We know the phrase “in the world, not of the world,” and I have to confess that’s frustrating to me because I think I’m in and of the world quite often. How about you?

Join us today as we listen to part two of Michael’s teaching on forming a Biblical worldview.

Show Notes

Do we look at the Bible as an authoritative, truthful document – or do we pick and choose?

“It ain’t those parts of the bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” – Mark Twain

2 Timothy 3:1-7 – Each word from these verses could be an entire teaching series in this culture.
We should be in the Bible every day not because we’re supposed to, but because we get to.

Because we want to know the very mind of the God we claim to believe and follow.

“The more intimately I walk with my Savior, the less stressed I am in the crucible of life. The more stressed out, frenetic, disconnected, or upset I am, the less intimate I am with Jesus Christ.”

How can we do this thing called ministry apart from the very Word of God?
The Hebrews literally wore phylacteries on their forehead to keep God’s Word at the “forefront” of their mind–we are to keep the Word of God in our minds. In all of life, we must have a Biblical theology: Our God is one.

Why we believe what we believe must season every pore of our being. It needs to be part of who we are.

Theological structures are like tectonic plates shifting subtly overtime, pushing against each other, and eventually, a weak point pops up. That is a picture of false doctrine in the landscape of evangelical theology.

The word “doctrine” comes from the latin “doctrina” where we get the word Doctor – it means a collection of literature or teachings, so we use the term doctrinal statement.
When we talk about teaching and authority, particularly in the new testament, these terms give us pause in today’s time.

Inerrancy is often debated. The presupposition is that we think there is a truth, and that because its truth, we should salute. Most seem to accept this, though there are some who resist this – and that is systemic in our culture.

Just because something’s true doesn’t mean a person will believe it.

“Truth has been relativized – there are existing truths we can’t reconcile.” – Hegel.

This type of thinking has seasoned the culture and that’s where relativism comes in. When we talk about spirituality today, it’s always relative.

But the Word of God is true.

Mark 7:7
If you worship Jesus in your own way, its vain. You’ve taken the constructs of man and used them to try to connect to the divine, and He wont have anything to do with this.
Mark 1:21-22
Jesus’ teaching is different than man’s teaching.

The rabbinics were not unlike lawyers. Lawyers in their arguments must cite case law – this is the way this has been ruled in the past. Likewise, rabbis quoted what we might call commentaries – teachings of other rabbis. If a teacher could cite and source a lot of other rabbis, he would be considered a scholar.

A rabbi couldn’t stand up and teach their own interpretation or opinion, they wouldn’t listen.

But Jesus just stood up and taught, and he was considered to have done so with authority unlike anyone else – because He is God, and is able to teach His written word.
May we come to know that the Bible is Truth, not just academically or intellectually, but as we know the word of life and the very author of our life and the very savior of our souls.

May we submit ourselves more and more to Him, and less and less to ourselves, and humbly come before the very word of God.

Moral power has always been accompanied with definitive believe – Tozier.

Great saints have always been dogmatic. We need, right now, a return to a gentle dogmatism that smiles while it stands stubborn and firm on the word of God that lives and abides forever.
How do we know a person? When I think of my good friends, it’s because we have common interests and spend time together.

When we talk about knowing God through His word, let me suggest that you and I have to have time in the common interest. A common interest can take many forms, but let’s talk about Scripture:

We know the mind of God from the Word of God.

We need time in the Word. A practical suggestion: try reading one chapter of the book of Proverbs every day. This takes an average reader about 4 minutes. Do this monthly, and at the end of the year, we’ll have read Proverbs 12 times.

You’ll never waste time in God’s word.

Have a Biblical or theological question? Ask Dr. E! Call us at 615-281-9694 and leave a voicemail with your question or email us at question@michaelincontext.com. Michael will answer it on an upcoming Ask Dr. E episode!