The Error of Sinless Perfection PT. 1

May 24, 2013 in Study with 1 Comment

Over the last several weeks I have been writing on the topic rightly dividing the Word of God. Interpreting scripture correctly should be done with fear and trembling. It is not a light thing to teach others the truths of God’s Word, therefore we must use the correct methods of interpretation.

With this in mind I want to look at particular doctrine that has historically been misinterpreted, the doctrine of sinless perfectionism. Well intentioned people with well intentioned motives have been led astray with this false teaching. This is not a new doctrine, for it has been around for quite sometime. This false teaching has manifested itself in many denominations throughout history. Nearly all these groups have either made utter shipwreck of the faith or have been forced to modify their “perfectionism” to accommodate human imperfection. In their attempts to twist scripture they end up redefining sin and the sinful nature of man. I want to look at several scriptures that have been taken out of context by proponents of “perfectionism.”

Be Ye Perfect

Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father is in heaven is perfect.”

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The Ministry of Ananias

May 10, 2013 in Ministry with 1 Comment

Tucked away in the Acts of the Apostles is a story of a man named Ananias. He gets overlooked due to the the prominent figure in his story. Ananias was the man who ministered to the man who later became the greatest missionary in Church history, the Apostle Paul.

The story of Paul’s conversion may only rival that of the Gentiles. Nobody thought the Gentiles would be considered for salvation, it was quite controversial to the early church. But it wasn’t as controversial as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Saul was wreaking havoc on the newly founded church of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:3); consenting to the death of Stephen (Acts 7:58, 8:1); and held believers captive in prisons. Saul was a blasphemer and a persecutor (1 Tim. 1:13). Saul of Tarsus was a man completely devoted to the Old Testament Law of Moses. He sat and learned at the feet of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect manner of the law and because of that teaching he very zealous (Acts 22:3). But Saul rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Saul walked in the only light that had been given to him.

When Saul had been blinded by a vision of Jesus Christ he was told to go into the city of Damascus and wait for the instructions on how he was to be healed and converted (Acts 9:6). Enter the ministry of Ananias. 

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Rightly Dividing the Word of God: Exegesis

April 23, 2013 in Study with 4 Comments

The Bible is made up of written words inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16). In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and that Word was God (John 1:1). That Word robed Himself in flesh and became the Living Word incarnate (John 1:14). Jesus spoke in Matthew 4:4 that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  The Living Word said that the proceeding words of God would be spiritual nourishment for the spirit man. Every word. 

What you and I have in the Bible are the very thoughts of God. God has spoken and what He has spoken has been recorded in words, sentences and paragraphs. God, who is the Word, chose to use words to communicate to people. And not just words, but written words. This is valuable to understand when we approach studying the Word of God.

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The Godliness and Integrity of the Man of God

April 16, 2013 in Ministry with 2 Comments

2 Kings 4:8- 10 One day Elisha went on to Shunem where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he pass that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now I know this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

Being a holy man of God takes godliness. Being a true holy man of God takes integrity. And in order for a man to be a holy man of God, he needs to be holy. Elisha had just become the prophet to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Elijah. Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit upon him (2 Kings 2:9-14). Elisha was first a servant to Elijah then a prophet to God’s people. His humility in servanthood led to his mighty anointing and ministry. Elisha had a powerful ministry in which he seen God work mighty miracles. No doubt his reputation as a prophet proceeded him.

However, being a prophet and being a holy man of God are quite different. Balaam could prophesy but he was no holy man of God (Numbers 22,23,24). Balaam could prophesy beautifully but he lacked integrity and honor. Elisha was both a prophet and a holy man of God. What made Elisha a holy man of God?

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Rightly Dividing the Word of God: Interpretation pt. 2

April 8, 2013 in Study with 0 Comments

The Bible is not a magical or mystical book that can only be read by the gods or the pseudo-spiritual. Reading the Bible does not require that anyone leave out intellect, intelligence or common rules of literacy. The Bible is a supernatural book that was written by ordinary men who were extraordinarily inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21 2 Tim. 3:16). We approach the Bible with awe and reverence. However, awe and reverence do not require us to forget about the standard rules of reading.

Church history tells us of the Catholic church prohibiting the common man from owning or obtaining a Bible. They only had the Bible written and copied in Latin which meant only the catholic priests could read from the Bible. This is how gross error came about in Church history. When the reformers rebelled against such antics and began translating the Bible into common vernacular a revolution began.

We no longer have popes and priests keeping the Bible from laymen and saints. Today we have a problem with misinterpretation that is excused by trying to make the text more spiritual than it already is. We now have in our churches people who feel inadequate with reading and interpreting the Bible. Their excuse is that they cannot understand it for surely the Bible doesn’t mean what it actually says.

When reading and studying the Bible we do not sacrifice reading rules at the altar. We do not need to repent of the education that we have been taught concerning reading when approaching the Bible. We read the Bible the same way would read any other book. A noun is still a noun in the Bible. A verb is still a verb in the Bible. An adjective is still an adjective in the Bible. A play on words has become popular in Biblical interpretation, but doing so does not make the text any more spiritual, any more relevant, any more supernatural, any more meaningful, or any more applicable.

Spiritualizing a Bible verse does violence to Scripture. It makes people believe that the Bible is not spiritual enough. This is why it is important we learn to rightly divide the Word of God. In interpreting the Bible we do not need other-wordly tricks or mystical powers. You simply have to know the right questions to ask. In order to keep everything within context-and context is key- these are important questions to ask.

Here are 4 steps to Biblical interpretation

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