“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV)

The apostle Peter, as carried along by the Holy Spirit, wrote this to all who “have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). And the faith that he and the other New Testament apostles had and proclaimed was Christ crucified and risen from the dead in order that we might now die with Christ to sin and live to his righteousness in walks of holiness and in righteousness, to the glory and praise of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit.

[1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24]

He wrote to them to instruct them that, in their walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, as part of their abiding faith in the Lord, they were to live lives which were virtuous, knowledgeable (regarding the words of God), self-controlled, steadfast in faith, godly, and which exercised brotherly (and sisterly) affection for other followers of Jesus Christ, with agape love. And agape love is that which prefers what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to the Lord.

But this was not just a suggestion nor a recommendation which was made optional. For, he said that “whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:9-11 ESV).

And Jesus Christ and the other NT apostles taught similar words as this when they stated that if we walk in sin, and if sin is our practice, and if obedience to our Lord and righteousness and holy living are not what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father. For we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience to be his followers.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

For Jesus Christ and his NT apostles did not follow cleverly devised myths when they made known to us the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel of our salvation. They did not use flattery and smooth-talking words and schemes and tricks and jokes and worldly speaking in order to connect with the people of their generation so that the people of the world would want to attend the gatherings of the body of Christ, his church, comprised of followers of Jesus Christ.

But they taught the very words of God which were given to them by God via the Holy Spirit, which then became the Scriptures for us. But let me say here that, from my understanding, those original manuscripts, which were without error, no longer exist. What we have are copies of copies of the originals which were then translated into many different languages by human beings who may not have all been translating as “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” They may not have all been godly men or women at all.

The written word of God can still be trusted, but we must, if possible, be careful about what translations we use to make certain that they are actual translations and that they are reputable as being as true to the originals as possible. But not one translation is absolutely perfect, as were the originals. I recommend the KJV, the NASB, the ESV, and the NIV. Be careful about using transliterations, especially any translated by just one person. Some of those take liberties with the Scriptures which distort their true meaning.

So, not only should we test everything we hear and read, which is taught as the truth of the gospel, against the teachings of the Scriptures, in their context, but it is also a good practice to compare Scripture with Scripture to make certain that we are getting the right message. And if you can get to a Hebrew or Greek interlinear, where you can look at word meanings, that is very helpful also in understanding the meanings of the Scriptures. But use commentators sparingly and always test their words with the Scriptures.

And do all of this prayerfully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for many lies are being spread based off Scriptures taught incorrectly and outside of their immediate context as well as outside the context of the New Testament Scriptures, as a whole. So be students of the Scriptures who read them in context and who compare what you read with other passages of Scripture which teach on similar subjects, for they should all agree with each other, well especially with regards to the doctrine of our salvation.

Should I Not Preach Jesus

An Original Work / July 4, 2013
Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.
I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.
I make myself a slave to ev’ryone
To win their hearts to Christ.
All this I do for my Lord Jesus,
And for the sake of His Name;
Do it for the sake of His gospel,
So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;
Written down for us as examples
To keep us from setting our hearts
On evil as did those of old.
Do not worship other gods of man;
Do not give your hearts to them;
Not partake in immorality.
Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are
Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.
God has given his word to warn us,
So through faith we will not fall.
No temptation has o’ertaken you
Except what is commonplace.
God is faithful to not let you be
Tempted past what you can bear.
He gives the way of escape.