Our Bible study

Welcome to my web log. In it we'll study the Bible,and you are welcome to leave comments.
I encourage you to not take my word,but read what the Bible says concerning this or any Bible study.

The Bible has been given to us by Gods mercy,and is not just a book, or a guide,but its actually alive,and is one of the many names that Jesus is refered to as we read in
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.


The study of Gods word starts with prayer.Without prayer,we are looking at words that are in the form of a different language,a language that even though is written in our own native tongue,has different meaning than what we were tought they mean, they are like parables,from the very first words in Genisis,to the last words in Revelation, and the Lord must open our spiritual eyes to understand what we read,so this is why prayer comes first in Bible study.
We read here what Gods word says about itself concerning interpreting his word here in 1Corinthians 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.

I pray the lord will open our spiritual eyes,and our hearts to see,and understand his holy word as we begin here to study his Holy word,and that we will be in one accord in spirit ,and in truth,praying to him in Jesus's name Amen.



In this study if the Lord permit,we will look at the Gospel.
The Gospel message is the message of both very bad,and very great news.If we examin the bad first,we see that God is the punisher of sinfull people.If we are found guilty of any sin ( and we all are) there will be a consequence of paying for them ourselves in a place were we are constantly and forever without Gods help,or in his care,and that is a place that nobody wants to be in.He shows us in his spoken word that everyone is on there way there if the Holy Spirit does not step in and turn us from the road we are on.This is whats known as repentance.If indeed he plans to save us he will cause us (by the power of his Holy Spirit)to turn away from all the ways we have believed we can be forgiven , born again,and saved. Again this is whats known as repentance. We repent from our old way of believing we can save ourselves or contribute to our salvation.
In our very own fleshly nature we automatically believe that we can do something that will make us right with God,for example: In some beliefs, and teachings, believers are told,and believe to punish ourselves ,by making things hard on ourselves here on earth while believing that Gods mercy will see what I do to punish myself,and forgive me of my sin.Some call this penance,some call it pilgramidges,some call it fasting (no food or water for days) ,and some call it indulgances ,while others call it something they are required to do for forgiveness of sins.
God does not expect us to punish ourself ,actually he makes it known for sure he will do the punishing,and furthermore if we think that would make us right with God,Gods word says in
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Some of us are proud of our morally correct lifestyle, and our pride will say:

"I am morally OK , I don't kill anyone,I don't steal , I don't sin to much or do anything that I would be punished for,because I am pretty decent.
I'm a Godly person"

Gods word says in
Romans 3:12
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one



This next belief,and teaching is tough its whats known as a grace plus works Gospel which is very popular,and the most sincere people are both taught this,and firmly believe it as the true Gospel,but we will find out in this study it is not.

We would say something along these lines if we trust this false Gospel:

" The day I accepted Jesus as my savior I said
Lord I accept your offer of salvation, and I acknowledge what you did on the cross,
come in to my heart ,and save me ,and wash me clean,
thank you Lord.
So when I said that, God saved me that very day"
That is certainly not what the Bible teaches,although many hold this as the absolute truth.

Notice there are several I's in that statement of a persons faith.
If there are I's , and not God who saves me alone,than we have a problem.
Because this person has gone through sometimes a very very emotional experiance the day he did these things,they may believe it was true because they felt that emotional feeling,
perhaps it brought them to tears also.
It then begins as an infection growing to continually shadow that belief all through
that persons Christian walk and makes confusion.
They believe the work of Jesus is what saves them,but they add to it the thoughts of , now I have to be a good Christian,if they sin they say to themselves things like ,"that was not a Christian thing to do".
or "If I am going to be forgiven I must forgive first".
They also may think they have to continue maintaining there forgiveness,by
doing good works.
In the New Testement the people of Galatia held these beliefs also,
as many do today,
The Bible teaches us what God says to them through Paul the Apostle, who wrote to them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit here in:

Galations 3:3
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

If we carefully examin what the bible says about becoming saved the first thing we see, is that we are made to understand that there is nothing we can do, as it says here in:

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
We tend to stop at the word faith,but God is teaching us that this faith that saves us, is not our own faith.Read it for yourself,it says
"and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: "
You see that faith that saves us is Gods gift. Wait theres even more in the next verse.
Verse 9 says:

Ephesians 2:9 says
Not of works, lest any man should boast.


Some simply think they can say :
yes I believe Jesus came to save sinners,and I am a sinner,so I have that faith, right?
This would be a work,and boasting,and God does not teach that here very clearly.
The work I am trying to pointe out is anyone saying,they
have believed,and accepted Christ as there savior.
If indeed the Lord is saving us,he will humble us
(notice I did not say we must humble ourselves,but that he would do this ,if indeed he is saving us)
then all we would be able to say
is that it was God who saved me,and we in that way would be giving God the Glory, the praise,and the credit for saving us.
This is further made known in Gods word here, were we read in:
Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.


This totally rules out anything I say I did.
This says its not our will that accepted anything,and if we say that,then its a work we are claiming, and boasting, and disregarding what God does to save us.
Can you see that such a small detail,on this subject is like an infection yet?
We can become very spiritually sick,and also infect others.


God you see is the one who gives us repentance from what we believe saves us.
We read in 2Ti 2:25
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;
if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
In conclusion of this our Bible study,
we have seen that if God intends to save us,than he will bring his word close to us,that we hear it or read it,
If he is saving us he will apply the words to our hearts,
so that we indeed begin to see spiritually,that we are in need of a savior ,and we will not escape his punishment for sin ,and if he wants to save us,he would give us the repentance,
or if we put it in other words, turn us away from believeing we can do anything to save ourselves,or even contribute the slightest little something to get saved by
him.
We can pray for his mercy,
after reading that we can do nothing,and that he is the one who saves us alone, and only if he wants to.
We can beg him for mercy,and cry out to our heavenly father,
and after if we find that he did actually save us,we would see that it was him who brought to our knees,and caused that begging for mercy,
because he teaches in his word that we will not do that left to ourselves without him in our hearts,
and that it was him causing us to pray to our father for mercy.
The Bible says that Jesus told a parable
(which is an earthly story with a heavenly ,or spiritual meaning)
about these very things we have studied this far
In Luke18:9:
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
18:10
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
18:11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself,
God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
18:12
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
18:13
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner.
18:14
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted.
After the hearing of his word,we will see that we can offer nothing,and come emty handed,pleading that he would save us,and send his Holy Spirit into our life to wash us from our sins,and give us the faith that he speaks of.
If it is Gods will to save us,then he will send his Holy Spirit to us, and make us repent of anything we would normally believe,or any teachings that are contrary to the true Gospel,which is salvation by Grace alone.
The grace that
his son Jesus provided for us who are spiritually poor,and cannot offer anything
at all.
How did he provide you may ask?
By becoming the only sacrifice acceptable to God for sins.
The Bible teaches about how God sees us here in
Romans 3:12
They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
But God says about his son Jesus here in
Mathew 3:17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.
You see here that God the father is not pleased with any of us,but he is well pleased with Jesus.
A Psalm of David showed how under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
that David was able to see this truth we are studying here when God spoke through him saying in
Psalms 118:14
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
One last thing before we finish for now.
Some of you may be asking
What about verses that say if we believe on Jesus,or confess Jesus,or even the most popular type of verses widely used to bring people to Jesus to be born again such as this very well known chapter and verse found in
John 3:16
3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This particular veres must be in harmony with what else the bible teaches,because left alone or isolated this apears to say that if we choose to believe in him,than we would have eternal life.
Jesus addresses this here in:
John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever * * ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
I pray that many have recieved blessing from God in studying here
In Jesus's name
Amen.