That's a good passage on ear tickling. I mention it a lot. Most people just go to scriptures to prove their beliefs true and all opposing positions false and get perfect affirmation of everything they want to believe or disbelieve. That said, there is an opposite Methodology to the one above that truth lovers can use. If we really do love truth and don't want to justify whatever it is we "want to believe" "as" truth, tickling our own ears ...
1.) We Avoid “Methodology One”(Mentioned prior): Proving your beliefs true and holding fast to them, is not the same as, “Proving all things over and over again as a habit and way of life, and holding fast to what is good/true.” Look at that 2Th. 2:10-13 passage. Paul said that the lost in the end times failed, and Paul used the same standard and judged that those he was writing to were held to the same standard but passed the test and received a love of the truth and were true Christians making this a timeless truth.
2.) We maintain a state of Open-mindedness: We remain open-minded to altering any, or all of our beliefs in the light of the fullness of the word of God rightly divided. All belief groups believe in being open minded … “until” you accept their beliefs. Then they believe in being as closed as possible. If you love truth, you will continually remain open-minded to altering any or all of your beliefs in the light of the fullness of the truth, when everything that “might” pertain to the topic at hand is rightly divided. How many passages are there about closing your eyes and ears lest you see or hear. Look at Methodology One again. What is it designed to do?
3.) We stay in a state of Habitual ongoing Labor/ Getting Every Piece of Data that Might Pertain: That "Be a workman who need not be ashamed" part. It's in the present tense, indicating ongoing continuous, never ceasing labors to cut-straight ALL that God says on every topic. If you Love Truth, you, personally, must become a manual laborer and keep on gathering every fact anyone thinks might pertain to every topic at hand. Then gather all the data that “might pertain” no belief group gathers because they can’t use that information to prove their beliefs true or opposing beliefs false. Yes, that’s every piece of data that proves all your current beliefs false that the opponents to your beliefs have gathered, and every fact that might prove beliefs you believe to be wrong to be truth on that topic as well. We are commanded to be habitual, ongoing, never stopping laborers who are approved by God and won’t stand ashamed before Him. How do we determine what that outcome will be? We habitually “Cut-straight” every single piece of the word of God that “might” apply to the topic at hand. This is way different than looking for passages of scripture to prove true what we want to teach on a topic.
Fact: CONSISTENCY IN INTERPRETATION: If God, God’s word, and God’s people are not consistent in what they say and do and DON’T SAY AND DON’T DO, then looking for truth in the bible is a waste of time. Holding to consistency includes:
4.) Consistency with Background Context: Pick a meaning that fully aligns with the historical, legal, architectural, agricultural … context.
5.) Consistency of Meaning of words/root words/figures of speech: Hold to a meaning for all words, root words, and figures of speech consistent with their usage throughout the Old and New Testament. We have a Greek Old and New Testament and a Hebrew Old Testament, pick a meaning fully fitting everywhere the same word, root word, and figure of speech is used. If in p the Septuagint and the N.T. Greek the word phobos is translated as fear, terror, ... and you choose that meaning in 542 of the 544 places it is used, but change the meaning to respect or honor in 2 places because you neither like, nor understand the meaning in the two remaining, then you have altered the word of God to fit what you want to believe.
6.) Consistency with the Surrounding Discussion: Hold to a meaning consistent with the entire discussion surrounding the verse or passage being considered, hold to the flow of thought, flow of arguments, meaning of points made … If Paul just spent an entire chapter telling us that spiritual gifts are assigned by God, distributed just as He wishes, that not everyone gets every gifts, and that all gifts are equal and equally necessary and then "seems to say", "Earnestly desire the greater gifts." We have a contradiction. Paul said there are no greater or lesser gifts. Paul said desire has nothing at all to do with the gift(s) we are assigned. "But" there is another possible interpretation that fits perfectly in the context. "But you are desiring the more showy gifts.". That is a possible interpretation that does not contradict anything, and indeed fits perfectly with what was happening. People were forsaking the gifts assigned for what they though was more impressive, "acting" like they had gifts they didn't while forsaking what they were given.
7.) Consistency with conscience: Example: If your interpretation would be a sin if a man did likewise and your interpretation results in believing God does what would be sin for us, your interpretation is wrong. i.e., there are no illustrations in the Bible where God says He commits adultery. If your chosen meaning for the word adultery would make God an adulterer, and by His own admission, you picked the wrong meaning for the word. Find every place where God uses the word adultery in the Old Testament. In more than one place God says His wives committed adultery against Him. Now if your modern definition of adultery includes the fact that taking a second wife is automatically adultery, what are you accusing God of. (Yeah, getting all of the data that might pertain up front, and not just gathering what we can "use" to hold fast to "what we want to believe or want to reject is an important first step.)
8.) God, God’s People and God’s Word are 100% consistent: Pick an interpretation for all the data that makes God, God’s people and God’s word 100% consistent in “all” they say and do and “all” they don’t say and don’t do. Any inconsistencies, are proof of incorrect beliefs/definitions. Let's go with the same topic although there are many possible ones where we totally interpret everything to fit what we want to believe... How many times does the bible say David committed adultery? Once. With Bathsheba ... wife number eight. David also took at least 10 wives after her, and many people believe it could be as high as 20 more. Yet, only one case of adultery. How many times was Solomon said to have committed adultery? God did reprove Solomon for his wives, but it wasn't for the number of them.
9.) Always apply logic, reason, and rational thinking: Pick an interpretation fully fitting with all logic, reason, and rational thinking. (Back to the spiritual gifts illustration. If the writer spent a whole chapter saying all gifts are equal and necessary, that none are greater than any others, … do not choose an interpretation for the very next verse that would command us to desire what God spent the previous 30 verses saying doesn’t exist, and that you can’t get, period, regardless of your desire. “Earnestly desire the greater gifts”, contradicts everything prior. Look for the “other” possible meaning. Note: There is one.
10.) Start with the Easiest/Clearest … data on the topic: Interpret the clearest, easiest understood, most straightforward data/passages first—then the more complex or difficult passages. The complex, convoluted, and difficult passages are easy to distort to fit beliefs.
11.) It ALL fits together: Pick a meaning for the parts that fully fit with the whole of the data that might pertain without adding meaning, subtracting meaning, or distorting anything to force it to comply with your beliefs. If everything gathered (#3 above) does not fully fit with everything in #4-10 above, you have the wrong meaning, and you are forcing the scriptures to fit what you want to believe “as” truth.
12.) Keep on continuously proving all things over and over again as a habit and way of life and never stop … and hold fast to what is good/true. Getting to truth is an ongoing process that never ends. One single verse, one fact you missed, one slight change in interpretation … can force a complete reevaluation and even a complete a change of beliefs. That is, if you love truth, and obey what God commands all His people to be continuously doing for and by themselves. If not …
13.) It’s all on You! Trusting others to get to truth “for” you, is like trusting others to have a relationship with your wife / husband / kids “for” you. It cannot be done. Your failure to keep on habitually doing as God commands all His people to keep on habitually doing, proves you have gathered enough using Methodology One to hold fast to what you want to believe and fall short of 2Th. 2:10-12
Take for example the single premise that God, God's people and God's word are all 100% consistent in all they say and do and don't say and don't do. Along with consistency of meaning for words and terms, figures of speech ... Let's apply that to our modern definition of adultery. If we really want the truth we will, of course gather every passage that might pertain to the topic. Then we will notice that for the most famous biblical case of adultery, David already had 7 wives prior to committing the offense, and took at least 10, possibly as many as 20 if other ancient sources are correct. And the consequences for it was the death of the child. (The sword never leaving the kingdom was a consequences for getting her husband killed.)
the problem is, according to our modern definition, David committed adultery at wife 2. Where's the consistency both in God's people and with God Himself? Answer: Something is wrong with our modern definition. Next, Solomon had over a thousand women he slept with. True he married them or took them as concubines, but you never hear mention of adultery with regards to Solomon. Further, if you looked up every place where the words adultery were used you would find that God's wives (Yes plural) committed adultery against Him.
Often our very definitions of words and terms have completely changed from what God said and meant. When we get everything correct, there are no contradictions ... but then that is what happens when we follow the rest of the rules above.
It is nice to see someone thinking things through. It is so rare in our churches these days.
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