But when Jesus, the morning star, returns, we will have the light of His presence so that we will no longer need the prophetic word. Every God-ordained church starts off on a Prophetic Foundation. I don’t have time to go in depth into the proper principles for interpreting the Bible, but I’ll quickly mention a few key things. What does the Bible say to the church, and to the individual Christian, about the role of politics in the church? "The Foundation of the Kingdom of God" The bedrock upon which we must stand, walk and live. The foundation of God’s actions is His unfailing love for us. It is called a foundation in order to express better its immobility –- now compare Psalm 11:3-4; Matthew 7:24-25; Matthew 16:13-19 and Ephesians 2:19-22. Jesus is the foundation of the Church of God ( 1 Cor 3:11. It is a morally dark place. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo... More. The GOD Foundation is a nonprofit, grantmaking public charity whose purpose is to provide funding to unrelated organizations, institutions, and individuals for charitable purposes constituting women and children affected by trauma and addiction. So Peter’s first point is, we have the solid foundation of the prophetic word, which was further confirmed by the apostles’ experience of seeing Jesus’ glory on the mount of transfiguration. For many years, the Church opposed translating the Bible into the common languages of the people for fear that they would misinterpret it. This is our confidence. “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’” (2Ti 2.19). The foundation has just two things inscribed on its seal: \"The Lord knows those who are his\" and \"Those naming the name of Christ, depart from iniquity\" (2 Tim. Let us rest on the word of confidence, rejoice in the word of comfort and respond to the word of caution. Mercy and truth stand in front of you. Can we know for sure that what the Bible says is true and that we are correct in our understanding of it? God looks forward to sharing this gift with us because He has planned this gift for mankind since the "foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34 Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: American King James Version ×). Are you living in light of His coming, when we all will stand before Him to give an account of how we have lived (2 Cor. How would you answer this charge. It includes all forms of lawlessness. The Doctrine of the Trinity asserts that God is one in being or essence who exists eternally in three distinct coequal persons. He wants to leave his readers with a solid foundation so that after he is gone, they will not be led astray by false teachers, who are already plaguing the churches. In this verse Paul brings us the picture of the foundation of a building. Now mark one of those silver dollars, stir it into the whole mix, blindfold a man and tell him he can go as far as he wants, but he has to pick just one. 22:16; see, also Rev. In the Old Testament alone, the writers refer to their writings as the words of God over 3,800 times (MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1924). Paul, as an apostle, "laid the foundation," namely, Jesus Christ. There is great comfort in this truth for the following reasons:-, Yes, the word of confidence and the word of comfort is followed by a word of caution, brought out in the other inscription on the foundation –- ““Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”” The thought here is that if a professing Christian gives no evidence of turning away from wickedness, there is no evidence that he is a real Christian at all –- look up the solemn words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 7:22-23. Now, what is this foundation? 1:25). We find scriptural references to the triune nature of God both in the Old and the New Testaments. The work of the Church is difficult and the progress of the Gospel is slow, but in spite of this we can be very optimistic, for the key verse assures us that there is no need for alarm or discouragement. Peter compares the Bible to a lamp shining in the darkness, much as Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This is the only New Testament use of this Greek word for “dark.” It has the connotation of being not only dark, but also dirty or squalid. 2. There should be a zeal and a desire for the Word of God in every true believer. 2:18-21). A strong national foundation consists of law and order, justice, truth, morality, decency, integrity, fairness, and trustworthiness. A Prophetic Foundation is summed up briefly as being "the purpose of God for one's life, or for a church." And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19, KJV). The NASB usually gives an almost literal rendering of the Greek text, but in verse 20 it errs. When we come to know Christ, the Bible becomes our light to show us how to live to please Him in view of His coming, so that we can avoid temptation and sin. It is the whole number of God’’s elect –- the true Church of Jesus Christ –- joined to Him in a vital union effected by the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). The central focus of all Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re going to base your entire life on something, you want to know that it is solid. Be careful to interpret it correctly. Surely these must be professors and not possessors; they are in Christendom but not in the true Church; they have faith in their heads but not saving faith in their hearts; they hold the lamp of testimony but there is no oil in their lamps; they are tares and not wheat (2 Timothy 3:5). The three disciples then recalled their experience on the mount of transfiguration, where seeing Jesus’ glory was a prophetic glimpse of His coming again. But, how can we know that it’s true? Hearing and obeying the Word will build our lives on a solid, firm foundation that will stand up to and weather any storm. It’ll collapse every time. But it will be a time of terror and awful regret for those who have rejected Christ. And, since even Christians interpret the Bible in so many different ways, how can we know that our interpretation is correct? Q. The comfort is found in the inscription, “”The Lord knows those who are his!”” Notice that it does not only say that the Lord knows about all who belong to Him, but that He actually knows them and He has a tender regard for them because they are His. Charles Hodge gives one of the best explanations (Systematic Theology [Eerdmans], 1:154). Before we leave this point, consider for a moment just some of the prophetic Scriptures with regard to Jesus Christ. The foundation of a house tells you how big the house can get. First, the Roman Catholic Church uses verse 20 to teach that individuals are not permitted to interpret the Bible for themselves. For example, John MacArthur (The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible Updated edition [Nelson Bibles], p. 1924; also, see, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude [Moody Publishers], pp. Third, interpret the Bible based on grammatical, linguistic, and historical considerations. In one chapter, he takes just eight prophecies concerning Jesus Christ and uses very conservative estimates to determine how probable it is that anyone who might have lived from the time of those prophecies down to the present could have fulfilled them all. Verse 14 tells us that “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” But, again we must deal with some interpretive problems in order to understand verse 20. We have the solid foundation of God’s Word, but we must pay attention to it in view of the coming day that surely will dawn. 40:3-5). We are to depart from every thought, word and deed which is contrary to the moral law of God, and in particular we are to depart from worldliness, impurity and pride. The transfiguration confirmed and clarified the truth that was there, but which they did not understand until after that experience. While certain portions of Scripture were dictated directly by God, in most places He used the personalities and experiences of the authors to shape their language and message, but the final product is, as Hodge puts it, “what they said God said.” (See 2 Sam. The ESV gets it right by continuing the sentence from verse 19, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” Peter is explaining that we should pay close attention to Scripture by interpreting it correctly, because we are dealing with the inspired word of God to us through these human authors. The apostolic witness to Jesus Christ, which we now have in the New Testament, is one leg of the foundation of our faith. In 1:16-18, Peter boldly states that the apostles were not following cleverly devised tales when they made known the power and coming of the Lord Jesus. Praise the Lord that He knows who belongs to Him and who does not belong to Him! Jesus told Peter it was not of his (Peter's) own that he had had such a revelation. We build on that sure foundation by hearing and obeying the words of Jesus (Matt. "The firm foundation laid by God" is the Church of Christ, which is here termed a foundation laid by God, because it, the Church of Christ, is the ground-storey of the glorious Temple of the future. It gives us a solid foundation on which to build our lives and to stake our eternity. It’s not surprising that Satan relentlessly tries to blow up the foundation of our faith, which is the Word of God. 16:16-18). 3:11). Before we leave verse 19, let’s apply it by asking, “Are you paying attention to the lamp that is shining in the darkness?” Do you read the Word regularly to gain the light that you need to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord? They will cover the entire state two feet deep. Even in all of this, he was able to find and hold onto the ‘joyful expectation’ that defines hope in God – not the joy of the world, but rather a deep, abiding spiritual joy that is anchored in a faith that cannot be shaken, a faith that is built on the sure foundation of all the promises of God. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. Rather, they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit. 5:2). This almost sounds as if the second coming is not an objective, outwardly visible event, but rather an inward, subjective experience in believers’ hearts. When you get beyond the entrance, it’s pitch black in there and there are a lot of places where the footing is uneven and there are low overhead rocks. All who ‘‘fall away’’ were never really of the true ‘‘foundation’’; they were never born again and never really saved –- look up Romans 9:6, and compare 1 John 2:19. You can’t put a big house on a small or faulty foundation. The third view is that Peter is saying that we aren’t free to interpret Scripture according to our own personal whims. The foundation of God is secure. So it seems preferable to understand that Peter is saying that the Old Testament prophets gave us a sure word about Christ. Matthew 16:18 ESV / 177 helpful votes. Ironically, these verses challenge us with some difficult interpretive issues, so I will try to explain the text as we work through it, so that we can apply it correctly. Hebrews 11:1 In the phrase "faith is the substance of things hoped for," Paul is not really defining what faith is, but rather he is showing what faith does in an operative sense: Faith undergirds what we hope for.Substance means "that which stands under." The foundation of our world dates from this event in the garden when Adam and Eve rejected God and chose to go their own way. Second, the Bible interprets itself, especially, individual authors interpret themselves. If you look back at Ephesians 2: 7 in our last devotion, we see that Paul gave a quick glimpse of Ephesians 2: 8-9: “that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (RSV). They would say that if you claim to know what the Bible says, you are dogmatic and arrogant. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Evolution, which (against all reason) is accepted as fact in our public educational system, does away with the need to submit to the Almighty Creator. To claim that your view is the only right view is divisive. 4. This is the force of the word ‘’nevertheless’’ in verse 19. Rather, they must depend on the official teaching of the church. But the apostles did not understand how it all fit together until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. If you’re going to stake your eternity on that same thing, you really want to be sure that it is the truth. Our higher educational system (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were founded to train men in the Word) is now dominated by skeptics who sneer at God’s Word. Read the Passage. It is called a foundation in order to express better its immobility - now compare Psalm 11:3-4; Matthew 7:24 … We pay attention to the foundation of a house for a reason. 42:1-4; 61:1-2), His miracles (Isa. By embracing these three activities and putting them into daily practice, you will build your spiritual strength — your foundation — and begin to experience a powerful new sense of God’s presence and purpose. We not only have the apostolic witness to Jesus as they saw Him on the mount of transfiguration (1:16-18), but also (v. 19 in Greek begins with “and”) “we have the prophetic word made more sure.” “We” refers first to the apostles (as in 1:16-18), and by extension to the church. To navigate this dark, dirty world safely, you need the lamp of God’s Word. How big is that number? If you let Paul in context interpret Paul on justification by faith and James in context interpret James on justification by works, they do not contradict each other. Unless you take time and effort to develop this foundation of love, your efforts to turn from iniquity will eventually fail in the long term. Rather, the experience that they had on the mount of transfiguration, when they saw Jesus’ majesty and glory, was a prophetic glimpse of the truth that He is coming again in power and glory to reign. It mentions specifically (v. 9) that His grave would be assigned with wicked men, yet that He would be with a rich man in His death. It shows that Scripture comes to us through human authors, but that they didn’t make it up themselves. As you know, He was crucified between two criminals, but buried in the tomb of a rich man. What the Bible says about Foundation of God's Word. Engineers put dynamite at strategic places in the foundation. By extension, it applies to all of the Old Testament, since the Scriptures all tie together. God does not change His mind on His purpose for our life, or for a church. The verb is used of the wind carrying along Paul’s ship in the storm at sea (Acts 27:15, 17). Second, some understand the verse to be referring not to the interpretation of Scripture, but rather to its origin. These three sins are mentioned in this chapter:-. Even some who claim to be evangelical Christians say that we cannot know the exact meaning of Scripture. “Therefore thus saith the Lord G OD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” * (Isaiah 28:16) “For who is God save the L ORD? But notice that our key verse also contains:-, What is it? And that’s just 16 prophecies, not the 300 which Jesus fulfilled! In Genesis 3:22 God says, "Since man has become like one of Us...." So Catholics had to depend on the priests as the correct interpreters of Scripture. Key verse: 2 Timothy 2:19, In both of Paul’’s letters to Timothy there are strong warnings against the dangers of the apostasy which was appearing in the Church, and which would increase, especially in the last days –- look up and compare 1 Timothy 1:3-4; 4:1; and 2 Timothy 4:3-4. This was fulfilled, of course, in John the Baptist. It adds the word “but” (which is not in the Greek at all) and begins a new sentence. Since we have the solid foundation of God’s inspired Word, we must pay careful attention to it and interpret it correctly. All we believe, all we trust, all we do is to glorify Christ, who in turn glorifies God. But, against this view is the meaning of the word “interpretation,” which only occurs here in the New Testament. His ministry would be introduced by a forerunner, who would speak in the spirit and power of Elijah (Mal. 3:7; 10:15.) When Paul wrote this letter there were plenty of false teachers in the professing Church, and today the same condition still exists. Walk by the light that it gives you to avoid the pitfalls in this dark world. The practical result of this has been that many Roman Catholics have never read or studied the Bible on their own. Good News Translation Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice; love and faithfulness are shown in all you do. (Matthew 7) He goes on to show that if you take 16 prophecies, the odds increase to 1 in 1045, an unimaginably huge number. It has been interpreted in three main ways. 44-45). The Bible says that the world is like that. 2:19). To interpret it according to your subjective feelings would be to twist the Scriptures, something that the false teachers were doing (2 Pet. This foundation series is designed to form a Biblically based image of what God looks like to you and what you look like to God in truth. Make sure you pay attention to it by spending consistent time reading and studying it. The ‘‘wickedness’’ referred to here includes any transgression of the commands of Christ. Peter continues, “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The idea is, you are not free to interpret the Bible according to your feelings or to take or leave parts of it as you like, because (“for”) the Bible is the very word from God to us through these inspired men. This foundation is absolutely secure; it cannot be moved, and on either side of it there is a seal or inscription. Is Peter responding to the charges of the false teachers, that he was following cleverly devised tales, or he is referring to the cleverly devised tales of the false teachers in contrast to the eyewitness testimony of the apostles? The sure foundation of God is Christ (1 Cor. Our God is a just God. When they set it off, the building implodes. How should we respond if the foundations are destroyed? Through prayer and meditation on Scripture, we learn to know and love our heavenly Father and understand what pleases Him. When a … This very fact is affirmed by Jesus Himself. In 1 Corinthians 3:11, the Apostle Paul writes, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." How would you answer a critic who pointed out supposed “contradictions” in the Word? GOD'S WORD® Translation Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne. He thinks that Peter is saying that Scripture ranks even above his experience of seeing the transfigured Christ. He wrote, “inspiration was an influence of the Holy Spirit on the minds of certain select men, which rendered them the organs of God for the infallible communication of his mind and will. It would involve a ball of silver dollars extending 30 times as far as from the earth to the sun! Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2010, All Rights Reserved. Thus. That psalm also describes the taunts of His accusers (v. 8) and the soldiers casting lots for His garments (v. 18). That despite the great forces that are opposing the Church –- the apostasy that is apparent on every hand, the worldliness that is in the Church, the shallowness that is in the spiritual experience of God’’s people, and the apathy there is in His service – despite all these things the firm foundation of God stands. 23:16-22; Ezek. So in this sense, the Old Testament prophetic word was made more sure. 16-18, for Peter then would be suggesting that his appeal to the transfiguration is not quite convincing, so he needed something better, namely, the Old Testament Scriptures. So while Peter could be referring to the origination of Scripture (the second view), because of his concern about the false teachers (2:1; 3:16), I favor this view. Then Jesus explained how it was necessary for Him “to suffer these things and to enter into His glory” (Luke 24:27; see, also vv. But, what does Peter mean when he says “more sure”? The One of whom the prophecies spoke will be with us personally, shining fully into our hearts. As we’ve seen, Peter knows that he is about to die (1:14). As this passage in Timothy states, because of its divine origin the Scripture can be used authoritatively by God’s servants to teach and train others about the nature, purposes, and plans of God. In it, he assigns probabilities to a number of biblical prophecies and then calculates the odds that these things could have happened by sheer chance. His answer is, 1 in 1017. As the Lord looks at the professing Church He knows those in that Church who are His. In Revelation 21, we read of the magnificent vision of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city that comes down from above. They predicted His sufferings and the glory that would follow. It is an alarming situation and it threatens to bring discouragement to God’’s people. The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God—with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible.

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