Bible Basics
Bible Basics (BB) is the name of these ongoing pages. Now that we have gotten “a foot in the door” with some pages, it seems proper that I should give a bit more in explanation of its’ purpose, and mine. In fact, as I think about, it might not be a bad idea to post this page occasionally just in case we get some new subscribers.
And I hope you folks reading this will invite others to join us. Without your help advertising this work, it will not grow. So ask you to tell all your social friends, facebook, twitter, instagram, etc., to join us here a Buttondown, (https://buttondown.email/Doc.Young). It’s free, I don’t collect personal info and you can opt out with a couple key strokes at any time.
BB is an informational site set up to “cause” you, the user and reader, and myself while writing, to think and consider various concepts of the Bible and Christianity. We are learning together as we go, 2 Timothy 3:16-17. But, and this is important, we are not developing “another Gospel” nor “another way.”
BB is not put in place as “just another commentary.” It is not set up to present a doctrine. It was not set up to specifically teach, but to cause one to consider the manner in which scripture, the Bible, is viewed.
And, Yes, I use the words “scripture” and “Bible” interchangeably. I recognize that this may disturb some as they are not definitively the same, but, hey, we are talking about God, the God of the Old and New Testament, not semantics. As I see it, communication is not an exchange of grammar and such, but an exchange of information and ideas profitable to both sides. As Jesus put it quite succinctly in Matthew 23:24, we get hung up on the little things, but ignore the issues.
And you know, here again with this verse from Matthew, there are several meanings that can be applied to it. But some folks, in violation of the statement itself, just get hung up on the “old English” translation or vernacular problem and miss the point of the comment. The statement is proper in either sense. Nit picking is not Bible study.
Neither are these pages to support a “religion” nor “denominational churches.” In regard to these, let me say this as a personal view.
Religions are just manmade systems of operation, a way of doing things in a regular order, in a regular manner… primarily on Sunday. The rest of the week is life as usual.
Denominational churches are usually based on a doctrine constructed from the Bible, but many have a doctrine that is based on limited verses and not the total Bible. Most present their doctrine as the proper use of Bible verses, but with little consideration of conflicts with other verses.
Then we have the “social” churches, and these are on the rise today. They are just social gatherings with social issues are their driving force. If they have a doctrine at all, its a doctrine based on a deformed use of the Bible and its contents, geared to please man and relax and remove inherent morality. God is not in that “church,” using the word in a loose sense.
Fortunately, we still have churches that operate under the name of “independent.” They may bear the name of a group or denomination as it identifies their basic standards and they may have a certain religious manner about them, but they stand alone, preaching and teaching the whole Bible to all that will hear, and not encumbered by others rules. They stand their ground with God alone as their leadership. I see these as the ever present group called the “remnant” in both the Old Testament, Ezra 3:8, and the New Testament, Romans 11:5. These use the Bible in total, recognizing that God as sovereign and omniscient, and having faith in Him, His works and His plan alone.
And this brings us to that which brings salvation to the penitent sinner, “faith.”
Faith is neither a religion nor a denominational church.
Faith is a belief in God as the only true and sovereign and infallible God in all His works, Jeremiah 10:10-13; Hebrews 11:1-3.
Faith is a belief that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, John 1:1 and 14.
Faith is believing, with the “heart” not the mind, that God can, does and will save the penitent, Roman’s 10:9-10.
At any given time, the person who recognizes and accepts the truths of the Bible may be saved.
We see in Jude 1:22-23 that there in no one way to handle the presentation of salvation. Equally, there is no one way, one set of words, one set of information a person needs in order to receive God’s gift of salvation, Ephesians 2:8-9.
But there is only one way of salvation, one way to be “saved” and that is through the recognition and acceptance of Jesus Christ as ones’ person saviour, Acts 4:12.
God makes the “plan of salvation” simple else man would miss it, and “God is not willing that any should perish,” 2 Peter 3:9. Man does try to complicate it, and I believe this is by the hidden wiles of the devil, Ephesians 6:12. (A close look at this last verse will show it is directed to the believer, not the unsaved.)
But again, God makes it simple, even more simple than many will accept, Romans 10:13.
Our job is to present that which the Holy Spirit has given us to present at those times when we are dealing with the unsaved. God knows what the person needs and what he can handle. Just do that which is appropriate for the moment and God will handle the rest. That is the lesson of 1st Corinthians 3:1-8, so don’t get in the way of God with a lot of extras.
The unsaved, the non-believing, know little or nothing of salvation. Yet, too much, too soon will only complicate the message causing some to turn away.
So, where are you? Do you believe God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? If so, welcome to the family of God. If not, I would urge you to review the above verses again and consider them, along with the rest of the Bible, in light of eternity.