Second Problem

I've been told by a Pastor working on a doctorate in divinity that they are instructed by their teachers that congregations are unable to understand the word of God unless Pastors teach them. It would appear that the Holy Bible would agree with this claim. After all, people who remain in the flesh are unable to chew the meat of more difficult matters within the Holy Bible.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 12:2

Jesus and the following disciples say the same thing:

Jesus

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:5

Paul

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Writer of Hebrews:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Peter

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Peter 2:1-3

Even Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, understood the principle that those who remain in sin because they think they have no sin cannot discern rightly. Jethro was not even an Israelite like Moses who taught God's words, Exodus 18:21-27.

As a result, fleshly individuals are not to be considered for positions of teaching, deacon or elder:

• Teacher - Matthew 23:8, John 3:10; 2 Timothy 2:2, 24; Hebrews 5:12, 1 John 2:27,
• elder i.e. overseer - 1 Timothy 3:1-2; 1 Timothy 5:20; Titus 1:6-7;
• deacons - 1 Timothy 3:8-13, 4:13-16

The apostle Paul even goes so far as to command us to get rid of those who add and subtract from the words of God. Jesus even concurs in Matthew 7:15-29; and Revelation 2:2, 20.

Knowing the above verses are true, the second problem arises when Jesus and the Apostles seem to contradict the above by telling us things like the following:

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26

As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 1 John 2:27

In fact, Jesus and the Apostles are not contradicting but proving all the above to be true. Sin really does dim a person's eyes both spiritually and physically, Genesis 27:1, 48:10, Deuteronomy 34:7, 1 Samuel 3:2, Psalms 69:23, Ezekiel 12:1-4. Even though sin causes doubt by dimming the eyes, the dim eyes or doubt proves the need for the Holy Spirit to teach us correctly.

The Holy Spirit really does teach us but not by giving us "NEW" or "different" knowledge. The Holy Spirit 1) gives us remembrance of what is already written in the Bible, 2) reveals secrets hidden by God from the foundations of the world (old knowledge) also recorded in the Bible 3) proclaims the future by showing us the signs found in the past, again written in the Bible. Thus, it is critical to know God's words in order to 1) be Jesus' disciples, 2) set free by the truth, John 8:31-32, and 3) not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

• Moses' Example
• Pharisee Examples
• Today's Application
  • First Problem
  • Second Problem
• Three Current Examples
  • Keep Your Shoes On
  • No Laptops in the First Four Rows
  • No Loud Worship
• Testing Paul's Words
• The Addition
• God's Original Design
• The Subtraction
• The Curse
• Conclusion of the Matter

Copyright (c) 2013 by Diane Pebley All rights reserved, no use granted without the express written permission of the author, Diane Pebley