Arguing The Scriptures

2007 June 20, 2006

Arguing the Scriptures

Kathleen Maples

2Ti 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. 2Ti 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. I feel a need to share something for those of you who might need this, like I did. Because the weather is warm, and people are getting out and about more often, there has been quite a few visitors who have knocked on my door, from the Mormons, to the Seventh Day Adventists, to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I guess they all feel a need to work for Jesus, but if you have been on this site for any length of time, and have been so kind as to spend a little of your precious time reading here, you know I love to read the Word of God. And I have made some errors in dealing with these people and had to repent. I determined to start doing some research into their beliefs, to better “arm and inform” myself. This displeased the Lord and he let me know in no uncertain terms why, which was a kindness. My intentions were good enough, I guess, but he did not approve, and that is what matters. I would like to share what he showed me. Paul instructed Timothy, who was young in the Lord, to study the Word of Truth. If we spend our time getting to know Jesus, studying the Way, the Truth, and the Life we are not only feeding our spirits, and drawing from him life, and learning him, which in itself is a blessing, but if we know the truth, we won’t be fooled by a counterfeit. He told him to shun what was profane and vain, and for all of you folks out there who say you love Jesus, and go to church and profess to be a Christian, yet have went to see or read the book, The DaVinci Code, shame on you. You touched the unclean thing and need to ask God to forgive you. If you really love the Lord, how could you set down and feed your mind and spirit on something that blasphemes his holiness and denies His purity? You can’t get much more profane babblings than this book, even if it claims to be fiction-which is the only truth associated with this work, as far as I can tell, and no I have not read it or seen it and will not subject the Divine Spirit of God that resides in this temple to it. We need to remember David said in Psalms “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.” (Psalms 101:3). That also goes for that so-called fantasy called “the gospel of Judas” and the “Jesus Papers.” Anything that attempts to discredit or cast doubt on the Word of God we must put an X on it. We need to be careful not to offend the Holy One who dwells in us, folks by what we watch or hear, or where we go or what we do. 1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Last year, I ordered a free copy of the Quaran, or Koran, however you spell that, and I did it out of curiosity. After I ordered it, it began to bother me. With each passing day I got more bothered at myself for ordering it. I recognized the displeasure of the Holy Spirit and so I promised Him, after telling Him I was sorry, that when it came I would toss it in the trash and when it came, I didn’t even open the box, I just tossed it in the trash after tearing off my address label. Why did it bother me? Well, for the same reason it began to bother me when I began to research the theology of these false religions who believe they have to work their way to God. Let me use Scripture to illustrate. If I cannot give you Scripture, IN CONTEXT, and if the Holy Spirit does not bear witness with you that you are reading the truth, then discount it. Men’s opinions are of no use. And the Holy Spirit only bears witness of what He is-Truth. So let’s travel through the Precious Word of God, shall we? As Paul told Timothy, so I say to you, Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding. Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. I have read these scriptures many times. I have considered them, studied them, and meditated on them. I keep coming back to one important point. Eve had some choices here. In that garden was the tree of life. How cleverly the enemy of her soul, the one who was so envious of her fellowship with God, her innocence before God, along with Adam’s, how cleverly he drew her attention away from what was good to what was not. I heard a wonderful message on this preached by Gary Wilkerson, entitled “the Image of God” and he made a wonderful point when he said, God had made people weak and inferior in comparison with himself, because anything as holy and pure as God would only be an extension of himself, so he made his offspring unique. BUT they did not know they were flawed until they disobeyed and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What a heavy weight that was to carry, how it hindered their fellowship with God. Disobedience cut them off from spiritual fellowship. The knowledge of their own inner evil workings of their hearts made it impossible to return to that innocence they’d known. It became a battering ram the enemy could use to beat them down in their own minds-and is still used today by the devil. Folks, he tricked them into pursuing knowledge rather than life. Have you been tricked like this? I have. I was in a Christian Bookstore, and saw a book on spiritual warfare. I was having some battles with some things, and thought this might help. But I hadn’t gotten one complete chapter read before I had to throw the book in the trash because the author believed Christians could be inhabited simultaneously with devils and the Spirit of God. Rubbish. The Holy One binds the unclean spirit and casts him out and cleans house before he moves in. He washes it clean with the blood. And I wasted time

reading a man’s opinion, which was flawed, rather than going to my Father, who is a very present help in the time of trouble (Psa 46:1). By my behavior, I said, Lord, instead of enquiring of you, I will read this book instead for the answer. Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. I tell you something else, he won’t share his Temple with a devil, either. You know how I know that? 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Read Ezekiel 44 to see how he feels about his temple, and uncleanness being allowed in it. Remember in the gospels how he cleansed the temple of those who bought and sold in it? Those who were selling things, changing money for people. That is why I don’t believe bake sales, bingo or yard sales or chili suppers should be held at the House of God. It is a sanctuary and it is supposed to be set apart for one thingWorship and fellowship with God, and his word. To preach his word and worship him, and pray. He said “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” If he dwells in us, we are his house. (Eph 2:21-22) 1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. The Word of God is our Tree of Life. Today, when it comes to a pursuit of knowledge, you have so many choices. Paperback or hardback books. Electronic Books. Audio Books. Movies. TV. DVD. DVR. Talk Radio. News. Internet. It’s even rampant in the Christian world. Self-help books are numerous and deny the power of God. Self is to be crucified not helped. Commentaries sell for hundreds of dollars-a dozen volumes long, some of them. Men’s opinions on what God said. Have you ever wondered what the Holy Ghost felt as you consulted some commentary because it was quicker than praying and waiting on HIM for the answer and understanding? I’m guilty of this of myself, and I didn’t like the feeling. I know the scripture says not to lean to the arm of flesh and there are many ways of doing it. Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. Did you catch that? “Whose heart departeth from the Lord”. That word “departeth” in the original Hebrew means to turn from, to rebel, literally turn off. The same thing goes for if you have a problem and instead of praying about it, FIRST, you run to the phone, or to the pastor, or the preacher, or your best friend. You are turning to flesh, instead of the God who loves you and knows the answer and is able to help. How did

he react when the king of his people got hurt and called to the world for answers? 2Ki 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 2Ki 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Whether we realize it or not, and I didn’t early on in my Christian walk, we do this if we are carnal, rather than spiritual. We live in a society where patience is lacking and in such short supply, and we sometimes haven’t gotten close enough to God to realize the value in waiting on him and seeking him for answers. We live in an “instant” this or that society. Fast food. Microwave. Hurry up. God doesn’t get in a hurry. He knows what is going on and he sees everything. He hears every thought we think-good or bad. He witnessed to my heart HE wanted to teach me the Scriptures, and so, except for occasionally checking a scripture or two out in a commentary, after he’s shown me what it means, I just don’t care much for commentaries. I’m not knocking them, I have many in my E-Sword Bible Software. I just rarely consult them, and NEVER first. Now let’s go back a little further. Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. I believe God saw a bunch of people here who were trying to work their way to heaven, and it displeased him. You can’t get to HIM by your works. They all spoke the same language. They were pretty intelligent if they figured out enough to build this tower tall enough to get God’s attention. Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. You can work and strive all you want but it will not bridge the gap and get you to God. Only through Jesus Christ can we do this. Praise God for His truth and for His Holy Spirit to teach it. But what to do when you are faced with someone knocking on your door with their literature, and a book they call their Bible, and they want to talk to you and you are trying to serve God, and that old devil immediately starts whispering “how do you know your way is right?” and you must remember he has been challenging the truth of God’s word from the beginning. You look in these ladies’ and gentlemen’s eyes, and you see the compassion and the sincerity, do you feel dismayed and helpless, not wanting to hurt their feelings? Or do you get angry and start

debating with them? Is there compassion in your heart? What do you do? Slam the door in their face? Refuse to answer the door and pretend you’re not home? Get drawn into a debate on the scriptures? What does the Scripture say? 2Jo 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed: 2Jo 1:11 For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. Paul was concerned that people would be deceived and honestly bear with these that he knew would come with another gospel. This is pretty cut and dried, is it not? Do not let them in your house if you know and are aware of who they are. Don’t say “God bless you,” as they leave. Don’t do it. What if you aren’t aware or aren’t paying close enough attention and let them in or get fooled? I had some ladies knock on my door one day, and they looked so holy, in their dress and appearance, and I got excited, I thought, Oh boy, some of HIS and we can break bread together! and I let them in. After about ten minutes of conversation, my heart sank when they began talking about him as “Heavenly Father” and pulled out their book of Mormon. I recoiled from it as one would a snake, and the girl holding it noticed my reaction. So what should I have done? What do you do when you get yourself in this situation and they are trying to convince you of their theology? First, be aware. What did Paul warn about angels of light? 2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. Remember too, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Gal 5:9) So what if they start quoting verses and trying to make a point? What if they put you on the spot, with their prepared speeches, and memorized verses about trivial things, such as do you worship on Saturday? Or Sunday? And which is right? We are to worship HIM EVERY DAY, not just one. We are to set aside our whole bodies as a living sacrifice, and surrender all to him, not just one day. And he’s worthy. He alone is worthy. We are not to debate, argue or strive about the Word of God. We do not have to defend or prove what we believe. We know because he has given us of his Spirit. It’s not our job to prove it is true, but to live it and let his light shine through and in us. Reject anything else. 2Ti 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do engender strifes.

2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, One thing I have noticed, if they have their own brand of theology or religion, they won’t have much to say about Jesus, except to mention in passing a few things he did. They may mention his “atoning death” at the cross. Their conversation concerning HIM will reveal a lack of intimacy and desire for intimacy. If you have a relationship with HIM, you will realize quickly when you are conversing with someone who has only a head or book knowledge of him, and not a heart knowledge, or Spirit knowledge. The latter instills a reverence, a sense of awe, along with the knowledge. That only comes from being in his presence, when you have began understanding his holiness, his sacrifice, his love and our unworthiness of it all. 2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; Never argue with them, or let yourself be manipulated into feeling like you have to defend or back up the Word of God. It is not yours to back up. He doesn’t need us to defend him, only to represent him. To do that we must know him for ourselves. How did Jesus represent him in the face of the religious zealots who criticized and tried to draw him into debates? One thing I know, Jesus did not go after the religious crowd and try to change their thinking or show them they were wrong. He came to seek and save the lost. He did not argue with them. He did not accuse them. He did not go off on them. He did not work miracles to prove himself to them. He knew who He was and did not fall for the temptation of the devil to try prove it. The more you try to defend your faith, the more they will strive with you about their belief system. It is not profitable. Yes, we are to be ready to give an answer to all men who ask of us what is the hope in us? But that is, I believe, those who see God’s children patiently enduring trials, refusing to give up or blame God, loving him in spite of their trouble, and drawing strength from him in their time of difficulty. Men, seeing this, will often ask, how do you do this? How can you do this? THEN you be ready to tell them about the Precious Savior and how invaluable, priceless and NECESSARY He is. How you can’t make it without Him. There are many who profess his name but do not know him. Many are religious. 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. These two verses of scripture have always caused a fear in my heart. A dread. A “I never want to be found here” knowledge in my heart. Jesus said “Ye shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free.” If the knowledge you seek and pursue does not feed your spirit, change your life and heart, and does not strengthen you and draw you closer to Christ, then it is not the knowledge of the truth. If it does not glorify him, if it doesn’t include sacrifice and humility, if it doesn’t honor Him, it’s not profitable, spiritually speaking. He only has the Word of Life. 1Ti 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather

than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Don’t fret about it, or pay attention to it. It won’t help you to know or understand why they believe a lie. What we need to concern ourselves with is knowing the truth so we are free. Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Don’t waste your time studying the counterfeit. Immerse yourself in the Real Thing. In doing so, you will be prepared and able to spot the fake, and you will have HIS wisdom on how to deal with it. Unless they are hostile, and provocative, be kind. Even if they aren’t kind, remember we need to be like Jesus, not who we were before He saved us....it’s HIM they need to see and hear, not our indignant arguments. It’s alright to go on the offensive and tell them what YOU believe. Then refuse to argue about it, and if they still want to talk, and try to convince you, ask them to leave. But pray for wisdom and direction on how to deal with it. You never know when you might be dealing with someone who is sincere, though deceived, and God is able to open their eyes. 2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. We are to be kind, not argumentative, we are to avoid debates and strife-even about the Scriptures. And what about those who will only read the KJV and pick and find fault with anyone who reads another translation? That bothers me, too. It is still debating, and gendering strife. Yes, I prefer the KJV. I have no problem with consulting another translation. BUT I am not going to debate this and that, and yes, it bothers me that some of the other translations leave out this, and you aren’t supposed to add to or take away. Well, those who defend the KJV staunchly, are they LIVING IT? Is it written on the tables of their hearts and governing their lives? Do they spend more time picking at other translations, and those who read them, or do they spend time before the Lord with His Word, asking for it to be a part of them, write it in the inward parts, Lord. If they were, I don’t believe they’d be pointing fingers at others and condemning or judging them. How can I say that? Well, the more I understand His word, the closer in Spirit, heart, and mind I get to HIM, the aware of my own flaws, wretchedness, and weakness I become, how everything about me apart from HIS goodness and HIS righteousness would be vile and corrupt. That is why I do not want to hold anything back from him. If he has no part in it, it is corrupt by default of his absence. If you are walking, eating and living His Holy Word, you will not be pointing the finger and criticizing others, you will be praying for him to open their understanding and have compassion and mercy on them. Many ignorant of the scriptures, with a religious fervor defend one translation over another. Yes, I believe the KJV is the right translation, and no I don’t subscribe to the theory that there are errors in it. That’s the flaw of the carnal mind. Because it is flawed, it assumes everything else is too. My

confidence is in the God who watches over his word to perform it and would not let anyone put his Word together in error. Folks, God simply would not Light UP his Word with Holy Ghost conviction, it would not minister life to the reader were it not the real thing. I’m not going to pick at others for reading or preferring another translation. If they really want truth, their heart will receive and follow the Lord to read the version that is right. They are HIS, I am not supposed to be judging others, but myself. I am supposed to concern myself with eating his word, walking in his light and love and letting his life manifest itself through me so those around me can see it and come in out of the darkness. I am supposed to let it transform me and renew my mind. I could debate you all day about this translation or that one but what would it profit? Do I not trust the Holy Spirit enough to guide sincere hearts to the truth? We all need to search ourselves and our own motives for these things we do. 2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.