SPECIAL EDITION:

Why Isn’t the Bible Enough?

Part 1 in a series

by Ken Pullen

ACP

Wednesday, January 7th 2015

“1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

The Apostle Paul’s letter to his tireless co-worker in the faith, Timothy — 2 Timothy 4:1-5 – King James Version

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

2 Timothy 4:3 — New International Version

“For there will be a time when they will not obey sound teaching, but they will multiply teachers to themselves, according to their desires, and with an itching of their sense of hearing,”

2 Timothy 4:3 — Aramaic Bible in Plain English

“A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear.”

2 Timothy 4:3 — God’s Word Translation

“I solemnly charge you before God and the Messiah Yeshua, who will judge the living and the dead when he appears and establishes his Kingdom: proclaim the Word! Be on hand with it whether the time seems right or not. Convict, censure and exhort with unfailing patience and with teaching. For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear.  Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths. But you, remain steady in every situation, endure suffering, do the work that a proclaimer of the Good News should, and do everything your service to God requires.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 — Complete Jewish Bible

The times the Apostle Paul warned his faithful co-worker in the faith, Timothy, about are our current times. Paul was instructing Timothy and professed believers in God and Jesus as Lord, Saviour, and Messiah that there was coming a time when THEY — not the heathen, not the non-believing, but professed believers would turn from sound doctrine, turn from the truth, turn from the word of God and follow false teachers which taught them what they wanted to hear rather than the truth of Scripture!

And this time the Apostle Paul wrote of is not some ancient history, or something far into the future — the apostle, led by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling him, and his experience with Jesus our Lord and Saviour and Messiah is NOW!

Jesus said to him, ” I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus the Lord, God come to earth as God-man, speaking in the Gospel of John — John 14:6

Jesus is LIFTED UP as an EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE to those who know the word of God is inerrant and the words of truth as given by the Holy Spirit who touched and indwelt the men chosen by God to give His word to every man, women, and child on earth who would seek Him and seek the truth!

Jesus is ELEVATED because Jesus was not a mere man of sinful nature as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. were. They were mere men. Born into sin and of sinful nature. Not the only begotten Son of God who was with God from before the beginning and was with God always and came to this earth to live, teach, die and then conquer death on the third day arising renewed making the promise true!

21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25 — King James Version

“He never sinned, and he never told a lie.”

1 Peter 2:22 — New International Version

“Christ never committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully.”

1 Peter 2:22 — God’s Word Translation

“For it is a grace when someone, because he is mindful of God, bears up under the pain of undeserved punishment.  For what credit is there in bearing up under a beating you deserve for doing something wrong? But if you bear up under punishment, even though you have done what is right, God looks on it with favor.  Indeed, this is what you were called to; because the Messiah too suffered, on your behalf, leaving an example so that you should follow in his steps.

 “He committed no sin,
nor was any deceit found on his lips.”

When he was insulted, he didn’t retaliate with insults; when he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but handed them over to him who judges justly.  He himself bore our sins in his body on the stake,so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness — by his wounds you were healed. For you used to be like sheep gone astray, but now you have turned to the Shepherd, who watches over you.”

1 Peter 2: 19-25 — Complete Jewish Bible

(See also; James 1:13-14; John 1:12; John 1:29, 36; Hebrews 4:15-16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 5:3-5; Hebrews 13:12; Exodus 12:3,6; Leviticus 17:11; Titus 1:2; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 2:23; Hebrews 9:22; Hebrews 9:9-10; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. — no man or woman or child who ever lived, who ever now lives, and who is yet to live can make the claim they are the Son of God and were spotless, without blemish — without any sin, not even thinking sinful thoughts! Sent to earth to take on the sins of every person who has, does, or will ever breath air on this earth created by His Father as the Sacrificial Lamb so we might have salvation!

To lower Jesus, Who was and is and always will be God to the level of a mere man is blasphemy and a false teaching. Such a man or woman teaching such unsound and deadly doctrine should not be followed and revered and become a so-called prominent leader of so-called professed Christians!

We are not to lower God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the inerrant word of God down to our level! We are to strive, to work tirelessly, to ask for increased strength, wisdom, discernment to rise up higher towards God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the inerrant word of God!

Why isn’t the Bible enough for people? For professed believers!? Why must they stray and lean towards false teachings and false teachers — wolves in sheep’s clothing devouring them and leading them to death! Not leading them to increased enlightenment on the truth of Scripture! Which is what these false teachers avoid at all costs. They all avoid and corrupt and pervert the truth of the word of God and ever increase their followers because they give the people what the people want to hear rather than what the people need to hear and abide by and follow!

Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. were not God come to earth, sinless, spotless, to teach us the ways of God and to die for our sins and to resurrect from the dead! They were mere sinful men. Period. Not to be worshipped or adored or praised. We are to adore, worship, and praise only God and Jesus the Lord, Saviour, and Messiah.

There is only one way to eternal life — to heaven — and that is through belief in and taking up one’s cross and following, and obeying the only true Lord, Saviour, and Messiah, Jesus,, Yeshua, the only begotten Son of God!

One cannot mingle and corrupt and pervert Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age Movement teachings (Theism , Pantheism  and elevation and worship of self, or the earth, and the resurrection of paganism and evil mysticism and beliefs presented in a benign manner pleasing to the people and readily adopted, leading them to their death, no matter if they say they believe in Jesus and are His disciple — one cannot serve two masters, one cannot serve Satan and also God and Jesus the Lord, and to adopt and follow any New Age doctrine is to serve and follow Satan and not God or Jesus the Lord) any “ism” or any trendy feel-good self-help psycho-babble and also claim to be disciples of Jesus and on their way to heaven and eternal life.

To be continued —