” of manuscripts: the Byzantine family and the Alexandrian family.
The predominant view among conservative Bible scholars today is to prefer the ALEXANDRIAN family of manuscripts…
Continue reading Which Manuscript Family is Your English Bible Based Upon?
soundoftruth.org 