Equipped for the Good Work(En)
“15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
📖2 Timothy 3:15-17 KJV
🟢The word "doctrine," in verse 16 of the above scripture, is the Greek word for Didaskalia. It means "to explain by teaching. The "good works" in verse 17 refers to the ministry= mission/service/serving that followers of the Lord Jesus receives.
“11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
📖Ephesians 4:11-13 KJV
🟢The works and growth of saints=believers is done by being "equipped(in NIV. in KJV ”perfecting”)”. How can the saints be equipped? It is all through the study of the Bible. Therefore, as in verse 11, there interpreters (prophets), evangelists, and teachers are given. Teaching the Bible is the foundation of the believers.
There are three important points to keep in mind when we receive teaching or be taught by the scriptures(when we read).
1: “It is written”
🟢You are not the author of the Bible, therefore you base on what God, the writer wrote. Christianity is not a religion, not an activity, but a relationship with God given by what Jesus accomplished. Therefore, first of all, we try to know "what Jesus did" based on "what is written" before trying to know what we shall do and how we should live as believers. Then there is the teaching to "us” who are “ in Christ" given to us.
“8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
📖Philippians 3:8-9 KJV
2: "It is written. So how is it explained?"
“1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.”
📖Luke 1:1-4 KJV
🟢It is explained by "eyewitnesses". The writings of Luke and other writers were not written on the spot, but written later on the testimony of witnesses.
“32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
📖John 6:32-35 KJV
For example, in this passage from the Gospel of John, at the time Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," neither the crowd nor the disciples nor John understood what he meant. But later, after John learned of Jesus' death on the cross, burial, and resurrection, he explained that the meaning is "eternal life”.
It also explained the true meaning of the Old Testament story of the giving of manna (bread) from heaven, which was not revealed at the time. We often speak of "daily bread", but it is not money, work, or food to get through our daily lives.
As for the New Testament, it is written to testify to the death, burial, resurrection, and thus salvation of Jesus as each author knows it. So we need to see the subject = Christ's salvation in the context of the words, not the independent lessons separate from Jesus.
3: It is written. So how is it applied to our lives?
🟢For example, today, we don't offer the "sacrificial offering of the temple" just because it is written in the Bible. It has been replaced by prayer.
Why? Because the sacrificial Lamb is Jesus. The perfect offering has been made to take away all the sins of all men forever, so there is no need for any more animal sacrifices.
Then the prayer becomes a prayer of thanksgiving, "Thank you for taking away my sins," rather than a prayer like the sacrificial offering for sin "Oh, take away my sins”
“1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
📖Hebrews 10:1 KJV
“9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
📖Hebrews 10:9-10 KJV
Understanding what actually the Bible telling is the foundation of how we live. In that understanding, we cannot properly apply the Bible, or God's wisdom, to our life unless we see the central subject = Jesus and His salvation.
When we understand Jesus and his gospel = "God's one-sided, unconditional sacrificial love that blotted out our sins," we realize that everything we can do comes from "gratitude" and "gratitude for what God has done for us through Jesus.”
Will God use our abilities and efforts to accomplish what He has not yet accomplished? No, that is not true. Thanksgiving for the salvation God has already finished in Jesus Christ come to us when we received it, and it motivates us to act.
“The message that saved us itself becomes our mission/ministry." We do not create another message. The gospel, the salvation I received from Jesus, is the good news (gospel), perfect gift and incomparable love that I want to pass on to the next person as it is, so I go to share it with being led by the Holy Spirit. Utterly everything comes from God.
“23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
📖John 20:23 KJV
🟢For example, if you read the above verse and say, "Oh, then I must forgive, because it is written so!" There is no such life-application of scripture. Jesus always comes first. Look at the verse just before this.
“21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”
📖John 20:21-22 KJV
Here Jesus died on the cross, resurrected, and then appeared to his disciples. And in this passage He says that he is going to let them receive the Holy Spirit, and send them. The disciples have received all the forgiveness of sins through Jesus' crucifixion, have received new "life" through his resurrection and the Holy Spirit, receive his message, and are sent.
Therefore, it is not our own forgiveness, but God's forgiveness through Jesus, and handing that message to others, that is the meaning of verse 23, "Whosoever sins you forgive will be forgiven”.
Jesus, who is the key to unlock God's message, bridges there so that the Bible can be read and understood, and that understanding and appreciation permeate us and naturally come out in our words and actions, and we are sent out by God. We should do our best to forgive, we decide whether or not to forgive, we do our best to share the gospel? No, it is not like that.
From what 1: "it is written", we learn 2: "how it is explained", and understand and receive 3: "how it applies to our life", and as the "fruit" the ministry/mission/service will come out. Thank you Lord for your grace and gifts.
“45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.”
📖Luke 24:45-48 KJV
“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
📖Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
(From the tract distributed on Feb 26, 2022)
