Rightly Dividing and its Eternal Importance

Know Who’s Saying What, And To Who, And Why It Is Being Said

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We must always be very careful to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15); this essentially means to correctly apply the Scriptures. The Bible is, among many things, a book of instructions. It contains instructions on a lot of topics. Those included are salvation (receiving the free gift of salvation/eternal life), and discipleship, which is the growing in the Lord that we do AFTER we have received the free gift of salvation. Salvation of course must come FIRST. Think of a mechanic using a comprehensive repair manual for instructions to work on a car. If he is trying to fix the brakes, but refers to the chapter on the electrical system for instructions on how to repair those brakes, no matter how diligently he may do so, it is not going to go well. It may very well wind up resulting in the death (again, like sin) of the driver, as well as anyone else who may be in the car with him, and/or whoever may be in his way! In comparison, when passages that are meant for instructions on discipleship are treated as instructions that are necessary for salvation (words works being mixed with grace for “salvation”), a situation resulting in a far deadlier disaster very well may occur: that being people believing, as well as teaching and spreading, a deceptive false gospel that has zero power to save, thus resulting in them ultimately receiving the second death; eternal damnation; the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15)!

 

Please know that this unspeakable, incomprehensibly terrible and permanent second death is the fate of ANYONE, no matter how “good” or “nice” or religious they may be, who goes to their death without believing on/fully trusting in the finished work of Jesus! Satan does not care who or what you may trust or believe in, just as long as it is not the real Jesus Christ of the Bible, along with the finished work that He accomplished for you. Satan does not care, because no matter how he can keep you from fully believing on/trusting in Jesus, he gets the same result (John 14:6). He hates you and will go any length to keep you out of the Kingdom of God, and in eternal damnation, which he is destined for (Revelation 20:10). To those of you who are parents: Satan hates your children and wants eternal damnation for them as well. Ponder that for a little while!

 

Seeing Clearly Through The Correct Lens

 

When we read the Bible through the lens of the true Gospel message, with the understanding that the believer has two natures (the flesh that is born of man in sin, and the spirit that is born of God in perfection), treating discipleship passages as discipleship passages, and treating salvation passages as salvation passages, differentiating between the addressing of a nation or a church (such as the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and the numerous prophecies made about NATIONS in the Old Testament), versus the addressing of individuals, also differentiating between the addressing of people before the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, versus addressing people after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, etc.; all of these being examples of rightly dividing, the supposed “contradictions” in the Bible seem to just go away. When we read the Bible this way (the correct way), we see a perfect love letter written to us from outside of/beyond time and space, at least as we are currently able to know and perceive it (just think of all of the fulfilled prophecies for starters!). This love letter shows us how to live life abundantly (John 10:10), and gives us ASSURANCE of the most wonderful promise imaginable; that being of eternal life in a state that is free of any sort of pain, physical or otherwise, in the presence of, as well as in perfect communion with God (Revelation 21: 1-7). A side note: When you find something that seems to be “contradiction” in the Bible, do some proverbial digging (studying) and you will uncover a gem.