THE SEVEN CHRUCHES & WHAT NOW?

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                                                                                           EPHESUS

     The first church that Jesus addresses is Ephesus. In Rev.2:1-7we read, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

     As with all the addresses to the seven churches this message was to the “angel” of the church of Ephesus. The Greek word here translated angel is ἄγγελος, which means messenger. Sometimes this word is translated “angel” which is actually a transliteration, a phonetic transfer from one language to another. The actual meaning is dependent upon the context that it is used in. In this case the messenger is the messenger to a congregation, which would not be a heavenly messenger or what is referred to as an “angel” but would be the pastor of the congregation and in this case the one at Ephesus. It is the pastor of the church that is the one responsible for delivering a message to a church and for the general oversight of the church.

     As a reminder, a pastor is to oversee the church by example, that is: he is responsible to show the church how they are to conduct themselves and share the Gospel by his life example. The number one way to teach someone principles to live by is to live those principles in front of them just as a father is to set the example for his family. Thus, Jesus sends each message to the “messenger” or pastor of each of the congregations.

Not everyone is qualified to be a pastor. The qualifications of a pastor have a direct influence on his ability to communicate God’s message to the congregation. Paul gives us the qualifications of a pastor in I Tim.3:2-7which reads, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

     The first qualification is that the man be “blameless” or irreproachable. He must not be susceptible to scorn. He is also to be the “husband of one wife” or a man having only one wife. The word translated “husband” here is ἀνήρ which means man as opposed to woman or a boy. The word indicates that the pastor must be a male that is at full maturity. Next he must be “vigilant”, that is prudent, thoughtful, or self-controlled. Then he is to be “sober” or clear headed and not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. A pastor must be of “good behavior” and “hospitable.” Of particular note, a pastor must be “apt to teach.” The word translated apt to teach is διδακτικός which means skillful in teaching. Teaching is one of the primary functions of a pastor. One cannot teach if one has not studied and acquired enough knowledge to have something worthy of being taught. He must also have the tools to be able to properly digest and share with others the full meaning of the Word of God. 

     A pastor is not to be “given to wine” or not drunken, addicted to alcohol or drugs. He is not to be a “striker”, that is a bully or pugnacious; not “greedy of filthy lucre” or fond of dishonest gain/greedy. Further he needs to be patient, kind, gentle in approach, especially in matters of Christian growth. We don’t all grow at the same rate or along the same pathways. He’s to not be a brawler but peaceable or peace preferring. A pastor should never be covetous. Desiring worldly possessions is not a sign of spiritual strength.

It’s important that a pastor show that he is able and knows how to run a family and control his children. These types of activity are the same as those he must utilize in helping a church family grow spiritually and treat each other properly. Newborn Christians are spiritual children and as in need of proper guidance as children in a home. A pastor needs also to have and maintain a good report with the unsaved world. He is the face of that local congregation and the entire congregation is judged by how he presents himself. The world will judge the message of the pastor by his personal conduct or the message his lifestyle teaches.

     The next thing to note is the word translated “church” which is ἐκκλησίαwhich means an assembly or congregation.  Today it is commonly understood that when someone talks about a church that they are talking about the local body of believers. Care needs to be taken in how the word “church” is used. It must be remembered that the word used in the New Testament refers to an assembly of believers. It is not possible to have a “universal” assembly of believers on the earth. Think about it. After the rapture though, there will be a “universal” assembly of believers in heaven. Prior to that all believers belong to the same family of God and will one day be united together in an assembly of believers in heaven. What a glorious day that will be!

     Returning to our passage, notice the phrase “He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand.” The Greek word here translated “holdeth” is κρατῶν which is a participle meaning “the one having power over.” A strong emphasis here is placed on the fact that Jesus is Head over the pastor of the church. This serves as a reminder that it is Jesus who is in command and the message being delivered needs to be immediately and very seriously responded to. It is easy in the midst of the pastoral task to forget Who it is that is the Commander and substitute self as commander. 

     In I Cor.1:2 Paul says, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Note that Paul refers here to Jesus as “Lord” as he does many times throughout his writings. Jesus is “our Lord.” Just as Jesus here is declared to be the apostle’s Lord so He is the one to whom all Christians owe all their allegiance and the One who is Lord of all pastors. Examining one’s heart carefully and asking, “Is Jesus truly Lord of all aspects of my heart?” is a question in need of daily examination. Certainly, reaching the world with the Gospel requires that He is indeed Lord. The throne of the heart belongs to Jesus.

     Then Jesus mentions, “Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.” The Greek word translated “walketh” here is παραπατέω which means to “walk around.” Jesus indicates that He walks around in the churches checking out what goes on and what and who is present. Jesus is constantly performing a thorough inspection and observation. Nothing escapes His in depth notice. Jesus knows all. From this thorough examination Jesus reveals what He finds.

     The first thing Jesus always does for each congregation is to list the good things that He has observed, providing there is something. The first thing Jesus has to say about the congregation at Ephesus is “I know thy “works” or deeds. This is a statement that Jesus makes to all seven churches. Jesus does not state that the deeds are good or bad or so-so. This early statement shows that Jesus has been observing the congregations efforts.  After “works,” “labor” is mentioned. The church at Ephesus has been working hard. The word here translated “labor” is κόποςwhich means troubles, toils, or difficulties.  This is a deeper commitment than “deeds.” Jesus acknowledges this congregation’s toils that they performed.

     In all this toil and difficulty they also showed patience or steadfastness and perseverance. Often when very difficult tasks are accomplished there is much unrest and sometimes outright complaining, but this congregation maintained a proper attitude during the trials and difficulties that they went through for the Savior.

This congregation also tested those who came to them claiming to be apostles. They knew what the qualifications of an apostle were and tested those claiming to be apostles. They found those falsely saying they were apostles to be liars and did not put up with them. 

     This congregation also stood by their beliefs, not willing to compromise on doctrinal issues. There were false doctrines going around saying that Jesus was not both fully man and fully God. There were others that denied the virgin birth of the Savior. These lies and other such false ideas were around. Jesus compliments this congregation on sticking by the stuff and refusing to fall for the false doctrines going around about the Savior. They were also complimented on not allowing the doctrine of the Nicolaitans to be taught in their congregation.

     There are some who say this doctrinal problem started with a Nicolas of Antioch but it’s not our place here to try to point a finger at some starting point. What is important here is to understand what doctrinal error this refers to. Almost all good Bible scholars say that this is the idea of a separation between the members of the congregation and those who hold the office of pastor to the point of making the pastor more like the king of the local body of believers. In other words, this would mean that only the pastor would do any soul winning and only the pastor would have proper understanding of the Scriptures, meaning it requires special skills and training to explain the Word of God. This concept would take away the ability of the Holy Spirit to explain God’s Word to His children and require that this only be accomplished through the pastor or bishop. Interesting here is the word translated Nicolaitan is Νικολαιτῶνwhich is made up of two Greek words νικάω and λαόςwhich mean respectively to conquer or prevail over and people.  (Please note that using this type of evaluation to discover the meaning of a word can and often does lead to a false meaning. Much care is needed and in this case there is no other available source.) This is a common structure in many congregations today. God hates this as all Christians are equal in God’s eyes. Not all are dedicated to God as they aught to be but they all are partakers of the same mercy and grace. God does not respect persons. All are sinners in need of the Savior and the Holy Spirit is able to teach all what the Scriptures say.

     With all that Jesus compliments this congregation of believers there is one thing that He finds to be a strong negative issue. He says in Rev.2:4, “thou hast left thy first love.” As solid as this congregation has stood by the stuff they had abandoned their first love. When someone first accepts Christ as Savior and Lord, there are certain things that are immediately evident in their lives. They will have a great zeal for the Lord, will want to tell someone what God has done for them, and they will have a love for the Savior. Consider for a moment this poem by John R. Rice called “Let the Sun Shine Again in My Heart.”

                                 I remember the time when I first knew the Savior,

                               When the sunlight of blessing so flooded my heart.

                           Oh, the sweetness of “first love,” with Jesus so near me,

                                And I thought such devotion would never depart.

                      Then how sweet were the Scriptures, they spoke to me daily,

                             How they guided my steps: but my zeal did not last.

                        And the sweet place of pray’r where I met with my Savior

                                  I neglected, and so soon my joys were all past.

                            Oh, I loved well to walk in the way with God’s children,

                             When we met with glad heart in a fellowship sweet.

                         But the pull of the flesh and some worldly companions

                               In the paths of sin’s pleasure attracted my feet.

                           Lord, I come now again for forgiveness and blessing,

                                 As Thy penitent child I am seeking Thy peace.

                           For the blood paid my debt and Thy Spirit within me

                           Bids me come to my Father, my wand’ring to cease.

                           Let the sun shine again, Let the flow’rs bloom again;

                                        Stir the embers of love in my heart!—

                                Holy Spirit reprove, then embrace me again;

                                      Let the sun shine again in my heart.

     How quickly after we get saved do we find ourselves failing to spend time with our Savior in prayer, Bible reading, and Bible study? How truly wonderful it is when the Holy Spirit illuminates a verse of Scripture we have just read and warms our hearts with the truth of that verse. The Holy Spirit, also, will warm our heart with the assurance that our prayer has been heard. What joyful fellowship it is to spend time alone with God and His Word! The story of Mary and Martha illustrates some of this in Luke10:38-42, “Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Mary had chosen to spend time learning from the Savior. Martha, as most of us end up doing, had gotten taken up in the chores of getting things done and had not taken time to fellowship with and learn from the Savior. This, the congregation at Ephesus had also fallen into.

     The Lord had also complained to Jeremiah about Judah, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.” Jer.2:1-2 Just as Jesus was telling the congregation at Ephesus to recall their first love, the Lord here is reminding Judah of their forgotten first love. Our first love of the Savior is of great value to the Lord. So great a value is the first love of a Christian and a congregation to the Lord that Jesus continues with “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Rev.2:5

     Some of the Christians at Ephesus may well have remembered and repented but the congregation at large did not. The results of that failure is evident as we look at Turkey where Ephesus was located and find that it is very heavily Muslim now. No sign of a great Christian church exists there anymore at all. Even more sad is that unless a major revival takes place in America this country that was built on the Christian faith will be just like Turkey. God will remove our candlestick or lampstand which is our churches. Their will be no sign of Christianity. The Bible believing congregations of America need to remember and repent, regaining their first love of the Savior. Going through the motions out of duty is not enough. Jesus wants our love. It is this love that brings the fullness of God’s power on our efforts for Him. Paul in writing to the Ephesians said in Eph.3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Our love of Christ is the key to being filled with the fullness of God. Having the fullness of God is what’s needed to win the world to Jesus.

     If the Christian maintains their first love of the Savior and yields their entire life over to the Lord with faithfulness until the end, then that Christian is a conqueror and Jesus offers a blessing to that Christian. Rev.2:7b says, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” 

                                                                                       PERGAMOS

     “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath and ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Rev.2:12-17

     Jesus now moves on to Pergamos and He presents Himself to the messenger of the church in Pergamos as the One that has a sharp two edged sword. This is in contrast to the way He is introduced to Ephesusand to Smyrna. When addressing the messenger of the church in Ephesus, Jesus presented Himself as the One holding the seven stars in His hand and walking about in the seven lampstands. This served as a reminder that He is both in charge and knows everything that goes on. With Smyrna, Jesus seemed to be making an effort to comfort that congregation by saying He was the First and the Last and was indeed alive being resurrected. Now Jesus presents Himself as the One having the sharp two edged sword. Clearly, Jesus now presents Himself as the Judge. Certainly, this statement would cause that pastor to sit up and pay attention.

     As always though, Jesus points out what good He can find first, showing that He is fully aware of what the congregation has accomplished for Him. He mentions their deeds and “thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith.” They have willingly refused to deny their Christian faith. This is even in the face of possible martyrdom. Jesus says of Antipas that he was his “faithful martyr.” The word here translated martyr is “μάρτυς” which means “witness” and is here transliterated to martyr. Jesus was declaring Antipas to be His “faithful witness,” something Jesus was to God the Father in Rev.1:5. This is a tremendous honor, to be declared by Jesus to be His faithful witness unto the death of martyrdom. Antipas clearly did his part in sharing the Gospel with the lost world around him. This is very hard to find today as most of God’s children have lost their first love.

     After giving Antipas a great honor, the Judge states, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.” In Num.22-24Balaam got Israelto sin by getting them to intermarry with the Midianites, something that God had strictly forbidden. Paul states in II Cor.6:14-18, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Paul clearly states that a Christian should not marry an unsaved individual. The congregation at Pergamos was disobedient here and this lead to them eating meat that was offered to idols and thus joined in the worship of idols. Eating meat offered to idols is not generally a problem today. The number one idol being worshipped today is material goods.

     In Prov.11:28 God tells us, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Also in Prov.23:4 it says, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” Riches do not help spiritual growth. Riches, in fact, greatly hinder spiritual growth. I Tim.6:6-11 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Paul makes clear to Timothy here that pursuing riches will be his downfall.

     The pursuit of riches is the root, or foundation, of all kinds of evil. The Lord Jesus further emphasizes this truth in the parable of the seed in Mark4:18-19 with, “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” The pursuit of riches or the desire for things will stifle the growth of the believer and the believer will be consumed by such desires and become unfruitful, living a worldly life. Pursuing after riches and material goods is a form of idolatry. Consider that if a believer acquires many “nice” things, the care of those “nice” things will consume their time and attention, time and attention that belongs to God. For instance, if the believer buys a new car, that new car will require maintenance and cleaning as well as expensive insurance, tying up the time and funds of the believer. The believer will guard this new vehicle from scratches and any potential harm. Also, if the believer has borrowed money to make the purchase, the believer will be tied down financially with payments, interest, and the cost of insurance making it more difficult to give to missions and God's work in general. Nice things; like new furniture, a new computer, a new phone, new clothes, new cars, and a bigger and better house, greatly hinder the spread of the gospel by preventing the believer from giving to the work of God as they should and causing them to spend extra time taking care of those goods. Building this type of treasure also causes the believer to love those things instead of God, again, making them idols. Matt.6:21 enforces this, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

     Further, this intermarrying and eating food offered to idols led those believers to the practice of fornication or sexual sin. A common practice in those days was for those who ate at an idol’s temple joined in sexual activity after the meal. Once a Christian begins to slide down the slippery slope of sin, more sin makes it’s way in. Sexual sin is a major problem today. Both men and women are constantly bombarded in the media with temptations in this area. Even in Paul's day this was a concern. In Acts15:29 the apostles and elders at Jerusalem sent a letter to the Gentile Christians at Antioch saying, “That ye obstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” Fornication is here mentioned as one of the primary concerns that they should keep themselves from. Also Paul in writing to the Corinthians in I Cor.5:1-2 addresses them with, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as not as much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” Sin had so thoroughly invaded this church that a sin of fornication which was not even mentioned among the Gentiles was being committed. With all of today's advertisement emphasis on sex and the massive availability of pornographic materials, this area of a believer's life needs to be guarded with much care. Once started in this foul sin it will cause the believer to become consumed with it. The more it is practiced the more difficult it becomes to gain victory over it. Be sure God can and will provide the victory if it is repented of, but the damage it can do to a believer's life is massive. Here, as in many areas that a believer may have difficulty in, it is imperative that the believer memorize several passages of Scripture that can be used by the Holy Spirit to strengthen the believer and defeat the attack. Some useful passages are: Exodus20:14, Matt.5:27, Rom.13:9, James2:11, and I Cor.6:13.

     Jesus continues His evaluation of the congregation at Pergamos by condemning the presence of the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Ephesus was applauded for not having this doctrine and now in examining Pergamos, Jesus condemns them for having it. Remember that this teaching is primarily the separation of clergy and laity such that the clergy become the sole interpreters of the Bible and in a position of lordship over the laity. In addition to what was mentioned earlier, this places the clergy as the “priests” and the mediators between the laity and God. The Word of God clearly indicates that all believers are priests before God, called the priesthood of the believer. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” I Pet.2:9-10 This gives the individual believer direct access to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The only mediator the believer has is Jesus Christ the Son of God. No earthly human mediator is needed. Pergamos has failed and now congregational members must have their sins mediated by the clergy. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to give the believer direct access to the Godhead and direct access to forgiveness and becoming children of God having the righteousness of the Savior.

     Jesus now warns the congregation in Pergamos that they must repent or He would come and make war with them with the sword of His mouth. God always gives opportunity for repentance. God is far more interested in being able to forgive and to receive the one forgiven into His family than He is in judgement. God says in Isa.1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Paul further emphasizes this with, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom.10:13 Access to forgiveness of our sin is not dependent upon some clergy, all may come directly to God and receive forgiveness and transformation to become children of God. Paul further testifies of those who have received forgiveness, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth withness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Rom.8:15-16

     Jesus now offers a reward to those who overcome, that repent and receive forgiveness and reject the false doctrines practiced at Pergamos. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Rev.2:17b Two rewards are mentioned here. Jesus offers hidden manna to eat and a white stone with a new name written on it that only the owner knows. The white stone with a new name written on it is perhaps a reminder of guaranteed forgiveness. White stones were used to vote for the acquittal of an accused person and having one may suggest assurance of acquittal before God. Manna was the food eaten by the Hebrews in the wilderness on the way to their promised land. It was said to be the food of angels. It was certainly a food that provided 100% of their nutritional needs. This hidden manna suggests guaranteed access to life giving needs or, if you will, the all sufficiency of the Savior and of the Word of God. 

                                                                          SARDIS

     “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardiswhich have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Rev.3:1-6

     Jesus’ introduction to the messenger of Sardis is as He that has the “seven Spirits of God” and the “seven stars.” The seven Spirits of God are brought up again in Rev. 5:6 which says, “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” The seven Spirits of God are here described as seven horns and seven eyes. In Luke 1:69 Luke says of the Savior, “And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” The “horn of salvation” suggests a salvation of power, thus a powerful salvation. The number seven is God’s number of perfection, so we have in the Savior the perfect powerful salvation.

     Rev.  5:6 also mentions “seven eyes.” Both the seven horns and the seven eyes are declared to be the seven Spirits of God which roam all over the earth searching out the hearts of men and all that happens on the earth. Again with the number seven, the Spirits roaming throughout the earth are perfect. They don’t miss anything. With this particular introduction of the Savior to Sardis it is as if the Savior is reminding those at Sardis that He is the all powerful, all knowing Savior who has in His authority all seven messengers. Some would suggest that the seven Spirits are explained by Isa.  11:1-2 which says, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” There are six characteristics of the Spirit of the Lord mentioned and six combined with one (Spirit of the Lord) would equal seven. So Jesus has the spirit of wisdom and understanding, intelligence, or insight. He also has the spirit of counsel and might, strength, or power. Finally, Jesus has the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, godliness, or piety. All these attributes would clearly send the message that Jesus needs no counselors or aids of any kind but knows all, understands all, and is all powerful. Although this is clearly referring to the Lord Jesus Christ and the characteristics listed for the Spirit of the Lord were and are a part of the Savior it is probably not the reason there are seven Spirits listed. It is interesting though, but seven throughout the Word of God is representative of perfection and is more than likely the meaning here.

     It appears there is not much for Jesus to compliment this church for. Immediately He states that He knows their works and that they have a name they are going by but in fact they are “dead.” Apparently, the church in general is aware of the Gospel and believes it to be true but has never asked Jesus to be their Savior. The gift of salvation is offered but to have it, it must be accepted. James says in James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Belief in the Gospel as being true is great but without the action of repenting and accepting the finished work of the Savior on the cross and in the resurrection that individual is still lost and heading for the lake of fire. To know the Gospel and never to act upon it is indeed catastrophic.

     “Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” vs. 2 There are some in this church that do know the Savior and they are admonished to be watchful and strengthen what they have. Their works were not perfect, probably filled with compromise. They are to remember how they heard and received the Gospel and repent. Jesus is always standing by waiting for the errant to repent and restore a good relationship with Him. He continues to love us in spite of our failings and tries to get us to return to Him in love. So Jesus urges them to repent, hold fast, and watch. If they will not watch, then Jesus warns them that He will come as a thief and they will not know when He comes.

     The few that know the Savior is promised to walk with Him in white. Those that overcome are told that they will receive a white garment and will not have their name removed from the Book of Life. This does not mean that it is possible to get your name blotted out of the Book of Life once it is there. It is just a reminder that once there it will always be there. Jesus also promises that He will proclaim their name before God the Father and before His angels. Certainly, this is much better than believing but yet not possessing salvation and ending up in the lake of fire for all eternity.

     Once again the command to hear what the Spirit says to the churches is found at the end of the message. This happens in the last two churches as well. There is a great amount of importance being placed on listening to what the Spirit has to say. The parable presented by Jesus in Matt. 13:3b-8 says, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” The Gospel was heard by all but only a few chose to accept it. Those that received the Gospel, repented, and asked Jesus into their heart produced fruit. This is a good picture of our churches today. Many hear but only a very small number of those in our churches have actually accepted the Lord as their Savior. It never hurts to make sure. Eternity is a very long time. 

                                                                           LAODICEA

     “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

     Laodicea was a city that was east of Ephesus and very wealthy. The congregation at Laodicea, being composed of people that were Laodiceans, was also wealthy. There was no shortage of any of the necessities of physical life. The Word of God states that the love of money is the root of many evils. Paul tell us in I Tim. 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” When surrounded with wealth it is easy to begin to love money and the “good things” that are abundantly available. This causes a drifting from the things of God and the arrival of many sorrows. Money and material possessions have become an idol that supplants Jesus as King, causing His wrath. The joy of the Lord is gone. Sorrow replaces that joy.

     Jesus presents Himself as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” The word translated, actually transliterated, Amen is ἀμήν which means so be it or truly. The Amen is the So Be It and the Truly which means that what He says or does is of definite and non-editable character. It is firmly and unalterably done. Then Jesus is described as the Faithful and True Witness. He is a witness that will always tell the exact truth and will always present that which He witnesses. Further, Jesus is presented as the Beginning of the Creation of God. He is of supreme rank, dignity or importance in relation to all of creation. This gives an emphatic force to the statement of who He is and the correctness of His evaluation of this church.

     Now, a very unpleasant picture of how Jesus sees this church is presented. Jesus states that the church is neither cold nor hot, it is “lukewarm.” The taste of all this church is and does is so foul that Jesus says He will vomit it out of His mouth. The condition of this congregation is so bad that Jesus would rather not even have to evaluate it. The church says it is rich, increased in goods, and has no needs. The church is in a very wealthy city and it’s no surprise that those in the church would also be very wealthy as far as this world’s goods are concerned. Jesus evaluation of their situation is that they are wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked. In spiritual things they are the exact opposite of what they are in worldly goods. This sounds like what most churches are today in America. We live in a land of plenty and most church members are far more concerned about their worldly possessions than their heavenly possessions. Jesus evaluates this condition as lukewarm.

     As always, Jesus offers a repair of their situation. Jesus offers them gold, white raiment, and eye salve. Gold is a type of works a Christian can produce. I Cor. 3:11-15 says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Works of gold will survive the fire and would receive rewards. This type of work would require full surrender to the Holy Spirit to achieve. Works that can’t be burned are not able to be produced without the Holy Spirit’s aid.

     White raiment is representative of the righteousness of the saint. This is given to us in Rev. 19:8 which says, “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”  This righteousness is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ which is given to all that are His children. These in the church in Laodicea were those that professed Christianity but did not possess it. Possession is also necessary to have spiritual sight. Eye salve is offered to aid the sight. There are many levels of sight. Understanding the deep things of God requires this eye salve of the Holy Spirit explaining the Word of God to the Christian. This level of eyesight is referred to by the Apostle Paul as meat. Paul addresses the Corinthian church about this in I Cor. 3:2-3 saying, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strive, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Heb.  5:12 addresses this also with, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” Those who are still babies in Christ, that is newborns, is not able to understand and utilize the meat of Scripture and needs to grow more in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

     Jesus now tells the messenger of the church at Laodicea that all whom He loves He will rebuke and chasten. Once a person becomes a child of God they are subject to the chastisement of God. Jesus wants all His children to become like Him. Heb. 12:5-8 tells us, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” All that are born again children of God are chastised or corrected to become more like the Savior. If there is no chastisement by God in the life of an individual, then that person may profess to be a saved, born again Christian but they are not genuinely a child of God.

     Jesus offers an opportunity to become a child of God and also an opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus with, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” vs. 20 This is an offer to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and an opportunity to receive instruction and spiritual food becoming more like the Savior. It’s never too late to repent and get things right. It’s also never too late for the Christian to surrender their life to the Lordship of the Savior, become filled with the Holy Spirit, and begin to become a productive member of God’s family.

     The final reward for those that overcome is to sit with Jesus on His throne just as He sits with God the Father on His throne. This offer of reward is, as the last three were, given before the statement about hearing what the Spirit says to the churches. This is the final emphasis that the time is short and Jesus will be returning for His bride quickly. How ready are we for that return? 

                                                                   Secure in Jesus

     The very first thing that Satan attempts to do to a new born Christian is to get them to doubt their salvation. As long as the new born Christian doubts their salvation they can accomplish nothing for God. This doubt prevents them from growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     There is one thing that is very clear, though. There is no way that a new born Christian will ever lose their salvation. The salvation of all Christians is secure in the hand of God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John  10:27-29

     The Christian has received “eternal life” and will “never perish.” For a Christian to lose their salvation they would have to be removed from the almighty hand of God. God wraps His all powerful hand around the Christian protecting them from all the onslaughts of Satan and securing them as “His.” Jesus has purchased them and that which He has purchased with His blood on the cross of Calvary He will never allow anyone or any force to ever steal from Him.

     That which has been given to the new born Christian is eternal life. Eternal life is life that never ever goes away. Someone who has eternal life cannot ever be killed, can never lose their life by any means whatsoever, and can rest from all concerns about ever losing their life. Jesus, to add to this statement of eternal life, adds that “they shall never perish.” This hammers home the fact that protected by the all powerful hand of God they have absolutely zero concerns, ever, of losing the life which God has given them.

     This truth is emphasized again by the apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39 which reads, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

     For this passage to be fully understood, understanding must be obtained with regard to God’s love for His children. A good mother will love her children with a selfless, self sacrificing, and graciously kind love. There is nothing that a good mother will not do to ensure the well being and general welfare of her children. To be sure, there are times that children test the patience and enduring love of their parents. All said, these same children will always be loved by their parents and will always be the children of their parents.

     Paul establishes for us in this passage that the love of God which is far, far greater than any human love, will always be there no matter what occurs in the life of the Christian. Just as every child stumbles, makes mistakes, and willfully does things wrong that the parents must correct and is still greatly loved by their parents, so God will always love us despite our foolishness.

     The relationship that is clearly established when one accepts Jesus as their Savior is one that will last for all eternity. John said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is clear why this verse has become so well known. It is the expression of the infinite love of an infinite God for the population of the entire world; past, present, and future. 

     Yes, just as when a child is born into a family and remains forever a part of that family, so when one accepts Jesus as Savior and becomes a child of the eternal God that person becomes a part of the family of God for all eternity. The Christian is safe and secure in the family of God.

     This security was determined by God long ago. Again, Paul tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom.8:28-29 The called are those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and therefore love God. Paul says that for these everything works together for their benefit and that these also are guaranteed to become just like Jesus. If this is a guarantee, then this also guarantees that those who accept Jesus will always be a part of the family of God.

     The Christian also receives the gift of the Holy Spirit at salvation. “God; who also hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” II Cor.1:22God has sealed us into His family. No one, nothing is able to remove the seal God puts on the Christian to guarantee the Christian’s position in the family of God. God further gives the Christian the earnest or down payment of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit becomes a permanent resident in the heart of the Christian. Wow!

     Paul also tells us, “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection:” The Christian here is guaranteed to be just like Jesus in His resurrection. That is, the Christian will have a new body that cannot die. Baptism is a word that is what is called a transliteration. That is, the word it is translated from, in this case βαπτίζω, is given an English form that repeats its sound rather than being translated. The translation means immersed, or dipped or dyed (as in the dying of cloth). This implies that the Christian is totally identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. In order for the Christian to lose their salvation Christ would have to permanently die. That’s never going to happen. No greater statement of the permanence of salvation can be said than that. Hallelujah!

     The Christian is guaranteed to never lose their salvation because: they are shielded in the hand of God; the life that they have received is eternal; they are permanent members of God’s family; they receive the infinite love of an infinite God; they were predetermined by God to be just like God the Son, Jesus; they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit which serves as the down payment for their immortal bodies they will receive in heaven; and they have been permanently identified with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. Truly the Christian has no chance of ever losing their gift of salvation. What a wonderful God! 

                                                                         Like Jesus

     So, what is the right goal? What is it that God would have us reach for or achieve? What is our purpose and goal on planet Earth? The Apostle Paul provides the answer to this for us in Ephesians 4:13: “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The key here is to become a mature person in Christ, as Paul explains the target is to grow or change into the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The “measure of the stature” is to say the measure of the form, power, characteristics, and presence of Christ. In other words, the target is to be as much like Jesus as possible to the point of becoming an exact photocopy of Him. We, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, are to be a photocopy of the “fullness of Christ.” Yeah, you get it. The Christian must be a copy of all of the Lord Jesus Christ’s purity, holiness, love, joy, peace, etc. The Christian is to copy Christ in all aspects of his/her life. We are to be photocopies of all that Christ is with the exception of course of His Deity. We are to be just as holy as Jesus is, just as kind as Jesus, just as caring as Jesus is, just as controlled by the Holy Spirit as Jesus, just as in love with God’s Word as Jesus is, and just as concerned for the souls of men as Jesus is. Wow, that’s a major target for sure. Paul brings up this same idea in Romans 8:29, which reads, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did PREDESTINATE TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God determined before He ever created the world that those who would accept Jesus as their Savior would be conformed or perfect copies of the image of His Son. Wow, what an awesome God to decide that we should become just like Jesus. God knew that if we were just like Jesus we would have victory over sin, have great joy in our hearts, and bear much fruit for His glory. Obviously, change is in order. We are not by nature anything like Jesus. This target is a long way off and we must learn how to properly aim if we are going to even come close.

     The process of aiming, adjusting, and changing is called sanctification. In John 17:19 Jesus is praying to the Father for our sanctification. He says, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” To sanctify means to set apart. Becoming like Jesus, or being changed into His image, also means to be set apart to Jesus. If the Christian is set apart to Jesus, then Jesus has total control over everything he/she does. Imagine a town in the old west. The town is located in the desert and everywhere you look it’s dry. In the very center of town is a well. As expected there is water at the bottom of the well, but the well is very deep. The water in the well is set apart from the town’s dryness and it’s also set apart to wetness. Likewise, being “set apart” as a Christian is both to be set apart from some things and set apart to other things. We must be set apart “from” whatever Jesus is set apart “from” and we must be set apart “to” whatever Jesus is set apart “to.”

     There are many things we need to be set apart from. They can be grouped into three categories. The first category is sin. Proverbs 15:9 says, “The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD….” Certainly, if we are to be like Christ we must be separated from anything that is an abomination to Him. The way of the wicked or sin is an abomination to Jesus. All sin is the result of rebellion against God. We absolutely must be set apart from sin. In fact Paul further defines what our actions regarding sin should be. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God Forbid.” Rom.  6:1-2a We may not sin even to cause grace to abound. Consider also Hebrews  12:1 which says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” We have a race to run and sin keeps us from running it well. Sin has no part in being like the Lord Jesus and so long as it has a hold on us we will never become like Him. This passage, also, talks about a sin that easily causes us to fall. All of us have a sin that we are easily tripped up by. This must be avoided at all costs. Measures must be taken to keep us away from possible temptation in this area. If we are easily tripped up by alcohol then we should stay away from places where it is easily accessible. By the way, all men should stay away from sexually explicit media. That means no movies that contain sexual material whether R rated, PG 13 rated, or PG rated. Identifying and dealing with sins that easily trip us up doesn’t ok sin that doesn’t bother us as much either. It too must be avoided at all costs. Just because we are saved and are certain to be in heaven doesn’t give us any excuse to sin. We MUST be set apart from sin. The writer of Hebrews also mentions “weights.”

     When a runner trains, he may put weights around his ankles to increase his strength and endurance, but when it comes time for the race he removes those weights so that he will perform better. We also develop weights in our life. Weights are usually things that by themselves are not sinful. Things that are normally alright to do are the things the writer is referring to, although sin by its very nature is also a weight. One example of a weight is too much debt, which can also be the result of the sin of greed. If God wants you to go to the mission field or go to college to train for some ministry, then a lot of debt can really slow you down. The best rule of thumb is; if you don’t have enough cash to buy it, don’t. If you really need it, God will provide for it at the right time. 

     Golf is sometimes used as a means of sharing the Gospel but it’s a weight if it gets in the way of our service for God. Likewise, video games also can be a weight. Many spend hours upon hours playing video games but have no time to read and study God’s Word. That is a definite weight. A weight is simply anything that keeps us from doing the full will of God for that day. All of these weights and others like them are things we need to be separated from.

     Second, we need to be set apart from the world. That is, our lifestyle should not emulate the world. “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” James 4:4 Certainly, anything that God hates is also hated by all the persons of the Trinity, including God the Son, Jesus. If we are to become like Jesus we must learn to hate the world. The world must become our enemy for God and the world are at war. The influence of the world will draw us away from Christ. The Apostle John also warns, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” I John 2:15-16 John defines three areas here as being IN the world: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” We need to be set apart from all three of these. The world and sin are very closely associated and sin is not anything like Jesus. The world, in fact, hated Jesus. Plus, these three things John outlines for us are actually areas of temptation to sin. All sin will come from one of these three areas. We need not only to be set apart from sin but we also need to be set apart from areas in which we might be likely to be tempted to sin. Christ said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The bottom line is that everything that the world does is sinful and as we have seen we need to be set apart from sin to be like Jesus.

     As we become like Jesus, the world will hate us. Jesus warned of this in John 15:18-19, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” The world will hate us because we are no longer a part of the world. We are now a part of the heavenly kingdom and are but pilgrims here. We walk in the world but we are not of the world for God has bought us.

     Finally, we need to be set apart from self. After Job saw the holiness of God he said of himself, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 Upon realizing how terribly short of God’s holiness he was, Job hated, even abhorred himself. So also, we must hate self. If we love self, we cannot be like Christ. Jesus lived for others, not Himself. In fact His death on the cross was the epitome of self sacrifice. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-8 Wow! Consider what it meant for God the Son to take on the form of His creation. The Creator became a part of His creation so that He might redeem those who had rebelled against Him and had chosen to not recognize Him as the Creator God. Even His people Israel turned their back on Him and worshipped idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold. Jesus even knew that those who would accept Him as their Savior would in part turn away from serving Him and serve themselves. What a God! What an incredible example of selflessness. Truly no greater example of sacrificing self for others can be found. Not only did Christ give us the example of self sacrifice to follow but He demanded it of His followers (disciples). “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose His life for My sake shall find it.” Matt. 16:24-25 Jesus not only demands that we deny self, but that we take it to the point of nailing self to a cross. Nailed to a cross, self cannot get back up and take control. We need to be so serious about leaving self behind and following Jesus that we mortify (kill) any notion that self would lay upon us and listen only to the desires and wishes God brings before us. So then, we must be set apart from sin, the world, and self that we might be free to become more like Jesus. To retain any of these in our life is to bar the doors to becoming like our Savior.

     Just as there are those things we need to be set apart from, there are those we need to be set apart to. Likewise, let’s group the things we need to be set apart to into three groups. First, we need to be set apart to holiness. This requirement is spread throughout the Word of God. God told Moses, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2 Again in Leviticus 20:7 God tells Moses, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.” Just as Israel was the people of God so is the church today. Just as Israel needed to be holy, so also we as members of the body of Christ must be holy. Paul, writing in Ephesians  1:4 to the church at Ephesus, said, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Paul clearly tells us that God chose us to be holy just like He is before He ever created the world. It is God’s intent that we be like Him so that our fellowship with Him is 100% complete and fully intimate. Only when we are as holy as God is can we be that close to Him in fellowship. Peter also in I Peter 1:15-16 addresses this subject with, “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Peter here does two things for us. First he ties the New Testament statements to the Old Testament statements validating the content of the Old Testament for us today. So, just as God required the Israelites to set themselves apart to holiness, so also, He requires us to be set apart to holiness. Secondly, Peter makes it clear that we are to be holy in all areas of our conduct and life. No corner can be left unturned, but all must be made to conform to the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our target. We simply must be set apart to holiness.

     Next, we need to be set apart to the kingdom of God. Paul addressed the church at Colossi with, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Col.  3:1-2 We are to seek, or be set apart to, those things above where Jesus is or the kingdom of God. Gone are the days of being concerned with earthly things. Now we must be concerned with building up our treasure chest in heaven not our bank account on the earth. We must be concerned with adding to our list of friends in heaven, in taking care of their welfare, and to insure that they also can bring more into the family of God. Our earthly needs are no longer our concern. In talking about our earthly needs Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt. 6:33 Setting ourselves apart to things above allows God to take care of our earthly needs. As we build up treasure in heaven we will by nature become more set apart from the world, for our heart’s desire will be in heaven. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matt.  6:19-21 Let us be set apart to things above that are of the kingdom of God because, bottom line, all that is not pointed in that direction will be destroyed and only that which we reserve in heaven will last for eternity. We must be set apart to the kingdom of God; otherwise we will be empty handed in heaven.

     Finally, we need to be set apart to servant hood and others. Jesus, teaching His disciples in Matt.  20:25-28, “called them unto Him, and said, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Not only does Jesus tell us we are to be each others servant here, but clearly shows that to be like Him we must serve others above ourselves. Jesus came to serve us, the creation. Wow, what an example Jesus sets for us. God the Son becomes the servant of His creation, man. The example is clear and what we must do is also clear. We must be the servant of others putting ourselves at the bottom of the list. Paul illustrates this for us in Romans 1:1 with, “Paul, a servant (bond slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Paul called himself a bond slave. In Old Testament times, when a servant was about to be set free and refused to be let go because he loved his master and wished to remain serving his master for life, they pierced his ear with an awl. This marked him as being a permanent slave for life to his master. This is what a bond slave is, a slave by choice due to love for the master. This is how Paul addresses himself, as a bond slave of Jesus. This is also our calling, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all our being for life, out of a heart of deep devotion and love for the Master. When we become Christ’s bond slave we automatically become a servant to the whole world because Jesus loves the world and came to serve in obedience unto the very death of the cross that the world might have life.

     In the final analysis then, we must be set apart from sin and weights, the world, and self and be set apart to holiness, the kingdom of God, and to be the bond slave of Christ and servants of others. This is the target God has for us that we might glorify God by becoming like Jesus. Only when we become like Jesus will we heap mounds of treasure in heaven that when we stand before Him, loving Him with all that we are and desiring to place gifts in love at His feet, will we have those gifts to give Him. What a sad event to stand before the Savior with nothing to give Him, while loving Him with a perfect love. Let’s set our target upon being like Jesus, separating ourselves from sin, the world, and self and separating ourselves to holiness, the kingdom of God, and to be a bond slave of Jesus and a servant of others. 

                                                                The Keys of Faith:  The Word of God

     All day we take in some form of information. We absorb information through our eye gate, our nose gate, our ear gate, and through our other senses of touch and taste. These gates send us information that our brains consume. As our brains consume it, this information helps to form us into whom we are. If we are to be like Jesus, the source of information that our brain processes must be the Word of God. We learned in the last lesson that the Word of God acts like a mirror. The more we look into this mirror the more the Holy Spirit changes us to be like Jesus.

     In Proverbs  23:7 we read, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If we think on earthly things then we will be earthy. If we think on sinful things then we will be sinful. If we think on God’s Word then we will be more like Jesus. Whatever we think on determines who we are. By thinking on the Word of God, it directs our thoughts. The apostle Paul tells us “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” Col. 3:16. It is not only preferred that we dwell on the Word of God but it is commanded of us. Remember, Christ is declared in John to be the Word. When we dwell on the Word of God, we dwell on Christ.

Paul indicated in Ephesians  3:17-19 that he prayed for the Ephesians “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Here Paul makes it clear that if we dwell in the Word of God that we make it possible for us to “be filled with all the fullness of God.” In other words, we will become more and more like Jesus, have victory over sin, and have power for ministry. This is, after all, our goal and dwelling on the Word of God causes us to have faith in the completed work of Christ on the cross. In order to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God we must dwell on the Word of God.

     In addition to helping us to become like Jesus, the Word of God has many other benefits. Just a few of those benefits are: a delight and source of counsel, Psa.  119:24; understanding, Psa. 119:104; a light to illuminate the path we should walk, Psa.  119:105; light or understanding of its own content, Psa. 119:130; a source of peace, Psa.  119:165; the source of life, Psa. 119:93; and Jeremiah in his testimony in Jer. 15:16 declares that the Word of God was “the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” The Word of God is always the place to go regardless of the circumstances.

     It is obvious that we need to spend time in the Word of God, but just how much time is needed? God had Moses to tell the children of Israel, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates.” Deut. 6:6-9. The Israelites were to think on, meditate on, talk about, and write the commandments of the Lord all day long and every where they went. The Word of God was to be a constant companion. How much time do we need the Word of God? We need it ALL the time, as the psalmist declares in Psa. 119:20, “My soul breaketh (is crushed)for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times.” In other words, the psalmist declares that his soul is crushed by his intense longing for the Word of God. The desire for God’s Word bore down on him constantly. The apostle Paul gives us a clear example of this need by teaching the Word of God all day. Acts 28:23 reads, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many unto him at his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” We simply need the Word of God ALL THE TIME!

     How do we accomplish this? We all have busy lives. It seems that to dwell in the Word of God all day long would be impossible, but it’s not. In fact, it definitely can and must be done. First we must start off with the Word of God in the morning. David asked God to, “Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning.” Psa. 143:8. If we are to spend the entire day in the Word then surely we must begin first thing in the morning. As soon as we get up we must sit down and read from the Bible. We must go to God and get fed from His Word first thing. If we fail to start out the day with God, we certainly will fail to spend the entire day with Him in His Word. Ok, so we set apart some time, first thing, in the morning to read God’s Word. How do we continue this all day long?

Obviously we are not going to walk around all day with a copy of the Bible in our hands, reading as we go. What a comedy that would be! When we read our Bible in the morning, we need take with us the portion that God speaks to us from. That means that we need to spend enough time with God in His Word in the morning to come away with something to chew on. We chew on God’s Word by meditating on what God has revealed to us. God tells us, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psa. 1:1-2. The way we consume the Word of God all day is to meditate on what God gives us in the morning. Psa.  119:97 also reads, “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”

     It is also good to review what God has given to us in the morning at lunch time. Some of us have very short lunch times. Reading God’s Word at lunch would be wonderful, if we are able to do it. For those who can’t, we can review what God gave us in the morning. Reviewing is an aid to learning. Paul reminds us of the need to review in Rom. 12:2 saying, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” To renew our minds is to bring them back into full alignment with the Word. Reviewing what God has given to us that day will help us to renew ourselves, keeping our image more like Christ. Review, review, review, and lunch time is a great time to do so.

     When the day is about to come to an end, it is good to once again get alone with God and spend time in His Word. It is well known that what you think on just before going to bed is what you generally dream on at night and think on first thing in the morning. Psa. 1:1-2 says that the man/woman of God meditates on God’s Word all day and all NIGHT. You won’t be dreaming about godly things if they are not on your mind when you go to bed. So we need to read and think on God’s Word all day and all night.

     Practically though, what method gives the most consistent results. Many Christians read their Bible in the morning, but go away empty. They have read the Word but have not heard from God. Just as we mentioned, we must hear from God and come away every time with something to chew on. So how do we go about insuring a good morning time in the Word? The psalmist in Psa.  119:18 asks God, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” We need to ask God to enable us to see or understand His Word. Again the psalmist asks God in Psa. 119:33-34, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”  God will teach us His Word and help us to understand it with our heart, if we will ask Him to. So, start out each session in the Word of God by asking God to help you to understand His Word and get what He has for you for that day.

     Second, don’t be in a hurry. Make sure you have set aside plenty of time. If you rush through your time in the Bible you will go away empty. We need to be fed or we will not have the spiritual strength to endure the battles of the day. Ask these three questions. What is this passage saying? How does this passage apply to you? What has God revealed to you that you need to work on? Take all the time you need to hear from God. The meal is not over until you are full. You wouldn’t go to the table for a meal and nibble at the edges of your food and then leave in a hurry. If you did you would still be hungry. Don’t do that to the Word of God either. Take time to eat a full meal.

Then, write down on a piece of paper or a 3 X 5 index card the verse God spoke to you in and a thought or two you got from it. Review the card periodically through the day as you have opportunity. Think about what God told you as you go about your day. Reviewing the card will help you to do just that, think about it all day. Remember, Psa. 1:1-2 says we are to meditate on God’s Word all day and all night.

     Also, try to memorize the passage God spoke to you from. Psa. 119:11 reads, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Part of hiding God’s Word in our heart is to memorize it. Memorizing God’s Word helps us to meditate on it throughout the day. It also gives the Holy Spirit and opportunity to bring the words to our mind when we need them. Hiding God’s Word in our heart also means to make it a very real, deep, and permanent part of us. Be sure of this, if God gives you some thoughts in the morning, you will need them at least once that day. Be sure you have them handy to help you when you need it.

     Finally, keep a diary of what you read and what thoughts God gives you. Hebrews  2:1 tells us, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” We need to review what God has told us in the past, so that we don’t lose sight of it, forget it, and drift away from a rewarding walk with God. Take time now to review this lesson and set up your schedule to get things going. 

                                                               The Defeated Enemy

     We have learned that it is important to keep an open line of communication with God. Battles are fought between our flesh and the Spirit for pre-eminence in our life. This is but the one part of a much larger picture. The very moment that we accept Christ as our Savior, we enter a war. Paul instructs his son in the faith, Timothy, with, “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare.” I Tim.  1:18. Paul indicates that Timothy is at war and encourages him to wage a good warfare, to be a good soldier. If Timothy and all Christians are indeed at war, who is the enemy? Paul in writing to the Ephesians provides a briefing for us with, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Eph. 6:11. The devil, Satan, or Lucifer is our primary enemy. He is the head, the chief, or the five star general of his army. Let’s look briefly at this enemy.

     Jesus describes the efforts of the devil in two parables. In the parable of the tares Jesus says, “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” Matt.  13:37-39. Here the devil is pictured as sowing tares among the “children of the kingdom,” or the church. The devil’s primary purpose is to weaken the church, choking the children of the kingdom (Christians) with worldly and fleshly influences, and limiting the productivity of the body of Christ.

     In the parable of the soils, Luke 8:11-12, Jesus explains, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” The devil here is fighting the propagation of the Gospel to the unsaved. The devil wants to do all he can to stop the church from reaching the lost for Christ. Satan interferes with the sowing of the Word of God to the lost and, as we saw in the previous parable, does all he can to destroy the efforts of the church to serve God. It is clear that the devil is a very real enemy of all Christians. In warfare it is essential to know the enemy, to know both the enemy’s strategy and tactics.

     The devil’s strategy has always been the same and has not changed since he first tempted Eve. In Genesis  3:1-6 the devil, known also as the serpent, makes his strategy plain for us which reads, “Now the serpent was more subtil 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?’’ And the woman said unto the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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.’’ And the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: 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.’ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” Notice the order of events here. First the devil tries to cast doubt on what God has said by asking, “Yea, hath God said?” Before the devil can get Eve to consider the temptation he needs to weaken the story in the mind of Eve creating a bit of confusion. Now Eve is uncertain of exactly what God has said and adds to the Word of God by including touching the fruit as wrong. The door is now open.

     The devil has not yet won the victory; he has merely opened the door for the temptation. So how does the devil tempt Eve? Next the devil must change the direction of the source of information. When we have things ordered properly in our lives; our soul, which is the seat of all decision making (the will), gets its information from our spirit and then tells our flesh (bodies) what to do. The devil here gets Eve to consider the information that her flesh/body is providing. He does so by saying, “Yea, hath God said?” This weakens the strength of the information being supplied by Eve’s spirit. Then the devil tells Eve of all the good that the fruit of this tree will do for her. The devil now has Eve getting her information from the flesh. Notice how well what Eve considers matches the worlds input. First Eve notices that the fruit is good for food – the lust of the flesh, then she saw that it was pleasant to the eyes – the lust of the eyes, and finally agrees that it is good for obtaining wisdom – the pride of life. It’s all over but the crying now. The devil has the hooks in, the bait has been taken, and Eve takes a bite of the fruit and sins. James 1:15 tells us that, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin.” Once lust or desire has formed, sin is sure to follow. It’s too late at this point, the point to stop from falling to sin is at the beginning by keeping as our source of information the spirit which is in constant communication with the Holy Spirit in all Christians.

     The strategy of the devil never changes. It is always to first get our attention through our flesh so that our soul (the seat of our will, the decision maker) listens to the information coming from the body instead of the information the Holy Spirit is giving our spirit. It is clear what God would have us to do here. Galatians  5:16-17 tells us, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye can not do the things ye would.” Walking in the Spirit, getting our information from our spirit which is in communication with the Holy Spirit, is death to the flesh and a guarantee to victory. After all, we are at war and winning is the only option. Our flesh and our spirit are at war with each other and we know from previous lessons that the key to keeping the spirit in control is to constantly feed on the Word of God.

     The devil not only has an unaltered strategy, but his tactics remain the same as well. The tactics of the devil are always centered in three areas. These areas are the direct attacks by the devil or one of his minions, the attack by the world, or the most common which is the attacks by our flesh which is still awaiting transformation. Direct attacks by the devil and his minions do not occur very often but they do occur. Remember the story of Job? Job was attacked directly by Satan. Paul also was attacked by a messenger of Satan. Paul in regards to this attack in II Cor. 12:7 tells us, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” Notice that even though it’s a direct attack on Paul by a messenger of Satan that the strategy is to approach Paul through his flesh, “thorn in the flesh.” Direct attacks do occur and often at major crossroads in our life.

     Just as the devil and his minions are an external influence so also is the world and we are constantly being bombarded with its influence. We live in a real physical body that is strongly attached to this present world. Things would be fine if the world was a righteous place, but it’s not. I John  5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” Television is constantly hitting us with sexually oriented material, commercials for food (most of which is not good for us), pressure to buy the most current products (cars, TVs, tools, clothing, etc.), and philosophies that are counter to the Bible. If that wasn’t bad enough, the advertisement world has seen to it we get hit on the way to and from work. Then there is always the pressure of those we work with and rub shoulders with all day. Even our loved ones can be a source of difficulty. Even though the world is an external source, it must also work strategically through the flesh. Remember I John  2:16 tell us, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” These are the tactics the devil used on Eve to get to her through her flesh. We simply must do all we can to minimize the attacks of the world.

     Finally, the most devastating of all is the internal attack of our own flesh. Because it is internal, a part of us, it is the most difficult of all to defend against. When we accept Christ as our Savior, God the Holy Spirit gives us new life in Christ. II  Cor. 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (or creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We become a “new creation.” This is incredible and fantastically wonderful, yet Paul in Romans  7 tells us that as a child of God he had a terrible conflict with his flesh. Why didn’t God just change our flesh too and give us our new bodies when we get saved? If He did, who would win the lost to Christ, for God couldn’t leave our new bodies in this world as they will be like Christ’s body? I John 3:2tells us, “We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” We will shine like the stars of heaven and we would not be a good medium for communicating the Gospel to the world. We also would be taken up to heaven immediately for our new bodies will never be in the presence of sin. Even though the seed for being transformed into the likeness of Jesus is within us, the physical bodies we have are very sinful. In Romans  7 Paul describes our bodies as being sin personified. This then is our greatest enemy. Defeating it requires that we simply put it to death. We must mortify the deeds of the body and keep our minds (souls) focused on the Word of God. Paul tells us in Col. 3:5, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” Remember, we have victory already in Jesus. Claim it! Focus on the Word of God! We must simply defeat the enemy that the cause of Christ will be victorious in ourselves and thereby reach those around us. Christ has already won the victory for us and the devil’s methods never change. Learn the devil’s methods and lean upon the Word of God. Jesus IS the victory! 

                                                  Understanding the Word of God

     It is certainly wonderful to see Christians studying their Bible, as only a small percentage actually do so. Many, who study the Word of God, don’t interpret it very well. The reason is a lack of knowledge of proper interpretation methods. This lesson is designed to give you a basic knowledge of how to interpret the Word of God correctly.

                                                                            Correct Approach

     First make sure that a proper approach to the Word is being used. There are five steps to a proper approach to the Scriptures. First we need to pray for discernment. It is God who wrote the Word through many different human authors and it is God who knows what it’s supposed to mean. So before every time of study in the Word, take a moment to ask God to clarify the meaning so that you can understand the thoughts He intended you to receive.

     Then as we proceed with our study we must depend on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures and bring Its truth into our hearts. Jesus said that it was the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to teach us.

     We also need to be intellectually honest. We must free up our mind from any biases as well as any dogma that we have been previously taught. Simply put, we must maintain an open mind keeping the Word of God as the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and faith. Preconceived ideas can cause us to flavor what we read so that we miss the true intent of a passage.

     Plus we must be pre-disposed to obey what the Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word of God. If we harbor unwillingness within us, it will quench the Holy Spirit and prevent us from learning what He has for us. We must, upon learning a new truth, put that truth into action in our lives. Remember that it is better to obey than to offer up sacrifices or prayers for forgiveness.

     Finally we must be persistent in our study of the Word. If we study it for a week or two then stop we will lose all that we have gained. The only way to continually grow is to continually pursue in study the Holy Scriptures to gain what the Holy Spirit will teach us so that we can become like Jesus.

Rules of Interpretation.

     The primary and central rule of interpretation of the Word of God is to interpret it plainly or literally. In other words, it means what it says. God is not in the business of hiding truth from His children. God is also not the author of confusion. God’s Word is written so as to be understood by all Christians. The unsaved may understand the words but they will fail to understand with the heart. The heart is where true understanding is achieved. Although the mind is considered a vital learning tool in secular topics, like math, history, and science, the Word of God requires a regenerated heart to understand it. This means that all believers can learn what they need to know to live a successful Christian life, regardless of their intellectual status. There are several other rules to remember, but bear in mind that these rules are merely amplifications of an aspect of this central rule; it means what it says.

     The Word of God is just that, the Word of a holy, righteous, perfect, all powerful, and all knowing God. By that very statement, we define the next rule of interpretation. The Bible never contradicts itself. If a passage seems to contradict what the Word says in other places, then we need to re-evaluate what the passage is saying in light of its context and in light of what the Bible says in other passages. One of those two interpretations is wrong and we must find out which one is correct. If there are several passages that say one thing and one passage seems to say the opposite, then the single passage needs to be looked at more closely. Several clear statements in the Word of God must be taken for what they say and any passage that seems to contradict those statements is misunderstood.

     Next, the interpretation must always agree with its context. It is easier to understand what a passage is saying if we consider carefully what the context of the passage is. It is incorrect to remove a passage from its context. Never draw a meaning from a passage that would be improper for the context that it’s in. Failing to consider the context of a passage is a sure way to misinterpret the Scriptures. We must not only consider the immediate context but also the context of the whole Word of God.

     We must also, always interpret according to the normal historical-grammatical meaning. This means we must understand what a word or phrase meant at the time it was written, where it was written, and in the language it was written. The historical portion of this can be broken down into several parts. These parts are time, culture, and geography. For instance “to plow ahead” will mean something entirely different today than it meant 200 years ago. In the past it would have meant to continue plowing the ground with an animal and a plow. Today we understand it to mean to forge ahead with what we are doing. Also, the culture that was in place at the time that something is written bears on what is meant. To compute in a far eastern ancient culture could mean to do math on an abacus. In the USA to compute can mean many different things depending on the context of the conversation. It could refer to the use of a computer, the use of a calculator, or the use of a variety of scientific instruments. So the culture at the time and place of writing is important to understand the exact thought represented by what we are reading. In addition to time and culture, we mentioned geography. In our earlier example of plowing, the geography 200 years ago would tell us if the plowing was with a horse or with water buffalo or some other animal. The tool used would also be different. So the historical setting is very important to a proper understanding of what is being said.

     The grammatical part of the normal historical-grammatical meaning also has several parts. The more obvious is the grammatical construction. It is not the grammatical construction of our translation that is the greatest concern, but rather it is the grammatical construction of the original language that the passage was written in. The language could have been Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic depending on which passage it is. The New Testament was written mainly in Koine Greek or the Greek of the common man with a very small number of verses being written in classical or Attic Greek, the more formal and scholarly language of the day. The Old Testament was mainly written in Hebrew with a few passages in Aramaic. A study of these languages can be very useful in gaining a better understanding of the Word of God. If this is not possible there are several very useful helps for English speaking students of the Word.

     The grammatical includes many different types of literature. The Bible contains history, prophecy, poetry, parables, figures of speech, letters, and even phenomenal language. A poetical passage must be interpreted differently than a historical passage. Parables need to be understood as being stories for the purpose of both preventing the unregenerate heart from understanding and providing a picture for amplification of a truth or as an aid to understanding to those that are saved. Never, never should a doctrine be built out of a parable. It is there to pictorially represent a truth and should be interpreted based on clear statements either found in context or elsewhere. We need to build doctrine from passages that are plain statements of Scripture. Historical passages are also not a good place to build doctrine. Their purpose is to record events. Just as our experience is not a way to determine truth, neither is the experience of others as recorded in a historical passage. Phenomenal language is another concern. If someone says “the sun has risen” it doesn’t mean that it literally rose, but rather that the observer’s point of view is that it has moved to a higher position in the sky. This is an example of phenomenal language. It is the normal way for us and/or for them to speak of an event. We describe events from our own point of view. The Word of God records that for us. The Word does not tell us that the earth doesn’t move and the sun rises and falls. This is a good example of why we should not use the Word of God as a scientific textbook. It was not written for that purpose.

     Finally we must consider the progressive nature of revelation. God did not reveal the workings of the church to Adam or Moses. Passages that talk about Israel cannot be applied to the church. Statements early in the Gospels may change at the end of the Gospels as the period of history is changing. For instance, early in Matthew Jesus tells His disciples to only go to Israel with the message of the kingdom of God and not to Samaria or the Gentiles (Matt.10:5-6). At the end of Matthew the opposite is true; Jesus tells the disciples and us to take the Gospel to the entire world (Matt.28:19-20). As such, much care must be taken, for instance, in studying the book of Acts. Acts is a transitional book. During the book of Acts the Word of God was confirmed with miraculous events. The people did not have the completed Word. As the Word of God was written these miraculous events were no longer mentioned. God no longer needed to confirm that the speaker was speaking His Word. It was now possible to look at the Word and see if he was.

     Finally, let’s look at some common errors to avoid. First, Jumping to conclusion about what a passage means as we read through it is an error. We should study it out first with the above rules in mind to make sure what it is that God is saying. We should also not spiritualize every passage. Don’t try to mystify the Word or take a statement about an event and give it a spiritual meaning that God did not give it. The Word of God is not of private interpretation. This means that we are not to say, “It means this to me.” Or “I feel it says…..” We must study it out and see what it really says. Don’t put your own angle on the interpretation. Study it out.