Hermeneutics Lesson 07

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Confess and forsake error and trust God's Way especially when it disagrees with the flesh and man's religion.

Hear now this, of foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?  (Jeremiah 5:21-22; Ezekiel 8:18; Zechariah 7:11-14; Romans 11:7-10).

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.  (Proverbs 1:24-30).

1. You can't match Him in power.
Lots of people get caught up in two particular errors which prove them to be Biblical fools.  Even as God's people, we will suffer the consequences if we insist upon acting like fools.  We can not stop the sun from shining.  Therefore, we do not have the power to stop God from doing what He wants.  God says what He will do and the being that believes he can argue with God's finalized decision is a fool.  The two particular errors which prove we are a Biblical fool,  when talking about what God's Word really means, are:
1. 'I disagree' (or any variant of that).  This is the error of Satan that got him and 1/3of the angels kicked out of Heaven and will send them to the lake of fire  (Isaiah 14:12-15).  It is also the lie of Satan which led to 'Original Sin' ( Genesis 3:5).  We are not like God.  We can not argue with Him like we can other men.  Yes, our opinion is considered by God when He is applying His Word to our life but it means nothing when it comes to interpreting His Word.  Otherwise, it would not be His Word and would not have the power to do anything.
2. 'My favorite preacher / My religion says'.  This is the primary error of the Corinthian church which led to Paul writing 1Corinthians.  This argument proves the person to be a spiritual baby who is not qualified to have an opinion in adult matters and certainly not someone to listen to about what the word of God says.

People use these two errors and think it proves them correct when it really only destroys their credibility.  Ephesians 4:4-6 says There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  We have many different 'Christian faiths' because everyone is claiming to represent God when they are really representing their own religion.  They do not have the power to do anything and this country is turning to false religions because people think they have the power of God's Word behind them when they are presenting the beliefs of their religion.

Bottom Line: We are going to face God in His court systems.  There we will be judged according to what His Word really says and not what our religion tells us.  Therefore, if we want to avoid the consequences of God telling us that we are a Biblical fool,  then we had better let God's Word correct our erroneous religious beliefs.

2. Two Legal systems with different judgments.
2Timothy 2:15 says Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  It should be obvious that this verse is warning us against wrongly dividing the word of truth.  If you had a 6 Bibles in a stack and someone told you to divide them between people present, and you ran then through a band saw and handed tops to one set of people and bottoms to another set, you would be wrongly dividing the word of truth  (Bibles).  There are other ways to wrongly divide the word of truth,  but one of the requirements of rightly dividing the word of truth  is that we 'separate it according to predetermined separation points'.  There are a number of examples that can be made about how men wrongly dividing the word of truth,  but the application here is when men refuse to follow God's division between His two Legal systems.

Basically, God has two legal systems: the great white throne  system and the judgment seat of Christ.  God's legal systems are righteous.  Therefore, they properly follow legal principals such as 'jurisdiction'.  That means that the great white throne  legal system does not make decisions for the judgment seat of Christ,  and neither does the judgment seat of Christ  make decisions for the great white throne  legal system.

When we get saved God uses the blood of Jesus  to blot out  the record of our sins that are recorded in His great white throne  legal system.  He adopts us as sons  and puts us under the judgment seat of Christ  legal system.  Romans 3:25 says ...to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past..  At this point, many people start to object that God blotted out all of our sins.  However, either we are calling God and God's Word a lie, or we have to accept that Romans 3:25 excludes future sins.  At this point people start trying to correct the word of God, or they start making excuses for rejecting what God's Word literally says or they ask God for help with this apparent conflict.

The apparent conflict only exists because people are not rightly dividing the word of truth  and separating God's two legal and what God's Word says about each of them.

First error: Thinking what was determined within the great white throne  system also finalizes all decisions within the judgment seat of Christ.  The great white throne  system is God's 'criminal court'.  1John 3:4 tells us Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  We've all heard 'you done the crime so you have to do the time'.  God's 'time' in the great white throne  system is Hell for a limited time then eternity in the lake of fire  (Revelation 20:15).  God can not be a righteous judge  (2Timothy 4:8) and have a personal relationship with people charged with a crime who will come into His criminal court.  Therefore, when he saves us He blots out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us  (Colossians 2:4).  However, that is in His great white throne  system.  He then adopts us as children  (Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5) and puts us under the judgment seat of Christ  system.  Therefore, we will still have a judgment in that legal system.

Second error: Thinking we are not under any law.  We will pick up this discussion after you step off the side of a 30 story building with nothing stopping you from hitting the cement at ground level and you having nothing more than what God gave you.  The fact is that God's 'law of Gravity' does apply to saved people.  The note for Romans 3:31 in the Book Study on Romans lists 17different laws  that apply to saved people during the Church Age, along with links to the Bible references.

Third error: Thinking judgment is general and not personal.  All saved people have a personal relationship with God.  We can see in this life that God blesses different saved people different ways and He judges different saved people different ways.  The judgment seat of Christ  is the same way.

Fourth error: Thinking there are 'no tears in Heaven'.  God does not give 'time out'.  God does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).  Since all throughout the Bible God's judgments include reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience, the same will be true at the judgment seat of Christ.  Further, 2Corinthians 5:10-11 tells us that the terror of the Lord  is applied to saved people who are in Heaven at the judgment seat of Christ.  Since God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes  (Revelation 21:4), but not until over 1,000 yearss later, there will be 'tears in Heaven'.

Bottom Line: What is determined by the great white throne  legal system has no effect upon what happens in the judgment seat of Christ  legal system.  A lot of saved people are doing sins and not obeying God to do what He commands because they have been convinced that the legal judgment within the great white throne  legal system was the final judgment by God.  We need to recognize that the judgment seat of Christ  legal system is separate and that saved people need to concentrate upon their personal judgment in the judgment seat of Christ  legal system.

3. Judgment is based upon what God said.

A lot of people read what they have been taught that their Bible says instead of what it really says.  However, God will judge us according to what it really says.  For example, I've shown people what the prior paragraph says and they have come up with lots of ways to 'explain away' what the Bible literally says.  One person said that because the terror of the Lord  was due to lost people, it could not be applied to saved people even though the Bible literally says it is therefore  (the direct result of) the judgment seat of Christ.  Only saved people will receive the 'the direct result of' the judgment seat of Christ.  Another preacher agreed that 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' and ignorance of the Bible does not change God's laws within the Bible.  Yet he insisted that if I could not explain the terror of the Lord  to him in a way that he was satisfied with, then it could not be a result of the judgment seat of Christ. 

In the Bible one of the greatest condemnations of His people is when they had ears to hear but heard not  and had eyes to see but saw not.  That is, they closed their minds to God's truth.  Doing that allows devils to lead God's people into the sin unto death  (Romans 6:16; 1John 5:16).  In the Bible unto  means 'up to and including'.  The majority of prayer requests in Baptist churches across America are for physical problems and sickness and untimely death.  That is the result of the sin unto death.  The sin unto death  is the result of submitting unto the doctrine of a true Biblical antichrist. 

Bottom Line: If we wish to avoid being punished by God in this world and at the judgment seat of Christ  then we need to read, understand, believe and obey what God's Word actually says and not just what people tell us it says.

4. The Bible has different rules for interpretation and for application.

I already covered the three different ways that we are to study and obey the Bible.  There is only one interpretation of the Bible but many applications.  We can not get the single interpretation and the many applications from the same Bible if we use the same procedures for both.  Many people believe that they are using God's Word God's Way when they use the Biblical method of finding an application for determining their interpretation.  One popular way that people do this is to 'interpret' their Bible using verses instead of obeying God's command in Isaiah 28 and using sentences.  Another popular way that people get erroneous 'interpretations' is to look up a single word in the 'Greek Dictionary' and take what that dictionary says as the interpretation.  We will get to the details of why this is wrong in a later lesson.  However, for now know that these two methods are OK for getting the application of a part of the Bible but that each of these methods lead to doctrinal error when they are used for getting the interpretation.

Many people use I  when talking about the interpretation of the Bible.  That is what got Satan and 1/3of the angels kicked out of Heaven (Isaiah 14).  That is the promise from Satan which led to Original Sin (Genesis 3).

Other people say says.  That is the first sin that Paul dealt with in 1Corinthians which he said kept the people spiritual babies.

The true method of interpretation uses rules that are as exact and precise as the Scientific Method and as the rules of Math.  When man started using these to understand how God created this world, we had dramatic increases in understanding.  The Bible tells us that the same wisdom and understanding  that God used to create the world were also used when God wrote His Word.  Therefore, the same types of procedures are used to properly understand God's Word.

A simple example of this error is the claim that Revelation  (singular) is Revelations  (plural).  Galatians 3:16 makes it clear that many Jews went to Hell because their doctrine was based upon seeds, as of many  instead of as of one...which is Christ.  Similarly, people insist upon believing in Revelations  (plural) even when they agree that the word is singular because they have been taught that Revelation  is about future events.  However, the epistle literally says The Revelation of Jesus Christ,  which means it is revealing the person Who is Jesus Christ.  In addition, Revelation 10:4 says And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.  If it was about future events that God would not have told John write them not.  The fact is that The Revelation of Jesus Christ  is that He is Lord  and that all creatures will recognize and honor Him as Lord.  All through the epistle the saved worship Him as Lord  and the lost fear Him as Lord.  The future events are included only to prove that He is Lord  and when John was told write them not  it was because the future events did not reveal Jesus Christ  as Lord.  People insist that it is OK to hold onto this error because they are using the wrong rules of interpretation.  People who use the wrong set of rules end up supporting doctrinal error that sends others to Hell just like the doctrinal error over seed  singular versus seeds, as of many  sent many people to Hell.  I personally do not want to go before the judgment seat of Christ  with this type of error on my personal record.

Bottom Line: The Biblical set of rules for interpretation is as exact and precise as Math and does not allow errors such as the examples presented here.  We have a perfect word of God  which is a perfect  picture of a perfect God.  If our interpretation is not perfect  then it is because we were using the wrong method or we used the method wrongly (not doing all that is required, etc).  A perfect  interpretation gives us a perfect  picture of a perfect God  which is NEVER in conflict with a perfect  interpretation of another part of our Bible.

5. Every Word Belief.

Many people claim to have an 'every word' belief and then get upset when they are shown that their doctrine violates this claim.  Getting upset is one thing.  Continuing in error after being shown that it violates the word of God is another thing.

We find the exact phrase every word  in Deuteronomy 8:3; Proverbs 14:15; 30:5; Matthew 4:4; 18:16; Luke 4:4 and 2Corinthians 13:1.  Most of these are dealing with the truth expressed in the Bible as man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.  Thus, the Bible literally says that our life  is dependent upon this belief.

Most of these verses are a quote of Deuteronomy 8:3, which says: Deuteronomy 8:3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live..  Please notice the last phrase of: by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.  This means that we must use the meaning of the words that God used when He gave us every word.  People who claim an 'Every Word Belief' and then use the definitions from men's dictionaries, like the Webster's 1828 or a Greek dictionary, prove themselves to be liars because those dictionaries sometimes give a different definition of words that what God meant when He gave His Word.  Yes, they often include God's definition, but often make it equal to different definitions from men.  In addition, they usually lift applications up to the level of the definition and cause confusion by claiming that there are multiple definitions of equal value.  As explained in the next point, these definitions cause doctrinal error and take away from God's glory.

Time and again I have explained to people that God chose every word  that is in the Bible.  They agree until I show them how their doctrinal beliefs violate their claim.  There is a very definite doctrinal distinction between how the Bible uses Jesus  and how it uses Christ.  Yet people try to defend using these two different words interchangeably even while they insist that they have an 'every word' belief.

There are many other examples that I could give.  However, I will give the simple underlying precept.  God does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).  Further, God is not the author of confusion  (1Corinthians 14:33).  God used one word for one meaning.  For God to use the same word for another meaning, or for God to use another word for the same meaning, God would have to change. In addition, these uses cause confusion.  Man does these things and man is an author of confusion,  but God is not.

True 'every word' belief means that we do not ignore, change, leave out, or redefine any Bible word.  True 'every word' belief means that we must find and use God's definition for words that are within the Bible and not use man's definitions which differ from God's definitions, at least when we are talking about what the Bible says.

When we change the definition of Bible words we are taking away the meaning that God put there and we are adding in our own meaning.  Each of those two actions will bring a curse from God.

Bottom Line: If we are shown how our doctrine adds to  God's Word or diminishes  God's Word or replaces one Bible word with another Bible word or says that one Bible word has the same meaning as another Bible word, then we do not have a true Biblical every word  belief.  At a minimum, we will reduce God's life within ourselves and those who believe our erroneous doctrine.  At worst, we can end up at the judgment seat of Christ  and have our God accuse us of personally sending souls to Hell.

6. Considering context is critical to avoid error.

When Satan tempted Jesus he quoted scripture but left out part of the scripture.  1John 4:1 tells us Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  One way to identify a false prophet  is that he follows the spirit of Satan and quotes scripture while leaving out part.  He will proclaim 'You can't deny that what I say is in the Bible' to distract from the context and critical things that he leaves out.  In particular, Satan likes to get one of his ministers to proclaim a partial truth and get another of his ministers to proclaim the other half of the whole truth.  Satan then has each denounce the other for ignoring the part that he proclaims, and uses that denouncement to get people to believe that he is 'fighting for the truth'.  People watching the fight don't notice that both are ignoring part of the truth.  Thus, God's people get sucked into believing a False Doctrine and suffering the consequence.  Those consequences can include death, which is why the Bible warns the church of a sin unto death.  One of the main things that we need to be careful of is verifying everything that we hear preached against the Bible and taking extra care to verify that what was said matched the context and full Biblical meaning of any passage which is quoted.

Bottom Line: Better than 90% of doctrinal errors can be corrected if we consider the full context of any Bible verse, along with true Biblical definitions of Bible words, when those verses are claimed to support a doctrinal error.  Carefully checking the context is one of our primary ways of identifying doctrinal error.

7. Jot and Tittle (Punctuation) is critical to proper interpretation.

Matthew 5:18 and Luke 16:17 tell us that every jot (and) tittle,  within the word of God, will be preserved.  If God is preserving them then they are critical.  The jot (and) tittle,  within the word of God, is what we think of as punctuation.  We all know that the Bible is a book of Law.  Ask any lawyer if it is possible to change the legal meaning of a legal document by changing a single punctuation mark from one value to another.  If they are not absolute liars they will agree that the punctuation is critical and, while maybe not always true, in some cases such a change can definitely change the meaning of the legal document.

While this is true for men's documents, men use punctuation marks for more than the Bible uses them for.  Therefore, proper interpretation of God's Word requires us to restrict the usage of these punctuation marks to the Biblical usage.  For example, after doing a strict and complete interpretation of thousands of Bible verses, I have found that the Bible always uses a colon to show equivalency.  The world, of course, uses a colon for more functions than that.  In addition, every place that I have seen a semi-colon the Bible is providing steps in a procedure.

On the church web site is a link to my Bible web site (LJC1611kjv.com/Bible).  There you will find the Bible presented in four formats.  The 'Verse' format is the standard format found in all of our printed Bibles.  However, the verse divisions were not added to the Bible until after 1400AD.  In addition, verses regularly divide sentences into two or more verses and sometimes put part of one sentence with part of another sentence within the same verse.  In addition, one chapter division was made in the middle of a sentence.  God's perfect Word  does not make these mistakes and we need to treat the chapter and verse divisions the same way as we treat notes from commentators such as Schofield.

The second format, on the Bible web site, is by chapter.  This is still more division than was in the original letters, but it makes the books easier to read than no chapter division would be.  There are times that we need to 'look at the forest as a whole' and there are times that we need to 'look at individual trees'.  This format is excellent for getting a 'big picture' of what the Bible book is saying.

The third format is by sentence.  Isaiah 28 tells us several times that we are to understand God's Word line upon line.  Since Isaiah was written hundreds of years before the verse divisions were imposed upon our Bible, this literally is a command to understand our Bible 'sentence upon sentence'.

The forth format is by punctuation.  As already explained, God said he would preserve the punctuation and He expects us to pay attention to it.  That is why the Studies on my main web site (LJC1611kjv.com) use the Punctuation format to deal with the details of what is said in God's Word. The difference between the Punctuation format found at the Bible link and what is found in the Book Studies on my main site is that a computer program was written to generate the Punctuation format (of the Bible) and I personally updated the comments for each sentence found within the Book Studies.  (Compare the sentence divisions found at each location in order to see what I am writing about.)

Bottom Line: We need to pay attention to the punctuation that God said that He would preserve and we need to use it the same way as God does.  If we don't, we will face and angry God at the judgment seat of Christ  because we taught doctrinal error to God's children after He sent us a warning to not do that.

8. Reward and punishment at judgment.

Bottom Line: There will be punishment for saved people given out at the judgment seat of Christ.  The Bible warns us that this punishment includes the terror of the Lord.  If we want to personally avoid God's punishment then we need to change our methods of interpreting the Bible to match what the Bible commands.  We also need to warn others that many 'good godly Bible believing fundamental Baptists' have been taught to use wrong methods and they are teaching others to use those wrong methods.  Please also see the Study called The Knowledge of God in addition to what is in this lesson.  That Study gives a basic explanation of the difference between Biblical knowledge,  understanding,  and wisdom.  It also shows how the Bible teaches that personal knowledge of God  will change our personal life.

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