2. GUIDELINES FOR STUDY
Getting to a proper understanding of Jesus is not easy. Just as God didn’t make knowing him easy, getting to know Jesus is not easy. And yet, many preach doctrines that simplify Jesus and reduce him to a physical man who suffered a physical death and rose again to physical life. These teachings are the stuff of religion because they deal with physical, observable events. They are not the stuff of faith which deals with things that cannot be seen.
With that in mind, the teaching found in the following links must be applied before understanding of the facts about Jesus will be understood:
Admittedly, this is a lot of reading. Only those who are ready to seek with their whole hearts to discover the mystery of God and Jesus will be successful. Religious people, especially Christians, who are pridefully confident that they already know everything they need to know about Jesus may find this depth of study unnecessary. Only people who can humbly admit that there might be more for them to learn about Jesus will be willing to make such an investment. Day-trippers looking for a quick and easy teaching event will be soon weeded out.
This study also will not appeal to hyper-religious people who are pridefully satisfied with their understanding of scripture. What they believe to be a strength is actually a stumbling block to discipleship. They do not enter the study process like open, inquisitive little children. In their prideful minds, they have Jesus all figured out and they would never admit to having any doubts about Jesus.
Putting it another way, those who imagine themselves to be spiritually mature (i.e. rich in knowledge of the literal Bible) with lots of wisdom and no doubts about Jesus, are unable to learn new truths because they are deaf to hearing God’s spoken voice. They must set aside their religious pride before they begin their study for truth with a sincere attitude of humility which says the following:
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The bottom line truth here is that people who cannot admit that they don’t really know God intimately will not learn anything new about Jesus or God. They may know a few Biblical facts, but they have been so focused on listening to the voices of religious leaders and so busy doing religious things that they have never even tried to listen to God’s voice. This attitude contrasts with Jesus’ parables and teachings where he always emphasized hearing God’s spoken word.
This emphasis is not readily apparent in the parables to people who do not hear God’s spoken voice because their focus is on the literal meanings of the scriptures. But, people who can hear God’s voice will be able to understand the spiritual meanings because the spirit of God reveals these meanings to them. These people have eyes to see (i.e. read the written word) and ears to hear God’s spoken voice interpret the spiritual meaning of the written word.
STUDY TIP: The paragraph above should be a warning to people who read the parables of Jesus but do not understand that they all contrast people who do not hear God’s spoken voice with people who do hear God’s spoken voice.
The reason Jesus spoke so many parable was to make these points:
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- Do not interpret the Bible literally.
- Do not listen to false prophets who interpret the Bible literally.
- Do listen to God’s voice and true prophets who interpret the spiritual meaning of the written Bible.
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Not surprisingly, this message fully agrees with the definition of sin. And, again not surprisingly, this message agrees with the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ temptations.
STUDY TIP: Let he/she who has ears to hear, let him/her hear!
Pharisees who guard, preach and promote established religious doctrines do not know that God uses doubt to call people out of religion. Doubt is the doorway through which God begins to challenge people about their religion. Doubt is the doorway through which God enters the heart to speak truth and explain the meanings of Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Copies, and Shadows.
In other words, doubt about what you currently believe is a good thing. Doubt is a uncomfortable goad/prick that causes us to stop what we are doing and go in a different direction. People who have doubts and questions about religion do not realize that they are in the early stages of discipleship. They don’t realize it, but they are learning to hear God’s voice. If there is no doubt about religion, there is no room in your heart for God to teach you anything new and show you a direction different from religion. In short, disciples must be willing to set aside all of their previous beliefs about God and Jesus and seek for knowledge of the kingdom of God like an inquisitive child. They must be eager to learn and not ashamed to say “I don’t know! Teach me.”
People who want to come to understanding of spiritual truth must be willing to accept that every doctrine and every teaching they have previously believed about Judaism and/or Christianity has come through false prophets whose teachings they have trusted (i.e. idolized) without testing it against scripture and without testing it against what they hear from God’s voice or what they hear from true prophets. This may seem like an unreasonable perspective, but the foundation for it is very clear in Ezekiel 14:1-11.
STUDY TIP: See Ezekiel 14:1-11 for understanding of how God feels about false prophets and people who listen to them.
The principle is explained further in 1 Corinthians 13:9-13:
For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. 13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
People who already believe that they have perfect knowledge of Jesus are not spiritual children. Thinking that they have perfect knowledge based on the literal words of the Bible, they and their religious friends think they are spiritually mature. In God’s eyes, however, they are proud and arrogant, and un-teachable. Even God cannot teach them because they have stumbled over teachings that come from the literal words of the Bible (i.e. the law). God is unwilling to break through their strongly held doctrinal strongholds to teach them about the mystery of Christ which, contrary to popular belief, is not about Jesus as one, singular, unique person, but symbolizes all New Covenant disciples who are anointed to speak for God.
STUDY TIP: See Messiahs for more about the mystery of Christs (i.e. anointed) spokespersons (i.e. prophets) for God.