What Does the Bible Say About Why the Bible Was Written #6?

In this final episode of why the Bible was written, Arnie and Fred note that it teaches how to live as a Christian. We discuss the fact that all of the New Testament epistles were written to and for Christians. In the second chapter to Titus, Paul said that God's grace teaches us what we must deny and also specifies how we should live. In the second chapter of Peter's first epistle, he describes God's people in verse 9. We discuss that description. We talk about what Paul said about the Christians at Rome in the first verse of that letter. Paul also addressed the disciples in Ephesus in the first verse of chapter one. We look at that. Likewise, we note what Peter said in the first verse of his second epistle. We talk about how Paul told Timothy and Titus that Christians are required to live acceptably unto God. The Bible teaches how a disciple develops and grows or doesn't grow as a child of God. We note what Jesus, Paul and the Hebrew writer say about this. We close out this episode by noting that the Bible reveals the destiny of our souls, telling us that our souls continue to live after the body dies. We talk about what Jesus said about this when He discussed the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16. Jesus tells us of the judgment scene where He will judge everyone. We talk about what He says about that. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this episode provided for your convenience.

Transcript

Fred Gosnell: 0:00

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net or to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com

Arnie: 0:34

Good afternoon. This is Arnie Granke and Fred Gosnell. We're with the church of Christ at Woodland in Sumter, South Carolina. We hope that if you happen to be in the area, that you'll, that you'll drop in and visit us on the Lord's day for worship or Bible class, and also on Wednesday evenings. Fred and I have been talking about why the Bible was written. We've had several installments on that conversation. We've talked about the nature of God and the purpose of man, the nature of sin being one of the factors in it being written; the identity of the Messiah, or Christ, the source of salvation, faith in Christ, and what that involves. It identifies the Lord's church. Just who is it and and where can it be found? How would you identify it and and teaches how to become saved. And I don't know if anything that's more important, perhaps for you as well than, than that topic. Fred and I would like to try to talk about how we ought to be living as Christians, because the Bible tells us about that. And if we have the opportunity, we want to speak about the the destiny of the soul being revealed in the word of of God as well. So we welcome you to be with us and and we, we hope that you'll find this discussion to be beneficial to you.

Fred Gosnell: 2:17

Okay, Arnie. Well, of course, all the epistles, the letters, were were written to and for Christians. And and Titus, or Paul, wrote to Titus in Titus, chapter two gave us some some guidance as to what we ought to, how we ought to live. And verses 11 through 14, he begins there, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. So, so there's a standard that Christians are are to go by. They are to deny ungodliness. Of course, there's lots of ungodly people around. Christians should not look like the people of the world. We we ought to behave differently. And of course, the guidance is provided to us by Paul and the rest of the apostles in these epistles that were written to each Christian. And of course, the reason is that we are reminded that Jesus gave himself for us and and the reason he gave himself for us he went to the cross and died was to redeem us from all iniquity. Of course, iniquity or sin, that's our problem. That's what separates us from God. So the letters give us guidance on how to live as a Christian.

Arnie: 3:52

Well, and we would certainly wouldn't want to lead you to believe that we were an exception to that rule. Both of us were in the world before we obeyed the gospel and and hopefully have have grown into mature Christians over the course of of many years, and we certainly hope that you will do the same thing as well in in obeying the gospel. Peter also speaks along that line, Fred and, and he says, in first, Peter, chapter, chapter two, and, and, we'll, we'll begin. We'll begin there in, in verse nine, just, just that one verse he, he says, You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Both of these passages, the one Fred read from Titus two and and now in in first, Peter chapter two, speak of us, speak of Christians as a peculiar people. That doesn't mean that we're weird in some way. What it what it means actually, literally, is a people of God's own choosing, and he has taken us out of the world, hopefully voluntarily, in our part, and that we're not in the world anymore. And that's a different thing most of the world is unfamiliar with that they have difficulty understanding that sometimes. So we wanted to think about that just exactly, how are we different from the from the rest of the world? Are we different in in the things that we say, the things that we do, maybe even the things that we eat or drink, the relationships that we have with with other disciples, even within our in our own family. And and do we meet that standard as well? And, and that's certainly a measuring stick that that everyone should use to know whether or not they are one of God's chosen, not that he chose them above anybody else, but but chosen in the sense that he's chosen us all. And then we have the the choice ourselves of whether to obey the gospel or not.

Fred Gosnell: 6:47

Yes. And he wrote to the Romans the the first chapter, and in verse seven, Paul says that, To all that be in Rome beloved of God. So these are, these are Christians, uh, Called saints, Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The word saints there, that's the noun form of the word, when you see the word sanctified in the Bible, that's that's a verb, and sanctified means to be holy, to be made holy. So so the sanctified are saints. And of course, Paul identifies these as beloved of God. And of course that these are, these are people who obeyed the gospel. And as Peter says, The Lord added those who obeyed the gospel to the church. And so, and now they are called saints. They had been made holy, set apart by by the Lord, peculiar people.

Arnie: 7:46

Paul is is writing in Ephesians, chapter one again. One of the things about Paul is, Paul had been in the world too. If you hadn't realized that he had been a been a Jew. He was very strong on Judaism when he was when he was that, but he, he persecuted those who were obeying the gospel until he finally obeyed the gospel himself. But that's another, another story for another day. Writing to the Ephesians. In Ephesians, chapter one and and verse one, he identifies himself, saying, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints, just as the other passage that Fred read said called to be saints. Here he says, To the saints, which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ, Jesus. So I think what he's speaking of there is, is a particular group of saints are the recipients of this letter, in Eph, in Ephesians, one, the people at Ephesus, disciples at at Ephesus. But all who have obeyed the gospel also should be reading that as well. And that's why we have the the New Testament, all of us, not just the part maybe that we thought was important, whatever that may have been, but but we should all read it and read it over and over again, so that we remain faithful in Christ Jesus, and recognize what it means for us to be sanctified in Christ.

Fred Gosnell: 9:45

Yes and Peter again, as Peter addresses his first, second epistle in Second, Peter, one, verse one, he says, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. So So Peter says he, of course, he identifies himself as an apostle, as Paul does as well, but he he adds a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. So, of course, Peter was had become a very humble individual after he had denied the Lord three times, and he he had repented of that, and now he was a faithful apostle and a servant. And his is addressed to to them that have obtained like precious faith. So this is addressed to all Christians that have have obtained a the like precious faith. Of course, this faith that he's talking about is the same faith that Jude said that was once delivered to the saints in the first century. So and this faith that had they had obtained, they obtained it when they obeyed the gospel, and it was through the righteousness of God and Jesus our Savior. So he addresses his epistle to a specific a specific group Christians, those who had obtained the same faith that Peter had. Of course, that's the faith that the apostles preached.

Arnie: 11:13

And and just as Paul was was noted for having been all over Western or rather Eastern Europe, there in in Greece, eventually into into Italy as well. But he'd also been in Asia, what's now Turkey, and also in the in the Mediterranean and Timothy as well had traveled quite a bit. He was one of Paul's troubleshooters you might think of as as him being, going to places where disciples were having difficulty and and trying to help help with that. Paul writes to Timothy in First Timothy, chapter three and verse 14, and he and he is is addressing the fact that we as Christians are required to live acceptably before God. Here's what he said in beginning in verse 14, These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto you shortly. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. You see the church being referred to in three different ways here, being being spoken of as the church, but also spoken of as as God's house, and being spoken of as the pillar and and ground of of the truth. And the the reason, reason for that is that he's identifying here how we as Christians need to to live acceptably in God. I know people, and most of us probably do. Most of you probably do as well, who profess to be Christians, but their behavior is very much in the world, whether they're speaking of of honesty and an and integrity, whether they're speaking of of morality, whether they're even thinking about God at all, they'll profess to be Christians, although it's not very evident that that that's the case. We need to, we need to live and behave ourselves certain ways, if we're in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and ground of the truth?

Fred Gosnell: 13:59

Yes. And let's go back to Titus two again, and just look at those passages that we read before. Notice, notice again, the specific things that Paul tells Titus here, beginning in verse 11, he says, The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. And notice what it teaches us. It teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto us a people for His own possession, zealous of good works. So so we we have to deny ungodliness and deny worldly lust, the worldly lust you were talking about, that that people get involved in. We have to live soberly, control ourselves, what we do and and righteously. We live righteously when we do what God tells us to do, what the apostles have written. And he says, Looking for that blessed hope, we ought to be looking for what's after this life, not what's right in this life right now. Too many times, we get too much focused in the world and we're not looking toward the hope that we have after this.

Arnie: 15:22

That's, that's very true and and while many people that we know who who consider themselves to be Christians seem to have, seem to have a very basic, if, if any knowledge of the Bible, we ought to be growing in our knowledge of God's word. Of course, that comes through, through reading and studying of His of His word and and, of course, applying it in our in our everyday life. And and so it's essential that we have a Bible, possibly several Bibles. Start with one and, and as you grow, you may decide that you that you want to get some other versions as well, and and see how those are, how those are written, but, but you want to develop and become more mature as a child of God, not the same as you were 20 years ago when you obeyed the gospel, but you should be more mature, as we would expect a 20 year old to be, more mature than than a little child in in the way that he thinks and and acts and and his knowledge and understanding and ability to to to study God's Word. So John is, is writing there and and he says in, in John, John five, speaking, speaking, writing the words of of Christ. It says, The Father Himself, which has sent me, hath born witness of Me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape, and you have not His word abiding in you for whom he hath sent him, ye believe not. Ye search the scriptures for in them, you think yet they have eternal you have eternal life. And they are there which testify of Me. You know, this is a tragic thing, as Jesus was here on Earth, as as a Jew, but also traveling around and and teaching what would become the gospel to various people throughout throughout Israel there, they should have learned and understood, but many of the of the people there throughout that country, refused to obey the gospel. They, in fact, very often argued against Jesus. They didn't they didn't like anything that he stood for. They felt that everything that he did was somehow a violation of God's will and and yet failed to realize that it was actually the fulfillment of of God's will. So they even sought to kill Jesus after his several times. The first time, I think was was after he had had healed a man at at the pool of Bethesda and and which was a mikva. The man couldn't get into the pool to cleanse himself or possibly even even have his disability removed. And Jesus healed him. They were critical of that. It was if Jesus had done some hard, difficult laborers piece of work, and he didn't. He just said, said a few words and and the man was was healed. So it's, it's a shame that people don't always understand that, and many that have been, professed to be Christians for quite a while can be among that number as well.

Fred Gosnell: 19:32

Yes. And of course, it takes effort to grow as as a disciple of Christ. And Paul was a, used the the Grecian games, and the people that participated in those games a number of times. And in Second Timothy two, five, he says, If a man also strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned unless he strives lawfully. Of course, if an individual is involved in the games, he has to follow the rules of the games. If he violates the rules and he he can't win, he's disqualified. And of course, the the application is, the disciple of Christ has to in order to grow properly, you have to do so lawfully. And of course, lawfully is you have to stay within, within the law of Christ. You have to use what we've been given, the guidance we've been given on how to grow, how to become a mature Christian and and if, if we don't follow those, those rules, we will not be given the crown of life at some time, at the end of our lives, we have to strive, we have to work lawfully. And, you know, an interesting thing, you know, there's a lot of people, for instance, they're they're football fanatics. They know all of the rules in football.

Arnie: 20:47

All of the players.

Fred Gosnell: 20:48

All the players, all the rules, and they know somebody violates the rule and they are penalized. Well, but when it comes to their their faithful lives with the Lord, they don't necessarily know what the rules are, and if they do, they they violate them. And so you know, and it's even more

Arnie: 21:05

So, you know, as Fred suggests, here, really there, important to strive lawfully for the LORD than it is to know laws there are many people that fail to grow as they as they ought, or rules of football. The benefit for the Christian is as Christians. And the writer of the Hebrew letter speaks along much more than watching a game. that line as well. In Hebrews chapter five, beginning in verse 12, he said, For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one to teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not solid food. That that's a sad situation, almost as if you're in 12th grade, but, but you really don't know any more or behave any differently than than a first grader does. And that's kind of the basic idea that that the Hebrew writer is speaking of, and and then verse 13, he says, For everyone that partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he's a babe, But solid food belongs to them that are mature. Even those who, by practice, have their senses trained. They've trained themselves to discern good and evil. Let that be our objective. We hope that'll be your objective, as well as, if you're a Christian already or considering obeying the gospel.

Fred Gosnell: 22:58

Yes. And then, of course, the Bible tells us the destiny of our soul, tells us what's going to happen when we die. And of course, Ecclesiastes, 12, seven, the the first thing that it tells us is that, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit shall return to God that gave it. So when, we die, our body ultimately will turn, turn back to dust and but our spirit and our soul, they return to God. God's the one that makes disposition of the soul. Everything's not over when we die. The only thing that stops is our physical body. We stop breathing. But our, our soul goes on to Hades and and to await there the resurrection. So, so the Bible tells us that. You can't see the soul. You can't see where it goes, but, but the Bible has told us that's what happens.

Arnie: 23:57

And, and it's a it's a sad thing that, since we all up to this point in time anyway, have faced death at some particular point and and probably for us for another time to come, it's it's a sad thing that people are confused about that. They see a body lying in a casket, or maybe, maybe he's just fallen down on the street and hasn't reached the point of being taken care of by a by a funeral home, or something along that that line. It's a sad thing that people don't realize that's not the end, that there is a life afterward. And and by the way, that body will be resurrected at some at some later date, but in the meantime, the spirit continues to live, and the place where it lives is determined by our behavior as as Christians. In Matthew, chapter 10 and verse 28 Jesus is, is sending the his, his 12 disciples out on, on what we speak of as being the, the limited commission, it's, it's a limited number of people, just 12 of them going to a limited location, just the children of of Israel, for a very brief period of of time. And and as he sends them forth, he he counsels them in verse 28 of Matthew 10, Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him who, who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Gehenna is a word, is a Hebrew word for for Hell, and we certainly need to fear that.

Fred Gosnell: 26:05

Yes, and Jesus in in Luke 16, the last portion of Luke 16, he talks about what happens with with two individuals and the a Rich Man and and Lazarus. And in verses 22 and 23 of Luke 16, Jesus says, It came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, he lifted up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. So Jesus tells us here that there's, there's two places in Hades. One place is Abraham's bosom, and it's a place, it's a pleasant place, that is a place of comfort, but then the other place is a place of torment. And the rich man went there. And of course, if you read the account, you'll find out that there's a discussion that the rich man has with Abraham about the situation he's found himself in. And of course, the problem is, once we die and once God has made disposition of our soul, that can't be changed. And that's what Abraham explains to to the rich man. And of course, the rich man doesn't want his family to go where he is. He's got five brothers, and in the in the account, he wants to go and tell them this. Abraham says, You can't go back. So once we leave, once we die, once our soul goes to Hades, it's going to stay there. So so the and the Bible tells us that there's, there's no other source, reliable source that tells us what happens to our spirit and our soul after we die. The Bible tells us all about that, and it's a reliable guide for us.

Arnie: 28:00

Matthew relates to us in chapters five through seven, the sermon, what we call the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus spoke in Galilee, up on a large hill or mountain. And in Matthew seven, beginning in verse 13, he says, Enter you in at the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. And many there be that go in there at because the gate is small and the way is narrow, which leadeth unto life. And few there be that find it. That's a tragic thing. We certainly hope that you're not a part of that, that tragedy as well, unable to find that narrow gate. If we obey the gospel and do what the Lord bids in His Word, we'll be fine eternally.

Fred Gosnell: 29:01

Yes. And Jesus gives us a glimpse of the judgment scene in Matthew 25 and 31 through 34, then we're going to read verse 41 and then verse 46. So in verse 41 Jesus says, When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats, and he shall set the sheep on the right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on the right hand, Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then shall he say unto them that on the left hand, Depart from me, ye that are cursed, cursed unto everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal. So Jesus tells us what's going to happen after judgment. Nobody else knows that except Jesus. So we ought to learn that from the Bible and learn to live according to what Jesus tells us. So, as

Arnie: 30:04

So, as we said at the beginning of of this session, there are 10 reasons that we've listed that we've discussed why the Bible was written. Even if one were to contemplate all of God's creation and rightfully conclude that God is, God exists. He couldn't have guessed any of these spiritual benefits without God specifically revealing them unto him, as of course, his word does. And there are probably even more salutary purposes than these few that we've talked about these, these 10. We can only know them because God has revealed them in His Word. For that reason alone, reading and studying and learning and understanding the Bible and obeying God's will are absolutely essential. We hope that that will be what you do. And we look forward to being with you again next Lord's day, if possible. And we hope that you'll tune us in then. Have a good week.