Differing Views of Study

Sometimes you need to look at the forest as a single whole object of study and sometimes you need to look at individual plants within the forest.  No one can understand all things in a single sitting.  That is why God tells us that He will teach knowledge...and...make to understand doctrine...here a little, and there a little  (Isaiah 28:9-10).  Often, if we are looking at the overview of a Bible doctrine, we see all of the views of the teaching. but we can not get into all of the detail without being overwhelmed.  If we do not get into the detail then we have no depth  and we end up enduring but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended  (Mark 4:1-32).

When we get an overview, we have the balance that God wants us to have, but we lack the depth.  When we look deeper, we must concentrate on only part of the whole doctrine.  When we do so it gives us the required depth but we need to keep in mind that our view is not balanced.  Therefore, we need to also study the other parts in depth and combine the various teachings from various lessons in order to have a balanced doctrine that also has depth.  This requires us to meditate  on God's Word and do more than just listen to a sermon as if it is distinct from all other messages which we hear from God's Word.

Consider medicine as our example.  You have General Practitioners who can not do brain surgery.  Likewise, Brain Surgeons do not do general medicine because they are too busy with their specialty to keep up with everything that is going on in general medicine.  In a similar fashion, sometimes we need to look at the overview and sometimes we need to look at detail.  However, when we look at details we need to keep in mind that there are related items which we have put out of immediate consideration so that we can focus on the detail.  The focused view is necessary, but it is not complete.

Consider a balancing scale such as was used in Bible times.  Weights would be added to one side of the scale and then what was being weighed was added to the other side until both sides hung on at the same level.  If you only put weight on one side, you would be unbalanced.  However, it is impossible to put any weights on such a scale and always remain in balance.  Therefore, people add weights to one side of the scale and then add items to the other side until the scale is back in balance.

This is what we must do when we study the Bible.  We must Study a doctrine in depth so that we can deal with the problems of life when they come up.  However, when we are doing such a Study we must keep in mind that our Study is not balanced and we must, at a later time, also study the other view in order to get back into balance.  For example, many people study God's mercy  in detail but teach an unbalanced doctrine if they don't also study God's judgment  and righteousness  in equal detail.  Many people fall into error when they fail to understand and follow this practice of study.

When the devil tempted Jesus, he quoted Bible. There is no problem with what he quoted but the problem is with what he left out.  One way that the devil gets 'good godly fundamental Bible believers' to accept doctrinal error by having someone present only one side of a balanced doctrine.  For example, many preachers tell God's people a whole lot about God's grace  and mercy,  but they downplay, or leave out, God's punishment of sin and the fear of the Lord  that is given to God's people.  Many preach the doctrinal error that the fear of the Lord  means 'deep abiding respect' or 'deep abiding reverence'.  The people who teach this error are preaching Baptist traditions and using the same methods used by the religious leaders who justified crucifying our Lord.  Let any who disagree show how they got their doctrine if they are not preaching what that heard from famous Baptist preachers.  I openly challenge anyone to show me where someone has used another method to get these doctrines and has published their method and results with an invitation for the entire world to prove their methods and/or study results as wrong.

All through the Bible we find God balancing blessings for obedience with cursing for disobedience.  God did not change this for saved people and we find the sin unto death  and the terror of the Lord  only applied to saved people in the New Testament.  The evidence of an unbalanced doctrine being taught in America is all of the ongoing sin in lives of people who claim to be saved.  Yes, the Study called the Fear of the Lord is not balanced on this site with a matching study on God's grace  and mercy,  but those subjects are abundantly covered elsewhere.

The False Things according to the Bible is an incomplete balancing to the Word Study on Truth.  The Study called Jesus Used the Power of the Holy Ghost is a small part of the Lord Jesus Christ Study.  It gives a central place for a multitude of references that are used several places on this site.  It is here to avoid redundancy of links and must be considered within the context of all places that reference it and of all of the verses, with their context, that are linked to from that Study.