Can We Understand the Bible AlikePart I

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?Part I
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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?
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Can We Understand the Bible?
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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Some say no.
• without supernatural help, the common man
  cannot understand the Bible. They point to the
  many divisions in Protestantism to prove their
  point.

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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Those who say no
• Quote II Peter 120.
• (2 Pet 120 NASB) But know this first of all,
  that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of
  one's own interpretation,

They interpret this verse to mean that no
individual can interpret the Scripture by himself
and must depend on the church to tell him what
the Scriptures mean.
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Can We Understand the Bible?

• What does the Bible say about the Bible being
  understandable?

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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Timothy understood.
• (2 Tim 315 NKJV) and that from childhood you
  have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to
  make you wise for salvation through faith which
  is in Christ Jesus.

Timothy understoodfrom childhood.
And that was the Old Testament!!
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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Whole books were to be read to congregations.
• (1 Th 527 NKJV) I charge you by the Lord that
  this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
  
• (Col 416 NKJV) Now when this epistle is read
  among you, see that it is read also in the church
  of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the
  epistle from Laodicea.

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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Paul said that when they read, they would
  understand.
  
• (Eph 34 NKJV) by which, when you read, you may
  understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Parts of books were addressed to husbands, wives,
  slaves, and children.
  
• (Eph 61 NKJV) Children, obey your parents in
  the Lord, for this is right.
  
• Those addressed were expected to understand what
  the will of the Lord was for them.
  
• (Eph 517 NKJV) Therefore do not be unwise, but
  understand what the will of the Lord is.

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Can We Understand the Bible?

• Yes! We can understand the Bible.

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• But, can we understand it alike?
• YES!!
• That is the only way we can understand it.
• It offers truth on every subject.
• Only a misunderstanding can bring differences.

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• YES!!
• Not only can we understand it alike, we must
  understand it alike!!
  
• or, someone has misunderstood it.

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• YES!! That is why Paul could expect Christians to
  be in harmony when they speak, or think, or
  discern
  
• (1 Cor 110 NKJV) Now I plead with you,
  brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  that you all speak the same thing, and that there
  be no divisions among you, but that you be
  perfectly joined together in the same mind and in
  the same judgment.

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• YES!! That is why the New Testament so
  consistently speaks of the faith.
  
• (Acts 67 NKJV) a great many of the priests
  were obedient to the faith.
  
• (Eph 45 NKJV) one Lord, one faith, one
  baptism
  
• (Eph 413 NKJV) till we all come to the unity
  of the faith

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• YES!! That is why the New Testament so
  consistently speaks of the faith.
  
• (2 Cor 135 NKJV) Examine yourselves as to
  whether you are in the faith. .
  
• (1 Tim 610 NKJV) some have strayed from the
  faith
  
• (Jude 13 NKJV) to contend earnestly for the
  faith which was once for all delivered to the
  saints.

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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• So, YES we can understand the Bible alike.
• We should understand the Bible alike.

Partly so that ... (John 1721 NKJV) the worl
d may believe
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Can We Understand the Bible Alike?

• We can and should understand the Bible alike.
• But, we do not understand the Bible alike.
• Why is that?

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Sometimes our understanding is affected by our
heart.

• A desire to justify a particular doctrine.
• A conclusion we want to keep.
• A prejudice from past experiences or teachings.
• An attitude of not accepting.
• We must be honest seekers.
• (2 Th 210 NKJV) receive the love of the
  truth, that they might be saved.

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Sometimes our understanding is affected by our
heart.

• The next 11 slides present alleged contradictions
  found on an Internet site they seem to reflect
  an attitude of not wanting to accept.
  
• In the next lesson, we will discuss a few
  fundamental principles of Bible study.
  
• Then, we will apply those principles to explain
  and expose the contradictions.

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Bible Contradictions

• Let your light so shine before men, that they may
  see your good works. - Matthew 516
  
• Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to
  be seen of them. - Matthew 61
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction Poor
  Jesus! Having to be written about by a man like
  this. That people are confused about Jesus is no
  wonder.

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Bible Contradictions

• ... thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye,
  tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
  burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for
  stripe. - Exodus 2123-25
• ... resist not evil but whosoever shall smite
  thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
  also. - Matthew 539
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction Boiled
  down, this is Jesus saying that the Law of God is
  incorrect and he knows better.

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Bible Contradictions

• Thou shalt not kill - Exodus 2013
• Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man
  his sword by his side... and slay every man his
  brother... - Exodus 3227

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Bible Contradictions

• And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel
  for I have seen God face to face, and my life is
  preserved. - Genesis 3230
  
• No man hath seen God at any time. - John 118
• Comment by person alleging contradiction I
  guess John was not familiar with the Old
  Testament.

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Bible Contradictions

• The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
  father. - Ezekiel 1820
  
• ... I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting
  the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
  unto the third and fourth generation. - Exodus
  205
• Comment by person alleging contradiction two
  authors putting forth what they believe to be the
  word of God. These two so obviously contradict
  each other that an interpretation is almost
  unnecessary.

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Bible Contradictions

• "In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor."
  -Leviticus 1915
  
• "Judge not, that ye be not judged." -Matthew 71
  
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction Quite
  clearly a contradiction from the previous
  instruction given by God.

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Bible Contradictions

• Therefore Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no
  child unto the day of her death. - II Samuel
  623
  
• The five sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul. -
  II Samuel 218
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction Here
  we see an author who could not follow his own
  story line. I will not interpret this at all,
  for the absurdity of it shall be its own
  interpretation.

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Bible Contradictions

• Think not that I come to send peace on earth I
  come not to send peace, but a sword. Matt.
  1034
  
• ... all they that take the sword shall perish
  with the sword. - Matthew 2652
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction The
  author of Matthew should have probably chosen
  another word in one of these words so it does not
  make Jesus look like a fool. Clearly, the author
  wrote these two verses some time apart.

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Bible Contradictions

• And the men which journeyed with Paul stood
  speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
  - Acts 97
  
• And they that were with me Paul saw indeed the
  light and were afraid but they heard not the
  voice of him that spake to me. - Acts 229
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction The
  first says the men heard a voice but saw no man,
  while the second says that they saw a light but
  did not hear a voice.

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Bible Contradictions

• Abraham had two sons one by a bonds-maid, the
  other by a free woman. - Galatians 422
  
• By faith, Abraham when he was tried offered up
  Isaac... his only begotten son. - Hebrews 1117
  
  
• Comment by person alleging contradiction The
  author clearly knew that Ishmael was also
  begotten by Abraham, but must have forgotten it
  when he wrote this letter.

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Bible Contradictions

• Cursed is he that lieth with his sister, the
  daughter of his father, or the daughter of his
  mother. - Deuteronomy 2722
  
• And Abraham said... She is my sister she is the
  daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my
  mother and she became my wife. - Genesis
  2011-12
• Comment by person alleging contradiction We
  know that Abraham was indeed not cursed, but one
  of the most beloved of God's men.

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Bible Contradictions

• Comment by person alleging contradictions
  Sometimes the explanation is almost as humorous
  as the fact that people actually believe the
  story in the first place...almost as humorous.

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Sometimes our understanding is affected by our
head.

• Next time How To Study the Bible
• We will look at principles of Bible study, then
  apply them to these alleged contradictions (and
  respond to his disrespectful comments).