Understanding The Bible

Understanding The Bible

Eph. 3:1-12

Introduction

1. The unity of the church - are ONE in Christ -

2. Jew and Gentile are ONE - hence no division allowed

3. Objection: WE NOT READ THAT IN THE OT

1. Mystery - Revelation

A. Not revealed AS now revealed

1. NT is an inspired message -

2. NT is DIFFERENT than the OT -

B. Revelation - "an uncovering or laying bare’ - vs. MYSTERY - is being ‘concealed’

1. illustrate - old way of introducing new model of car -- mystery à revelation.

2. Mystery ALWAYS tied with ‘made known’ ‘revealed’ ‘given to know’ ‘understand’ -

Eph. 1:8-9; 3:3-5, Mtt. 3:11; Lk. 8:10; 1 Cor. 2; Col. 1:26, Rom. 16:25ff

3. Was ‘known’ in OT - prophecied that ALL nations would be blessed through the coming of the messiah - Gen. 1: , Gen. 12:1-3; Isa. 2: Amos 9: , etc.

C. Specifically here - that the gentiles are of the SAME body - fellow heirs - partakers of his promise -v.6

1. Through such unity of fellowship in the church - God’s wisdom to be seen.

2. This the ‘eternal purpose of God’.

2. UNDERSTANDABLE

A. Some things HARD - 2 Pet. 3:15-16 – but not IMPOSSIBLE!

B. Would infer from our study / reading now that we expect to understand!

C. Reason for the writing of it in the 1^st place - Eph. 3:1-5

D. Commanded to understand - Eph. 5:17

E. Promised that would understand - John 7:17; 8:32

F. Understanding a condition of salvation -

1. Mtt. 18:3 - must be converted -

2. Mtt. 13:15 - must understand to be converted !

G. Understanding HAS been accomplished -

1. OT = Neh. 8:8 - read the law, gave the sense’ cause the people to understand…

2. NT = 2 Tim. 3:15-17 - from a child …

H. Examples from our own experiences ---

1. Jesus wept - John 11:35

2. Sing - Eph. 5:19

3. Faith - Heb. 11:6

4. Repent - Acts 17:30

5. Confess with mouth - Rom. 10:9-10

6. Mark 16:16 - baptized

3. Yet some still NOT understand -- WHY??

A. Lenski: it is not in the facts, but the prejudices of the investigator.

1. don’t blame the AUTHOR - (the Holy Spirit -)

2. don’t blame the BOOK -

B. Many make NO EFFORT

1. will NOT READ Eph. 3:3-5

2. won’t study, 2 Tim. 2:15 (give ALL diligence) –

C. Evil hearts -

1. Luke 8: parable of the sower, seed = word, some not believe because of heart condition.

2. Ezra 7:10 - prepared his heart -

3. Eph. 4:18 - ‘blindness of their heart’ -

D. No love for truth -

1. 2 Thess. 2:8-12 -

2. 2 Tim. 4:3-4 - itching ears!

E. Deceived by false teachers -

1. Mtt. 7: beware of wolves…

2. 1 John 4:1 - try the spirits …

3. 2 Pet. 2:1-3 - just as in ot, so now - false teachers among us..

F. Wrest the scriptures - ‘proving’ what the text DOESN’T say… 2 Pet. 3:15

G. Make mistakes in principles of interpretation:

1. Figures of speech -

a. cup / bread - Mtt. 26

b. book of Revelation -

2. Application of ‘to whom’ -

a. apostles in John 14 - 15 - 16

b. church vs. Individual

3. Isolating scriptures -

a. faith only ---

b. unconditional promises ---

4. Missing circumstances and setting -

a. communism of early church

b. customs of 1^st century - ‘holy kiss’ - etc.

c. ‘saved at point of faith’ in Rom. 4 - vs. Life of faith

5. Missing grammer -

a. Not - But

b. unworthily - 1 Cor. 11:27

c. ignore contextual definitions - JW and ‘spirit’ and ‘soul’ - etc.

6. Define own terms - the bain of false teachers.

a. use same words - just use them differently -

b. ‘they mean whatever I say they mean’ ---