How much of the Bible do you guys know?

Myles Coverdale; a Bible theologian/translator from the 1500’s. He wrote the Coverdale Bible. Say's don't judge Scripture by what is spoken, or written only.

When dissecting any verse of scripture. Ask yourself, of whom, to whom, with what words, what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what is written before and what follows any single verse context.

We disagree on the presentation as given. Letting God’s Word speak means handling it in context, not isolating judgment texts from their audience & purpose. James 5:1 is a prophetic denunciation of corrupt oppressors, the very next verses describe wage‑theft & murder, not believers who simply have resources. Context isn’t optional; it's what keeps Scripture from being misused. Best wishes, JJ

A Pastor friend shared some things with me in the 80's regarding partaking of God's Word in one's prayer closet / war room. Praying prior to the reading of God's Word. Asking the Holy Spirit for help to glean/understand God's written word. Also, reading the Word out loud. Asking, "God to write His Word on the inner most of part of our heart, so that we night not sin against Him. Thanking God, that His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path"
Jesus said, "The Holy Spirit shall lead you into all truth" For me this includes but is not limited to understanding, preaching and teaching of God's Word.

BrotherJJ said:

Matthew 19:24 is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, it’s a diagnosis of the heart posture of the rich young ruler.

Jesus wasn’t making a universal rule that ""rich people can’t be saved."" The disciples immediately understood His statement as humanly impossible & Jesus corrected them: ""With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."" (Matt 19:26). That’s the interpretive key.

The ""impossibility"" is human self salvation, not the possession of wealth.

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That's how I've always taken that verse. We all need to be thankful and humble for our salvation, which is not our work, but Christ's..

BrotherJJ said:

The issue is trust, not possession. Abraham was wealthy. Job was wealthy. David, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia, all wealthy believers. None were condemned for having wealth.

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Yes, and I would go so far as to say that they were wealthy because God blessed them with prosperity. Of course, "wealth" is a relevant term. Some would consider just being able to pay your bills wealthy. But if we work hard for our provision, is this not what we are commanded to do? Are we not warned against sloth and laziness?

weary2025 said:

For all we know they gave their money away. I think we should follow Jesus and Paul here. They teach against having or wanting wealth

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Actually they teach against trusting in your wealth instead of God. And they teach against greed.

Although “having stuff” is not a sin, it is still dangerous. And the teaching of Jesus certainly does not encourage the accumulation of wealth. I don’t think the examples of OT characters are much use here, because they were not disciples of Christ, whereas we are supposed to be. And in any case, the New Covenant is not supposed to be a mere continuation of the Old; it is supposed to be that, but also to better than the Old. And one aspect of its being better is, that its demands & requirements go deeper than those of the Old, as we see in the Sermon on the Mount.

I don’t trust anything that looks like a concession to the values of Western society as it now is, in a very far from renewed state. One of its values is the tendency to acquisitiveness, and away from poverty, whether of spirit, or materially. Jesus blesses, and thereby honours, both of the latter; He has no blessing for the former. If we can‘t own very little in practice, what we can do is cultivate a spirit of detachment from acquisitiveness, possessiveness, & avarice, so that if we lost all our belongings, we would be untroubled by the loss. What is needed is not a Prosperity Gospel, but the very opposite - the praise, and love, of a spirit of poverty, and of detachment from “things of earth” - including our own attitudes of wanting possessions, such as our own wills. What Christians should do, is to align their desires with the Will of God as revealed in Christ, so that we desire, fervently, zealously, faithfully, & lovingly, all that God desires for us. The faculty of desire is part of our nature, and is as much in need of conversion as the rest of what we are, and have. If we seek God’s Will for us above all things, our enslavement to “things of earth” - including our own wills & desires & attachment to self - will be over; even if this takes a long time.

The thing that STM really dangerous, is the temptation to dilute or avoid the demands of the Gospel; especially when what is demanded is most opposed to what we might desire. How can we die daily to self, or take up and carry our crosses & follow Christ, if we dilute those demands ?

John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me."

Chaplain Jim said:

James 5:1 "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!"

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This, surely, echoes and applies what Jesus said here:

21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”


Jesus is not talking of salvation alone - He says, very clearly, that it is impossible for a rich man, any rich man, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven; unless God makes it possible; for humanly, it is impossible. And the disciples take Him to be talking of salvation. He, Who often corrects them, does not correct them here. This passage is an example, one of many, of how human expectations and social values are turned upside-down by the Gospel. Whoever first noticed this Gospel motif of turning things upside-down read the Gospels well, because once you see it, you can‘t unsee it.

This is not the only passage that makes the ”Prosperity Gospel” impossible. As Jesus also said:

24But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort.

25Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep.

26Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.


And, not to multiply passages, there is this:

17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, 19 treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.