Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Rightly Dividing

the Word of

Truth

C. L. Chapman

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Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth Book 1: On Defense: Decloaking Cults, Cultists and False Teachings, Book 2: Reaching Forth: Becoming Fruitful and Victorious in Christ

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Table of Contents

Rightly Dividing the Words of Truth

Book 1

On Defense

What is This

Information All About?

Introduction

The Nature of Man

First Thoughts

1

THE GUIDEPOSTS OF BIBLE-STUDY

The Guideposts Expounded

Guidepost 1:

Do not remove a Scripture from its Context.

Audience Analysis

Who Said It?

To Whom Was It Said?

What were the circumstances?

Is the message to or about me?

Breaking Lists:

Guidepost 2:

Do not misappropriate the message of the Word.

Guidepost 3:

Do not redefine the words of the Scriptures.

Prophecy—Prophesy

Simply Re-defining or out-and-out Lying? -

Tithing

Guidepost Four:

Do not add to the Scriptures.

Guidepost Five:

Do not take from or delete the Scriptures.

In the Garden

Editorial or Translational Additions to the Text of the Word

Guidepost Six:

Do not embrace doctrines, practices, teachings, customs or messages

that are contrary to the Scriptures.

Religious Titles

Guidepost Seven:

Do not assume the Word is saying or meaning something that is

not obvious in its message.

Communion

The Simple Truth of Baptism and Communion

Two Natures

2

Other Bible-Study

Dos and Don’ts

The Meanings of the Words

The Definitions of the Words

The Mistranslations in the Word

Connotative Meanings

Covenant

The Synonyms of Scripture—or Lack Thereof

Single Words for Several

Capitals

The Scriptures’ Figures of Speech:

Similes, Metaphors and Allegories

Incorrect Analogies

The Symbols of Scripture

Scriptural Preferences and Over-emphases

Summing Up

Scriptural Blanks (Silences)

Questioning the Father-God Regarding Why?

3

Positive Study Tips

Chapter/Verse Breaks

Might

Antecedents

4

Extra-Scriptural Topics

Traditions

Joining the Church—Church Membership

The Vanity of Church Membership

Being Brutally Frank

Aligning Your Christianity with Your Political Voice

Aligning your Christianity with Your Social Voice

The Debris of Racism

Aligning your Christianity against America’s Abominations

Holidays

Christmas

The Way to Calvary

Easter—The Resurrection

Long Time Trends

Mixing the Old with the New:

Legalism, Pseudo-legalism and Appeasement

Seventh Day or First?

Pork or No Pork?

The High Priest’s Rope

Pleading the Blood of Jesus

Today’s Trends

Free-moral Agency

Modesty

Religious Clichés

Misguided by Song

Public Ministries

Bible Editors, Commentators and Researchers

Bias

Fear of Demons

More Groundless Beliefs and Practices

Poverty

Illness

God’s Punishment

Mary, Mary, Mary, etc.

Speaking of Mary

To Whom Should We Pray?

The Makeup of Church Government

Confessionals

Pseudo-Catholicism

5

Independence

Study the Word Independently

A Short Defense

Appendices

Appendix 1

REASONS TO STUDY GOD’S WORD FROM EIGHT PERSPECTIVES

Appendix 2

COCOONING—THE CULTS AT WORK

Appendix 3

SPECIAL TRANSLATIONAL PROBLEMS

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Book 2

Reaching Forth

Introduction

1

Considering God and His Word

Two Pillars of Truth

2

The Language (Legalese) of Scripture

The Audiences of Scripture

The Purpose of Scripture

The Verbs of Scripture

Verbs as Action Words

Non-action Verbs

Shifting from Old to New

The Nouns of Scripture

3

Laying Hold on Eternal Life!

Identity

Meditation

The Mechanics of Meditation

Confession

WARNING:

The Negative Confession

Negative Voices Outside

4

Going on the Offense

The Holy Spirit and His Role

Indifference

Anticipation

Unknown Tongues

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The Prize—Bringing It All Together

Our Outfitting

Your Victory

Appendices

Appendix 4

Faith or Feeling: Good or Bad?

Appendix 5

MEDITATIONS AND CONFESSIONS

Rightly Dividing the Words of Truth

Book 1

On Defense

Decloaking Cults, Cultists and False Teachings

What is This

Information All About?

The Purpose of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: Book 1—On Defense and Book 2—Reaching Forth is to assist you, the reader, to establish a viable personal relationship between yourself and your Father-God.

There are hundreds of churches, fellowships, other organizations and groups, as well as individuals, who claim to be involved with God and His Word—the Bible. Along with these church type fellowships, there are the television and radio ministries, the internet ministries and those of this type that are print based ministries to either embrace or avoid. Most of them teach and/or practice things that separate themselves from other outreaches of the same genre.

Looking at the broad spectrum of teachings promoted by all of these various groups of Christians and folks who call themselves Christians, all of them fall into one of two categories: True and Untrue.

These two categories of teachings are each divided into subcategories:

True teachings are either Relevant or Irrelevant.

The True-Relevant teachings play a vital role in a believer’s relationship with his or her salvation and the Redeemer who wrought it.

The True-Irrelevant teachings may be interesting, but they will not be of any value relating to one’s salvation, growth or development. Even though the subject matter may be considered educational, if it does not affect the relationship between the believer and the Lord, it is of no real value.

Untrue teachings are either Irrelevant or Harmful.

The Untrue-Irrelevant teachings do nothing beyond pique a person’s interest (much like the True-Irrelevant teachings).

The Untrue-Harmful teachings are to be shunned because believing them will

1. Plant seeds of doubt in the Lord,

2. Separate one’s confidence from the Lord to something or someone else, or

3. Establish a false premise of works or appeasement of God.

At a glance you can tell that many of the arguments people have over the messages of the Scriptures are of no matter whatsoever! It is sad to see people get all upset over a moot topic! By searching the Scriptures and following some guidelines you will be able to separate or divide teachings and practices so you can either avoid, ignore or embrace them. It could be called culling teachings and practices, because that is exactly what you will be doing automatically before you know it!

One thing all the Bible teachers have in common: They all claim to believe and practice the Bible. There are so many of these ministries to choose from, and so many of them have little or no scriptural foundations for some of their stands (whatever they use to differentiate between themselves and others), yet so many of them claim to have a single-handed monopoly on the whole of God’s Truth.

For people who are particular about the results they want from fellowshipping with someone, selecting a place or type of ministry with which or with whom to fellowship over other like ministries is often mind-boggling. Regrettably, often the choice of a ministry is made based on convenience rather than any actual concern regarding with whom they will fellowship or what is taught in that ministry.

Adding to the conundrum is that in these days when someone is seeking a ministry for fellowship, one may select a ministry of a familiar type of organization or denomination, whose name is recognized, but they often find a whole new and unusual program, agenda, line of doctrines and / or practices than what they expected. Does he or she like the change? Is it a change for better or worse? Which ministry is better? Which one is right? If one ministry is right, which one is it? More importantly, why is a ministry right or wrong?

Often the decision of selecting a ministry affects a whole family. That makes the decision infinitely more important. If you expose your children to something radical, how will that affect that person in the long-term? That makes every decision important!

The pitiful part of this whole issue about right vs. wrong, and truth vs. error and the confrontations they are causing as they oppose each other is that almost everyone concerned actually believes themselves to be on the side of right and truth. Yet, looking at the issues objectively, the probability of a single organization to be correct on all aspects of Bible teachings is minuscule. If that were not the case, the majority of the various churches would not be in conflict with one another!

Meanwhile, people tend to follow what they were reared with. What if the position they were brought up on was the wrong side on some vital True-Relevant issues? Or what if they are following some Untrue-Harmful teachings?

Simply put, the questions raised here need to be answered and only you, the advised and informed Bible-student, can answer these questions correctly. You may not necessarily be a Bible student, but you better be one to the extent of defending yourself and your loved ones against the deceitful teachers that abound in this modern and mostly godless society! The answers you form may cause you to make the church-move that you have wanted to avoid, but necessity often demands such a move. You need the correct biblical information! And you will need the will and strength to respond appropriately, as led by the Lord.

You need to know how to avoid biblical errors and deception.

You need to know how to separate Truth from error.

You need to know how to deal with the errors, both those ignorance-based errors and the intentional ones.

You need to know how to deal with those who propagate and promote the errors in Bible teachings, doctrines and practices.

You need to know how to glean the Truths of the Word of God as they relate to you and your family apart from the influence of errors.

You need to know how to grow, mature and become both victorious and fruitful in the Lord.

These are the things that these two books are all about—helping you to know how to determine the Bible’s message to you and yours.

This first book, Book 1: On Defense, has two main thrusts:

It is designed to show students of the Word how to discern the difference between good sound biblical information and the bogus and erroneous misinformation that so many are embracing, not knowing that they are embracing error.

It will illustrate both errors and intended misinformation about the Bible and its contents and it will further show you how to deal with both the misinformation and those who spread it.

The second book, Book 2—Reaching Forth, explains how to glean the basic information that you need to grow on, mature in and profit spiritually from the Bible and its message.

Introduction

There is one very important difference between the Scriptures and literature: THE MESSAGE IN THE SCRIPTURES (the Bible) IS A SPIRITUAL MESSAGE. That is, the message is from a spiritual God to His people’s spirits with spiritual applications and aimed at spiritual results. Literature is not.

If there is anything you should realize with all clarity, and with absolutely no reservations, it is this: THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.

There is no other truth on earth more absolute. God is not a liar, nor is He a man that His Word is without Power, Direction, Omniscience, and Eternity. There is nothing in the universe so important to believers as the Word of God. It is absolute and living Truth and should never be taken as a mere story, fable, lesson, moral, myth, history, secret, mystery, or any of the other things that men often see in connection with the Word of God.

The Bible does not need decoding; it only needs to be understood and its message embraced! This is the concept that we hold to and follow in this composition. It is the Word of God that produces life, health, peace, victory, prosperity, deliverance and abundant blessings for believers even in these tumultuous end-times.

There are eight perspectives addressing the reasons for and advantages in studying the Bible, the Word of God (or, simply, the Word). These perspectives are found in Appendix 1. One of these perspectives may make an impression on you, showing you why you are here reading this in the first place. If nothing else, read the introduction to Appendix 1 and see some of the marvelous roles that the Word of God has had on His followers.

The Nature of Man

God is a spirit. Man was created in God’s image, therefore above anything else, man has to be a spirit, too. We, as individuals, think and act independently; therefore we have minds of our own. Of course, we all have our own bodies to house our minds and our spirits. So we are (as Scripture teaches) comprised of spirit, soul (or mind) and body. The relative importance of our components is also in that order: Spirit, soul and body (I Thessalonians 5: 23).

This should open up the realization that there exists another whole universe that consists of spirits of many sorts: God (good); Satan (evil), angels (those from God, as well as those fallen ones that are bound in chains of darkness), various elements of both God’s and Satan’s kingdoms, (which will include not only demons and their Strongholds, but Principalities, Powers, Spiritual Wickedness in High Places and Rulers of Darkness) as well as human spirits, both the renewed (re-created or regenerated) and the un-renewed (un-recreated). It is the role of redeemed man to reign supreme over all of these spirits except man’s Redeemer, God, by the use of the name of Jesus.

Now, repeating, The Bible— the Word of God— is a spiritual book. In our educations, we have been taught to read and comprehend with our minds. However, regarding the Word of God, we are supposed to comprehend it with our spirits. This is the reason so many people find the Bible hard to understand and why there are so many churches, ministries and cults teaching so many widely separated views and so many absolutely weird things. This is also why so many have tried to decode the Bible and its content, and have failed miserably in so doing!

If we try to understand the Bible using only our intellects, then we will have divisions of thought, various opinions, complicated versions, inadequate paraphrasings, many churches and an even wider selection of individual beliefs, forms, formulas, and practices, and hence, RELIGIONS.

Right here, right now, know this: Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a living relationship between the Father-God and His Children, established by the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, and maintained by the Holy Spirit through the spirits of God’s children.

When people add to that relationship their formulas, practices, rituals, memberships, and all the other things churches, ministries and cults teach and practice, religion results. The point is for you to take advantage of this information by being Christian rather than religious.

Note: If you are not a Christian, a believer (one who has made a choice to accept Christ as both Savior and Lord according to Romans 10: 9 and 10), follow the instructions found in those verses:

That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

Essential Point: The belief in the heart is absolutely necessary before the confession with the mouth is valid. Anyone may say something to indicate that they have received Christ, but it may not be of the heart. Because, as you will soon see as you read, faith is not an emotion. You can make sure that your confession of Christ with your mouth is valid by making a conscious decision to accept as absolute fact that Christ was crucified in your place for your sins, and that because He did that for you personally, you will live for Him personally. As you will also soon find out, living for Christ is done by allowing Him to live in and through you.

Other things that you may have associated with accepting Christ as Savior will be dealt with later: Baptism, church membership, Communion and other privileges and duties, real or imagined. The main thrust in this note is to ascertain that you are indeed capable of taking full advantage of this introduction to the Scriptures!

Notice: All Scripture references in this document are modernized King James Translation unless otherwise noted.

Notice: The Scriptures listed for you are usually not the only ones that say the same or similar things. If you desire more than one Scripture to confirm a point that has been made, refer to your concordance and you can probably find other Scriptures.

First Thoughts

What difference does it make if a person knows all there is to know about God and spiritual things or not? Knowing all about God and spiritual things is a mighty big stretch and it may be too much to try to handle. However, not knowing what blessings are available for someone may cause that person to miss out on those blessings. Equally important (and maybe more-so) is the basic relationship between God and a person who may certainly be stressed when that person believes and/or practices error.

Jesus said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second one is like it; ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22: 37—40)

So this viewpoint expressed by Jesus lays the groundwork for this premise: Any doctrine, practice or concept that assaults the principles of either of these commandments is a false doctrine, illicit practice or destructive concept (an Untrue-Harmful teaching!).

Philosophies, doctrines, concepts or practices that

1. Reduce God to man’s level,

2. Elevate man to God’s level,

3. Contradict God’s role as God, His Word as Truth, or His Redemptive Works as either natural or unessential for salvation,

4. Emphasize someone or something that can be positioned between God and His redeemed ones, or

5. Assault the trust, assurance or love that enlivens the relationship between God and man shall be considered vain philosophies, false doctrines or misguided practices according to what Jesus said about the First Commandment.

By looking at the promise that is connected to the relationship between the Father-God and His redeemed ones, it will be easy to assess the importance of a direct relationship with Him rather than allowing anyone or anything to stand between you and Him. (John 14:11–23)

Jesus spoke to His disciples a few hours before He was crucified. Here are the points that He made:

John 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

First, one is to believe Jesus and the Father are united, even if he has to look at the physical evidence rather than take Jesus’ words for it.

12. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Next, you are promised the ability to do as Jesus had done and more-so because He was going to the Father to see to it.

13. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Directly related to that promise is another: Whatever you would ask of the Father in Jesus’ name, the Father would do.

14. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Added to that promise is yet another: Jesus would himself do whatever you will ask of Him in His name.

15. "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Then He gave the simple charge to keep His commandments if you love Him (V. 15). This is followed by yet another promise (Vv. 16–18):

Jesus will pray for you and the Father will send the Holy Spirit to you as a Helper who will live, not only with you, but in you forever. He is the Spirit of Truth who will lead you into all truth. Jesus Himself promised to return to you.

19. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

The last promise is a guarantee: Because Jesus lives, you will also live!

20. At that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in Me, and I in you.

Not only will you be alive because He is alive, but you will understand the unity between yourself, the Father and the Son.

21. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Then Jesus lays down the principle that when you keep His commandments, it is because you love Him, and furthermore, because of your love for Jesus, the Father will love you and Jesus will manifest Himself to you.

22, 23. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Verse 23 reaffirms the principle and Jesus promises that both Jesus and the Father will come and live with you. In this principle, notice it is Love that produces obedience to His commandments.

Notice: The two commandments in Matthew 22: 37–40 (above) are included along with all of His commandments (or His Words)!

Just be sure to read the content of this passage carefully. No one else is mentioned in these relationships or accompanying promises: No doctrines, churches, saints or anyone or anything else. The promises and the relationships involved here are for only you, from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

While the First Commandment to which Jesus referred deals with man’s relationship with God, the Second Commandment regards man’s relationship with other men. When man creates regulations and dogmas that elevate himself or some other person over other people whereby he presents himself or some other person as being superior over them, especially over the Lord’s people, whether it be by title (real or imagined role of superiority), knowledge (education, special knowledge—real or imagined), strength, gifts (whether real or imagined), numbers (whereby one group outvotes or otherwise outnumber the other group), or any other means to control, disrespect, dishonor, besmirch, insult, dominate or regulate or any type of slavery or any other subjugation, those regulations and/or dogmas are false doctrines according to this Second Commandment.

The following confrontation between Jesus and Peter serves as an example of the latter case. Peter evidenced a mindset to interfere with the relationship between John and Jesus, but Jesus would not have it. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and the Father-God is the Head Supreme of everything; anything or anyone who attempts to alter these roles and their relationships is trespassing against them! This incident is recorded in the last chapter of John’s Gospel when Jesus gave some last-minute messages to various disciples, including Peter and John. He concluded speaking to Peter by saying, Follow Me (John 21: 19).

Then John records this:

Peter, seeing John, asked Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do?

Jesus then told Peter, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? Follow Me.

Verse 23 records the turn of events this way:

Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple [John] should not die. Yet Jesus said not to him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you?

This is an example of how people—honest, well-intending though they be—twist the facts. The first element of certainty one should recognize in this passage is that a person has his or her own relationship with the Lord and it is not subject to anyone else.

It was none of Peter’s business what the Lord was about with John. This may upset some church elders or ministers who try to control their parishioners, but what the Lord does with one person is not another person’s affair!

In the same vein, the Lord does not deal with groups. He deals with individuals only, and when people think that they receive blessings from God because they belong to a particular group, even though that group may be a church, they are sadly mistaken.

The second truth illustrates the tendency for people to repeat what Jesus says. It is only natural to cling to every syllable that comes from the lips of the Master. However, it is desirable that every clung-to syllable should be a correct syllable, too! That is why the Word emphasizes exactly what the Lord said rather than allowing a misrepresentation or an assumption to usurp the intended meaning.

In this case the whole message got twisted. This is not unusual. This is one of the main problems regarding biblical understanding: Misquoting or misapplying the Word. Misquoting Scripture is one of the main fountains that produce a stream of biblical error, whether the simple misquotation or designed perversion of the Word. Misapplying the words is also a major problem. People do not seek out to whom the words were addressed; they only assume they were addressed to the reader.

Finally, the lesson in this passage establishes the necessity for the absolute best translations of the Scriptures. You should use a Bible that is as close to a literal translation as you can find. (For study purposes, avoid the paraphrased editions; they are only man’s opinions of what the Word is saying. Some opinions may be good, but the vast majority of them are bad. By using paraphrased editions, a person can make the Bible say anything they may want it to say. Many paraphrasing editors are on an agenda and may not even know the Lord.) Be sure to get a reliable translation of the Bible and use other translations and dictionaries (preferably Greek and Hebrew dictionaries) to establish the validity of every relevant passage! Many Bibles have notes and references in them that indicate the meanings of key words, sometimes using literal translations or words from other translations in them.

The goal is to really know and understand what the Lord is saying to and about you as best you can. Paraphrasing and generalizations will not cut it!

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

BOOK 1

On Defense

1

THE GUIDEPOSTS OF