Bible Questions & Discussion PAGE 106

Hi Chris, I feel your love for God in all that you write. I want to say that, from my perspective, the difference with us Christian's dying ( compared to nonbelievers) is that we will be resurrected and our body will be rejoined to our soul. That fact makes dying, now, not as scary. Because we will sleep, and not be really dead.

it always seems that people don't understand that the punishment is "eternal", the Fire of the Living God "consumes", and will be forever, just not eternal "torment"... Iv'e come to the understanding that our Father has much more "mercy" than people.

the passovers were shadows of things to come. The Levitical priesthood is done, now it is the order of Melchizedek, applying "old covenant terms to a new "order" is erroneous. just saying

Jema or Shabbat Keeper,

(Part 3):

Matthew 25:30 says to cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Where is this place and who goes there? How can someone who cease to exist weep or gnash their teeth?

Daniel 12:2 says that many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. This is obviously speaking of two classes of people, believers and non-believers. If one (or both) cease to exist when they die, how can this be?

In Ephesians Chapter 4, when Jesus descended into the lower regions of the earth, what was that for? Why would He go there? Who were these captives that He loosened?

Luke 12:5 says, "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." If a person just ceases to exist when they die, why would they have to fear being cast into Hell?

I realize that these are a lot of questions, but what you are presenting here, I think would cause many believers to have questions. Again, if you choose to answer these questions, I do appreciate your time.

Jema or Shabbat Keeper,

(Part 2):

In Luke 16:19-31, we read about the rich man and Lazarus. What I notice is that they both died. It speaks of the rich man being in Hades, and being in torment. What is interesting if you read through that section, the rich man can feel, he can speak, he can see, he can remember, and he is in torment. Notice in Verse 26 that there is a great gulf fixed and no one is able to cross over from one side to the other. There is no hope for those on the opposite side of Abraham's bosom. The question here is, why didn't the rich man cease to exist when he died?

In Mark 9:43-47, even though this is not literally talking about plucking your eye out or cutting off your hand, it does speak of some entering into life, and some being cast into Hell. If the wicked one who has rejected Christ dies and ceases to exist, how can he be cast into Hell?

In Revelation 20:5, it tells us that the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. Obviously, there must have been a previous resurrection because this talks about the rest of the dead not being resurrected until after the 1,000-year reign. How can those who cease to exist be resurrected? How do you raise or resurrect something that does not exist?

John 5:29 says, "And come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." Again, how do you resurrect and judge someone that does not exist?

Again, in Luke 16:28, the rich man says, "For I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." This rich man is in a place of torment. He did not cease to exist when he died. Why not?

I just have a few more questions if you don't mind, so I will need one more post.

Jema or Shabbat Keeper,

(Part 1):

Where in the bible does it say that the soul will cease to exist? If anyone ceases to exist when they die, can you please answer these questions. I will be the student here, so you have my attention. If you choose to answer these things, I do thank you ahead of time.

In Matthew 25:46, Is this not describing two classes of people, those who received Christ and belong to Him, and those who have rejected Him? If those who reject Him die and cease to exist, how can they go away into eternal punishment if they do not exist?

Revelation 14:11 says that the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night. How can this be for someone that does not exist?

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. How can anyone who dies and ceases to exist be judged since this judgment comes (after) death?

Revelation 21:8 identifies a class of individuals who will end up in the lake of fire, and it also mentions that this is the second death. If they went through the first death and ceased to exist, how can they experience a second death if they do not exist?

2 Thessalonians 1:9 says that they will suffer the punishment of (eternal destruction), away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. How is ceasing to exist considered suffering?

Jema, since Romans 6:23 has been quoted which says that the wages of sin is death, how do you get cease to exist out of this word death when the Greek word used (Thanatos) means separation, not cessation of life? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say that at death, there is a separation from our physical body since this is what the word death means?

Revelation 14:10 talks about being tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Who is this for and how long will this torment last?

I have more questions to follow. Thank you for your time.

Hello, Amasuca,

Oh my, I was not criticizing what you wrote. I am sorry if it seemed that way. I wrote what was prompted in my spirit to write in response to you, just as you wrote what you were prompted to say. So, we both can learn from each other's posts. The Holy Spirit works in and through us.

And yes, having our names in the Lamb's Book of Life is what we should be thankful for every day we walk with Jesus. Knowing that God has written our name in this book reminds us of how great our salvation in and through Jesus is in contrast to what our unredeemed life before conversion would bring us in at the judgment seat of God. We can be so glad that God did all the work of saving us and if He had not done so, every human person that ever lived would be judged guilty and condemned to the lake of fire forever!

None of us are any more special than the next person; the difference is that we are in Jesus and unbelievers are not; we are justified before God having the righteousness of Jesus given to us and our sins removed whereas unbelievers have their sins remain on them to condemn them; we have eternal life in the best way because we believe Jesus and unbelievers have eternity in punishment unless they repent and believe the Gospel.

Knowing that we are in the Lamb's Book of Life is God's witness that He has declared us redeemed and saved from sin, death, the evil one, and condemnation for our sins. How wonderful is that!

S.Spencer,

You came to my mind while I was on my way home from errands an hour or so ago. And then the thought "Encourage" came into my mind.

I do pray daily for those on this site, but this prompting is not a common experience for me. So, I will encourage you and others on here with these words from Scripture.

The Aaronic Blessing in Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord bless thee and keep thee; The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee; The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

AND

Paul's Blessing in Ephesians 6:23-24

"Peace be to the brethren, and the love of faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity."

AND to close,

Paul's Blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen"

Page 2.

Yes, there is an eternal joyous life for those who submit to God, so also there is eternal suffering for those who reject Him. How do you look at these verses? Are they to be avoided, re-interpreted, just given in error, or whatever one may choose to apply to them?

These are the matters we face here in addressing core biblical issues of eternity, the trinity, second coming, etc. And they are important; how we believe them & then share the Gospel with others can prove the genuineness of their faith when turning to Christ. I believe this is one major reason that we see an over-abundance of 'spurious faith' (i.e. a faith not based on the full Gospel message of the Bible, but with a leaning towards 'turn to Jesus & all will be well with your soul & live happily ever after in His Kingdom'). This is not the reason that Jesus came from His Glory ( John 17:5) to Earth to die a sinner's death - He came to give a Divinely prepared path & a living hope for the lost sinner to not face eternal condemnation: that's why it took the Son of God to come & lay down His Life, or else why not a spotless Heaven-provided Lamb? God laid down His Life through His Son which speaks to us of Love that is truly Agape & of the seriousness of our sins before Him & the certainty of His eternal Judgement to those who spurn that Love & offer of forgiveness. I'm sorry to have written at length on this subject, as it's one that is very close to my heart, when considering the great worth & cost of our salvation, in light of the Scriptures & of my own testimony.

Page 1.

Actually Shabbat Keeper, I wasn't intending to bring up the Rapture debate here, as it has been well discussed over the years. Rather, I was intending to give, maybe a rather flimsy example of a type of Gospel message, telling unbelievers that "when we turn to the Lord for forgiveness of our sins & receiving Christ into our life, then we will not face (physical) death, but just be raptured (caught up, as with Enoch/Elijah), to forever be with him". Here then would be something for the unbeliever to consider, because as sure as day turns into night, we all (believer & unbeliever alike) will face death - whether this thought leaves an 'icky' feeling in us depends on how we view death. So, rapture is not my issue here, but why is death any more of a punishment when we all have to die & knowing that death (of the body) means a complete eradication of any iota of life (in body, breath, mind, & senses). Often death is welcome, especially for the terminally ill or suffering, & whether or not one experiences a new pain-free joyful existence in the Lord's Presence or not, holds little attraction if there is no more consciousness in death or after it.

If death is the only punishment to the Christ-rejecter, then why do we all have to die? And if I might ask (verses that some don't care to address), why are there so many Scriptures to warn us that physical death is not the end (e.g. Matthew 5:22,29,30; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 20:10,11-15); all these pointing to the reality of an eternal torment? As one who doesn't believe in such an eternity, I ask you (as I've done in the past with others), why are these Scriptures rejected so as to support an emotion-charged belief rather than a biblical Truth? Why do we reject or re-write these passages to suit us, when they're given direct from the Mouth of our Lord?

Psalm 4:5

King James Version

5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in theLord.

I believe that Christ offered himself for a sacrifice for burnt offerings, and peace offerings .

Revelation 19:6

6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

1st Peter 3:1] Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

[2] While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

[3] Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

[4] But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Isaiah 3:17] Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

[18] In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

[19] The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

[20] The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

[21] The rings, and nose jewels,

[22] The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

[23] The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

[24] And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

GOD IS IN CONTROL

We can write everything off, and say "GOD IS IN CONTROL", but the main thing, is keeping the main thing, the main thing, and that's you want GOD in control of YOU. I want God in control of me.

How do we do that? What can I invest into the kingdom, that will assure GOD's hand will be indefinite, and complete control over my life? Because, I don't want to steer the ship of my life. I'm GLAD when GOD is behind the wheel, because He takes me, and leads me beside still waters. There's peace, everlasting peace, and I need HIS peace. I don't want conflict, or evil to visit me, but I know if I'm the one behind the helm, I'm destined to go off course, and end up shipwrecked.

So what's the answer? It's easy to quote the verse "trust in the LORD with ALL THINE HEART"

We say "yes", and "AMEN", because we know that that's the way to go. We understand that is the only way to go.

Yet, how come so many of us are failing to do that very thing. To "LEAN NOT" to our own foolish, and limited understanding.

We're limited in our thinking. Some may be very skilled in being able to think fast, but I guarantee you, it's NOT GOING TO BE FAST ENOUGH! You will be challenged, and there will come a time when you'll sit at a fork in the road, frozen and you'll wonder "What am I going to do?" It's bound to happen. Why? The reason is simple. Because "GOD IS IN CONTROL", it's HIS world, and only HIS ways can determine a successful outcome.

We can gamble with life, and even tempt GOD to the point where we become so lost, and it'll be like that child in the woods, that because you chose to do it your way, because I chose to do it my way, I can't find the way back.

Yes, our God is merciful, and there's no doubt that when we get into those types of situations we can cry out to God, and God will rescue us. But we ought not test the limits of our God's mercy, and grace.

So how do we do it? What's the key element. We want to be GEARED to GOD's will.

Gear me LORD! Gear me!

Hi Jema, True. The unbeliever won't know. That's the mercy of God.

Hi Chris, I was thinking, overall, what an icky thought it is, to stop existing.

I know people that don't believe in Christ. They are so secular that they are disinterested and bored with the topic of their eternal destination, Sad.

But, you brought up a whole new subject that bears discussion. And, that would be the rapture. I believed in the rapture for a good thirty plus years. It was a shock to my system (it even made me angry) to discover that there is no rapture of the Left Behind type.

I did to a great deal of reading, both for and against the rapture. It is too big a topic for this forum. Suffice it to say, if we look at the Biblical history, we will be here for tribulation. But, God will protect and provide as he did for the Israelites at the Exodus. And, as he provided a way out of Jerusalem in AD 70 for the Christian's.

"Say to them of a fearful heart, Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense, He will come and save you." This verse brings tears of relief to me and makes me want to hug God.

Are you saying, Shabbat Keeper, that it would be a scary thought that unbelievers will just cease to exist upon dying? Just clarifying. But if that is the case, I doubt if it would be scary for them since they have already died ( Ecclesiastes 9:5) - or have I missed something?

If I were an unbeliever & continued to resist the Gospel of Salvation, knowing that only death & no more was the end of my mortal existence, I would live it up even more while I still have breath - for tomorrow I die & will be no more. What then is the Gospel that we preach? For what purpose did Christ have to come & die? Why did He have to bear the sins of the world with God's Wrath/Punishment, if the unbeliever has none of it to confront him after death? And lastly, if death alone is the punishment, then both believer & unbeliever alike have to face death one day if the Lord tarries. Now if the believer by his faith & God's Mercy never ever tastes of physical death (maybe he gets to old age & then raptured), then maybe there is some small message of hope to the unbeliever in such a Gospel.

I typed this in a hurry. It was a thought that came to me this morning, and I felt led of God to share it.

There is a BOOK it's the LAMBS book of life. Your name needs to be there, and so does mine.

You must've not read were I typed "All those things are good", but I get it.

We can justify ourselves, or we can be justified by the only who can do that for us.

I make no apologies for my comment. I did read yours. However it didn't convince me of anything more important

than having my name written in the LAMBS book of LIFE.

My intention was not to convey anything other than that. "All those things are good" but the most important thing

above all else is that your name is written in the that BOOK. The LAMBS BOOK of LIFE.

Sorry, that was hello. Excuse my typo.

Hell Jema,

Totally agree with your comments of the state of soul in death and totally agree that eternal life is granted only to those in Christ.

Scary thought to cease to exist! But, that's exactly right! The satanic Vatican is behind the change of understanding.

Yes, Carleton,

Every human God creates is entitled to live. We have been given a "self-preservation" instinct that shows us that God wants life to not be snuffed out. We can look at every one we see through eyes of love and prayer. We can pray for Their protection and provision, their wholeness and well-being, their deliverance from evil forces, and their salvation through Christ our Lord.

We can show how we value the life of others in many ways. And we should want to bring a blessing to those we meet. We should desire to be a good example and witness for Jesus to others. And we should care in ways that meet a true need.

I hope you have a great evening, Carleton. It is always good to hear from you.

Hi, good for you to leave that church after the pastor said the KJV wasn't written by God! That is true discernment!

A South African Seventh Day Adventist pastor named Walter Veith has a great series on the subject of Bible translations . It is quite lengthy. It's on YouTube channel called, "Clash of Minds". On the homepage of that YouTube channel, you can find the series called " Total Onslaught". Specifically Videos #13 and #14.

The Total Onslaught series has 35 videos. They are all over an hour. Anyway, maybe Pastor Veith can be your pastor:). He is a comforting person to listen to and has quite a personal testimony. I listen to him and trust him.

I pray the peace of God cover you and bless you. :) much love in Christ. Amen!

God's word is the way lover that the Heavenly Father shows his grace, kindness, and mercy to the regretted soul and is willing to change for the best life in Jesus Christ.

97MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

98Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

100I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

101I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

102I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

103How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Christian Greetings GIGI, I like your thoughts, especially about the circle that is here in this little online fellowship! Here we can try to express our understandings without a face or a smile or handshake and it is good. I began with the thought of sacredness of life and its various relationships in doctrine and practice of the Church in the visible form. With bodies! Sacred is holy and a new born member of the living church is known by name and perhaps family. Paul noted that brethren gave he and Barnabus "the right hand of fellowship". This greeting is good but misses the depth of the bond of love in the practice of the holy kiss. Members can know (the practice still sometimes used is brothers with brothers and sisters with sisters with a dry kiss) the mutual love and rich blessing on occasion.

I think this scripture is an important foundation to the sacredness of life and the holy salutation (by the lips).

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart feverently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" 1 Peter 1:22-23

It is the pureness of this kiss because such a change was made that passes that unfeigned love and it makes for unity by the Spirit.

This practice for those that practice it at all is hard on the flesh and therefore somewhat rare in occurence. It takes a little extra grace to move from the name and handshake and initiate the Kiss. So then the Holy Kiss is related not only to the sacredness of life but also to the very present Church of believers and the lack of resistance by grace by the flesh to heed to the spiritual.

My after lunch thoughts.

:)

Shabbat Keeper"

You said in your post that according to John Wesley,"Michael here is commonly supposed to mean Christ."So you are working with the supposition that "The early Protestant leaders believed" it be. And you are also believing in their suppositions and false interpretations of the Word of GOD spreading here and elsewhere what they preached according to their suppositiions, and speculations, and conjectures.

You posted that a certain Joo Gill said: "and is no other than Christ the Son of God, an uncreated angel who is 'one' or the first of the chief princes." But What does the Word of GOD say? Hebrews 1:1-8

1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the EXPRESS IMAGE of THE PERSON of GOD the Father, and upholding all things by the word of His power( Matthew 28:18.Take a look), when Had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

4Being made so much better THAN THE ANGELS, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent NAME than they.

5For UNTO WHICH OF THE ANGELS said He(GOD the Father)at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?(Yeah, to which of the angels GOD the Father said that?)

6And again,when GOD bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world,He saith, And let all the angels of GOD worship Him.

7And of the angels GOD saith,Who maketh His angels spirits(winds),and His ministers a flame of fire.

8But unto the Son GOD the Father saith:Thy throne,O God,is for ever and ever:a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

JESUS is God,the KING of the kings,and LORD of the lords,understand?Even Michael said to Joshua:I am the captain of the host of the LORD.(Michael is a lord too)

Shabbat Keeper"

What you are preaching is not true, but a false interpretation of the Word of GOD. Unfortunately you have drunk from the cup of demons and are scattering the chaff you received from them. No surprise for the Word is GOD, self-executing, and by His Spirit warned His people saying:"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,giving heed to seducing spirits,and doctrines of devils;Speaking lies in hypocrisy;having their conscience seared with hot iron-1Ti.4:1-2

Michael was never born from the womb of Mary, Michael was never the Word made flesh as you suggest and are preaching, actually, what you are preaching it is tares invented by the spirit of lie, or rather, invented by the father of lie- John 8:44-45.

By the way, my Lord JESUS Himself sent Michael for this War against the old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan, now, in the time of Apocalypse, also is called of great Dragon- Revelation 12:9.Take a look. In fact, Michael is very very similar to JESUS, but he is not JESUS,quite the opposite,Michael is subordinate/subject/subaltern to JESUS,understand?

By the way, the MAN CHILD- Revelation 12:1-5-is Michael,not JESUS.

Furthermore, we which are alive and remain unto the coming of my Lord JESUS shall not prevent them which are asleep.For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven(in His coming)with a shout,with the voice of the archangel-MICHAEL-,and with the trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first(as is written in Daniel 12:1-3):Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord: and so shall we ever be with the Lord, according to the preaching of Paul Apostle to the Church of Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 4. Take a look.

You must to re-study the matter and to stop preaching that satanic lie of the father of lie. In fact, the battle, the War, is against him and his messengers, not against you in person.

The Word is GOD,self-executable,understand?

Sharon51051,

I am in agreement with what GiGi has shared and if I might "piggyback" and share something, in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, Paul gives instructions concerning dress.

To adorn means to dress. In fact, the Greek word is where we get our word cosmetics from. To put on an appearance would be a good general description of what he's saying here. Modest apparel is something that's orderly, acceptably, and decent.

The word shamefacedness is an old English word representing the Greek word that has to do with orderly or Godly fear.

Paul goes on to say not with broided, or braided hair. This has to do with that in those times, the women would braid their hair and then wrap it up into a bun. They used to call it the "bee-hive."



So they would wrap their hair up on top of their head, and then they would weave jewelry in and out of it. And then they would go to church. Do you think anyone's going to notice them? Oh yes!

But you see, that's the whole point here. With braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly garments. But be presentable in that which becomes women who profess godliness that they belong to God, through good works. The word good (Agathos) is spiritual good.



In essence, what he's saying is don't be a distraction. Don't try to "gussy" yourself up to look your absolute best so that people would notice you.



On the other hand, don't try to dress as lousy as you can so that people notice you. People are going to notice you and be distracted from the purpose of being there, which is to learn of the Lord and worship Him, and have fellowship together.

God bless!!!

Hello Carleton,

Yes, there are so many ways we can give love to others. Brethren in Christ can greet each other in holy ways. Paul speaks of a "holy kiss". That must have been customary to do so in His culture. In ours, a "holy hug", "handshake", or "pat on the shoulder" can be such as a holy kiss. A cheerful, friendly, and sincere verbal greeting is always welcome. Willingness to stop and pray for or with someone is another way we engage lovingly with others. Sharing meals with others works well.

We can become isolated from the love and affections so easily in our fast paced lifestyles, and especially online, it is easy to be aloof even when posting thoughts. I do know there are many on this forum who do not or rarely post, but they are ones in our fellowship circle here. We should be mindful and prayerful for these who do not communicate much, but read what is posted. May they all be blessed this day in the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Hello Kstott,

You can find accounts of John the Baptist int he beginning chapters of each gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Read Matthew and Luke first, then Mark, then John.

Hi Sharon,

In Genesis you can read how Isaac's servant, Eliezar, took jewelry with him to the family of Rebekkah and when taking her for Isaac's wife, put bracelets, necklaces and a ring in her nose. This was customary practice for that time and was not disallowed by Scripture.

In Paul's epistle, he does speak of women adorning themselves with humility and godliness, as opposed to the proud way women displayed themselves at that time with fine jewels and clothing and hairstyles. He was not prohibiting the wearing of such things, but speaking to the way a Christian woman should wish to be adorned inwardly, in her character that shows forth in her way of life, which commends her to others, whether she wears jewelry, braids her hair, or by her clothing. The inward character defines a person, not what is shown outwardly as far as fashion.

Very true, Amasuca, our pedigree or credentials do not merit us anything before God.

yet, we are to study and show ourselves approved of God. So, we are not to turn away from study of God's Word, using the mind God blessed us with to understand what the Spirit is teaching us in our studies. And if we are able to write thoughtful words that align with Scripture, that skill can be used of God to help others understand spiritual ideas. If we have a gift for orating, then God can use that speech to help others learn and mature in Christ. We should apply ourselves in every way God avails to take hold of the truth of Scripture and to draw near to God in Christ. We can train our minds to learn from Scripture, the preaching and teaching of others, and from our times of quietly meditating on the things of God while the Holy Spirit fills us with understanding in all of these instances.

It is better to become literate than to remain illiterate. Being literate and able to read and reason allows us to not only learn from Scripture but also to be discerning of what others say about God and His Word, being able to recognize false teaching from true teaching.

Yet, God is above and beyond our abilities or lack thereof and is more than able to bring truth to our inward being. He is the One who provides and allows us to come to know the truth and Him in Jesus Christ.