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This is a good article by Ray Smith which explains twelve scriptural truths to help in understanding God's word. Summary:
1. First comes the Physical then the Spiritual
2. Jesus taught in parables so the people WOULD NOT understand
3. Jesus taught His own apostles in parables and they DID NOT understand
4. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures; Jesus opens their/our understanding of the scriptures
5. God's words are spirit - the scriptures are spiritual, not literal
6. Every word must be established with two or three witnesses
7. Compare spiritual with spiritual
8. The Old Testament is for OUR admonition too
9. No scripture is its OWN interpretation
10. All is of God
11. Jesus IS, WAS, and IS TO COME
12. Understanding comes from God
Read the whole article for all the details and scriptures.
Parables. Totally disagree. Parables are not absolutely totally allusive. He is using examples of bad Christianity/ false gospel to prove his case. I would like to hear him take on the likes of Luther, Spurgeon instead of TBN.
Jesus spoke to them in parables so they would not understand.
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
That's not to say that we can't ever understand Jesus' parables. Which leads to point 4: when Jesus opens our understanding, then we will understand the parables.
Jesus spoke to them in parables so they would not understand.
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
That's not to say that we can't ever understand Jesus' parables. Which leads to point 4: when Jesus opens our understanding, then we will understand the parables.
Read the article.
I did
It is obvious that we can only understand when Jesus opens us up but parables were meant for both believers and unbelievers but for different purposes.
John 10:27 27"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
It is obvious that we can only understand when Jesus opens us up but parables were meant for both believers and unbelievers but for different purposes.
27"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
Sure, but what do you mean by "different purposes"? What do you think was the purpose of Jesus speaking in parables to the masses so they wouldn't understand?
"As Jesus is, so are we" means that those who are spiritual (composed of almost exclusively Gentiles in this Church era) are the true Jews—not national Israel and Judah. National Israel and Judah are going into the Great White Throne of Judgment in the second resurrection during the period of the Lake of Fire. They will NOT be grafted into Jesus, the Tree of Life, before then. Jesus fulfilled all that is written in the Law of Moses and all the prophets
God is not "flesh." Jesus had to be "made flesh." And then AS flesh, Jesus had to "grow and wax strong" (Luke 2:40). God does not "grow or wax strong," but Jesus "made flesh" had to grow and wax strong. Jesus also had to "overcome" (John 16:33). God does not need to overcome anything. Jesus had to "suffer" and "learn obedience" (Heb. 5:8). God does not suffer: God does not learn anything, seeing that God is all knowing (Isa. 46:10).
Jesus was "troubled in His soul" (John 12:27). God is never troubled in HIS soul. Jesus got "weary" (John 4 6). God never gets weary (Isa. 40:28). Jesus became "exceeding sorrowful" (Matt. 26:38). God never sorrows. Jesus was famished after fasting for 40 days and nights. He was so "hungry" that he was ready to die (Matt. 4:2). God never gets hungry. God can never die of hunger. Jesus got very "thirsty" (John 19:28). God never gets thirsty. Jesus "wept" (John 11:35). God never weeps. Jesus was acquainted with "sickness" (Isa. 53:3). God never gets sick.
How sad that many Christians believe that nothing bad ever happened to Jesus before His crucifixion. If it were not for God IN Jesus,
I have heard Creflo Dollar preach the same thing. Does the author not believe Jesus is God?
"As Jesus is, so are we" means that those who are spiritual (composed of almost exclusively Gentiles in this Church era) are the true Jews—not national Israel and Judah. National Israel and Judah are going into the Great White Throne of Judgment in the second resurrection during the period of the Lake of Fire. They will NOT be grafted into Jesus, the Tree of Life, before then. Jesus fulfilled all that is written in the Law of Moses and all the prophets
This is talking about spiritual jews. They are the true jew's - God's people - the elect, made up of both physical jews & gentiles. But I'm not sure what your question was exactly.
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