The Bible is complicated! The Bible is confusing and mystifying! I don't understand what I read in the Bible! The Bible is too old and not current; the old and new seems to contradict and sometimes I think it does not apply to today's world as a christian!

These are a few of what we feel when we study the Bible, you would be surprised that some teachers and pastors feel this same way. They most time infer moral stories and in other instances draw eisegesis (reading meaning not supported by the grammar, syntax, lexical meanings and over-all context of the bible) from the scriptures.

Many of us cannot make sense of what we read in the Bible- we tend to believe there are special sects of people who have been bestowed with spiritual powers to understand the Bible. As a result false teachers hijack the ministry by using feign words,excellence of speech,persuasive words of human wisdom.

Everyone seem to have their interpretation to the Bible. Is God not our father? Are we not all members of the body of Christ? If we can respond to this in the affirmative, will God be telling his children different things? The answer will be a resounding NO, because God is not a God of confusion and His word should not be a tool by which the Church will be divided.

We overlook the simplicity of the word of God thinking there is an underlying meaning to what we have read or expecting it to minister to our earthly situation.

A MUST KNOW FOR EVERY BIBLE READER:

Every reader must rightly divide the word of God- The Bible consists of a catalogue of events that occurred over a long period of time and over various dispensations, time and administrations. The events recorded in the bible was a progressive revelation and most prophets that have their books/letters within it might have never known they were writing what will become a canon as we have it today. To this end, during each period, a message was for and to a particular audience of people, race and culture. The audience were either:

. The Jews (Israelite)
. The Jewish believer of Christ
. The Gentiles (anyone that is not Jew)
. The Church (the believers of the gospel of Christ)

Before looking in to these different sects, we must distinguish between the 'world' and the 'earth'. We must understand the world is a system on earth, therefore, the world(system) would eventually come to an end but the earth remains forever. That takes us to the next point we must distinguish the 'Kingdom of God' and the 'Kingdom of Heaven'. The Kingdom of God is the universal and eternal rule of God. The Kingdom of Heaven is the earthly sphere of the Kingdom of God, the coming Messianic reign of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. Found only in Matthew's Gospel, the book of the King and His coming Kingdom, it looks to His heavenly rule over the earth in the soon-coming millennium.

John the baptist will then say the kingdom of God is at hand because the king was coming down to earth. As soon as the king was confirmed by God (This is my beloved son,in whom I am well pleased), John's ministry ended. We all know the Jewish nation as a whole did not accept him as their king/the son of God. They refused their king, they eventually killed him.


The Jews (Israelite)
A certain man called Abraham was elected by God.As a result we have the appearance of the Nation of Israel, the Jew.
God had set them apart from all other race, He committed his oracle(word)unto them. That covers everything then from Genesis chapter 12 until we go into the Book of Acts chapter 8. God at that time is dealing with Jew only with a few exceptions.

The Jewish believer of Christ
Jewish believers are the Jews that accepted Christ as their king as it has been prophesied by their fathers/prophets. An example of these people were the twelve disciples(all jews) of Christ and all the Jewish people that accepted Christ as the son of God. Then when Christ starts His earthly ministry to the Nation of Israel, the Jew, there were only two exceptions where he ministered to Gentiles, and don't let anyone ever try to tell you that He went to Jews and Gentiles. I guess I'd better back that statement up, so turn with me to Matthew chapter 10:5-6


"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, `Go not unto the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans (who were half breeds) enter ye not: (but here was His command) 6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" (God's earthly people)

Christ's earthly ministry was confined to the Jews because he was there to fulfill the covenants made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Peter will then ask Christ "'Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?'". The kingdom is talking about isn't kingdom of God but kingdom of heaven.

The Gentiles (anyone that is not Jew)
These are heathens, non-Jews, if you are not an Israelite you are a Gentile. These set of people are sinners and unrighteous before God. Not because of what they have done or have not done but because of the imputed sin through the transgression of the first man. Unlike the Jews, they were not elected by God. They were condemned, but in a similar way to what God did with Abraham and his descendants, the gentiles have been given a chance to be just and righteous before God. The same way they did not personally commit any sin to be condemned (it was imputed), they would not do anything to be saved. The only caveat in this case is that gentiles must now believe the same way Abraham believed to be accounted as righteous.

The Church (the believers of the gospel of Christ)


These are people who believe in the gospel of Christ (NB Not people who believe God, although that is a necessity for a christian but that on its own does not save anybody). Believers/Christians are the mystical body of Christ, these set of people had been translated into the kingdom of Christ. These people have been made kings and priests, they shall inherit the earth forever. They would leave the world and the earth by joining Christ in His glory (1 thessalonians 4:13) and be back on earth with Christ at the second coming to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

Open with me to the book of Zechariah14:4 to see the revelation on how Christ would come to take over the earth as the King of the Jews and the Lord of the church.

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

This is a description of the second coming, notice it is different from how Christ would come take the church to himself, further down in the same chapter, verse 9 says -

9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.




Having identified that the whole of the Bible was written to these four groups and knowing that everything written within it is inspired by God (Spirit). We must know the parts directed to us as gentile believers, so Paul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, he becomes the spokesman for God now during this age of Grace, the Church Age. This is where so many people are missing it, they simply don't know how to rightly divide the Word of God as Paul instructed us to do. Most think that the Word is divided with the beginning of the New Testament, but if you read carefully you will find that everything from Genesis chapter 12 to the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts chapter 9 is God primarily dealing with the Nation of Israel, which is completely separate from the Church, and all you have to do is look at the language in the Four Gospels and the first 8 chapters of Acts. Don't try to fit something in the Scriptures that God didn't fit in. It's so obvious that God was only dealing with the Nation of Israel until we get to Paul.

The book of Romans15:4 says-
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime (in the Old Testament) were written for our learning, (not for our doctrine, but rather for our learning) that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."


Be renewed.

God bless u a million times my brother for this post.

I didn't start understanding the bible until i learnt to rightly divide the word of truth as you explained above.Christians need to start paying attention to what a particular text is saying and also what it doesn't say.

For instance luke 18:31-34 shows that the real plan of the cross was hidden from the 12.who could have hidden it? God of course. This partly explains why they didn't go the gentiles as only the shed blood could bring the gentiles into the plan of God whereas national Isreal only needed to believe he was the promised seed of David to restore the glory of Isreal.Deut 29:29 shows its God prerogative to hide things and thats what he did with this plan.Paul called it a mystery in 1 cor 2:7.

Peter finally opened up in 2 Peter 3:15-16 that he too found some of Paul's revelation hard to understand.This was because it wasn't revealed to him.

Cant type much as I'm using a phone.i pray brethren pls take some time to read this write up and try to explore the bible in this format.you'll be surprised what you'll find.

God bless us all as we strive to know more of him.

My beloved brother shdemidemi,

You're a blessing to Christianity and to this forum. This is good teachings. Grace be multiplied unto you! This is awesome! I have taught this same truth on this forum many times. I'm also refreshed by your teachings even though I can't do long epistles these days. Keep it rolling my brother.

Nice analysis by the OP,

But I must contend that the bible is simple only to the true Christians of grace(liberty from the law) and to no one else. Only the Christians of grace have been given the mindset(spirit) to understand and apply the complete principles on which all bible events are inspired and governed. For me(as a 100-percent grace/new testament Christian), I decode all bible principles and apply them to my everyday living. It doesn't matter what nation or what dispensation such bible event refers to, I interpret the message in the perfect manner to minister to me, instead of using human interpretations as everyone else does. So as long as a person is non-grace believer, whether he's Christian or not, then he's always gonna struggle with the correct interpretations of bible.

^^^^
@ okeyxyz,
thanks for reading and stating the above, I hope all believers and by extension every man understand the gospel of grace.

okeyxyz:
'I decode all bible principles and apply them to my everyday living. It doesn't matter what nation or what dispensation such bible event refers to, I interpret the message in the perfect manner to minister to me, instead of using human interpretations as everyone else does'

I would rather have us follow the teachings of the teacher of grace cos the Bible says all the mysteries of the old has been revealed to him and he has revealed it to us. Your private interpretation of the scriptures might just not be right, I believe we should go by the scriptures in its fullness. Apostle Paul said

1 Corinthians 11

King James Version (KJV)
11 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

I am so sorry, I feel I should add this other one for the benefit of all--

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

shdemidemi: ^^^^
@ okeyxyz,
thanks for reading and stating the above, I hope all believers and by extension every man understand the gospel of grace.


I would rather have us follow the teachings of the teacher of grace cos the Bible says all the mysteries of the old has been revealed to him and he has revealed it to us. Your private interpretation of the scriptures might just not be right, I believe we should go by the scriptures in its fullness. Apostle Paul said

1 Corinthians 11

King James Version (KJV)
11 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

I am so sorry, I feel I should add this other one for the benefit of all--

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

i de follow o, but let me ask, what about the Holy Spirit?

christemmbassey: i de follow o, but let me ask, what about the Holy Spirit?

One of the work of Holy Spirit is to bring us to perfection either jews nor gentiles as explain by the Op.

shdemidemi: so Paul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, he becomes the spokesman for God now during this age of Grace, the Church Age.

clearly out of point - but Paul not peter was the apostle to the Gentiles , not the blatant lie perpertrated
by that satanic adulteration called catholicism.

christemmbassey: i de follow o, but let me ask, what about the Holy Spirit?

The holy spirit is the [size=13pt]mindset of God[/size] which grace-christians receive. People do not usually think in this definition(ie: spirit as a mindset), they are more used to seeing the spirit as some [size=13pt]invisible force[/size]. But the true spirit is the mindset, which this force follows. So in this light, rethink the passage:

And we know that God causes(the force) all things to work together for good to those who love(follows this mindset) God, to those who are called according to His purpose.(Romans 8:28 )

christemmbassey: i de follow o, but let me ask, what about the Holy Spirit?

Forget the lies and the deceit in people when they refer to the Holy Spirit. They know once they say they heard it from the holy spirit no man can question them( it is a very easy way of getting out of the true meaning of scriptures). That word of God written by Apostle Paul to the Gentiles and the word written the apostles like Peter, John and James to the Jews are the only ways the Holy Spirit speak to us. When I say us, remember as soon as you accept Christ a spirit is created within you, only believers have this spirit. The spirit and power in the word of God communicate with our new formed spirit which in turn renew our mind. The more our mind is renewed, the more we compress our sin nature.

A typical example is when a friend invited me to go out with him to a bar , I replied saying no. He felt really sorry for me cos he thinks my life is quite boring, he made it known by saying this to me. I replied him saying the same way you would feel miserable going to bible study with me is the same way I feel when I go to such gatherings.

I feel this way about things I get excited about afore time because my mind is renewed and my intuition is totally different from who I was before. We must be careful with people that act as if God talks to them in person apart from all we all have in the scriptures.

Ephesians 4:22
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Do Not Grieve