Many people doubt the authenticity of the Bible (ang Salita ng Diyos) and say that the Bible contradicts Itself. Many people find the Bible hard to understand or they find the Bible boring to read. There are even Christians, who hardly read and study the Bible, let alone apply the words in the Bible to their lives. They say they believe in God and His Word, but do they know, who God is and what is written in the Word, because many times their lives contradict their sayings. There is a lot of division among Christians, while the Bible says that believers should walk in unity in the Spirit. For whom is the Bible intended?
Not every software works on every computer
When you buy software for Windows and install it on your Mac Os X computer, you’ll find out that the software won’t work and is useless. Unless you install software, which allows you to run Windows and Windows applications on your computer. Otherwise, the software remains useless
It’s the same with Christianity. As long as you stay the old creation (ang matanda na), who is carnal and led by his senses, mga emosyon, carnal thoughts, mga damdamin, ay, mga pagnanasa, mga hangarin, atbp., you will not be able to understand the Bible. Let alone, obey and apply the words of God in your life.
If you remain the old creation, you shall not be able to walk in faith. Because you shall not do what the Bible says, for the carnal mind is enmity against God. The flesh and the Spirit can’t go together. One of them has to die.
The Bible is a spiritual Book
The Bible is not an intellectual (academic) book. But the Bible is a spiritual Book intended for the new creation. The words in the Bible are the Spirit and Life of God intended for the spiritual man. Kaya nga, you can only understand the Bible if you are born again and the Holy Spirit quickened your spirit.
The flesh doesn’t understand the spiritual things of the Kingdom of God. Therefore the flesh (the carnal mind and human intellect) will never be able to understand the Bible.
The Bible is a spiritual Manual intended for every born-again believer. The Bible is the only Book on this earth that feeds your spirit and gives you life.
There are many religious books available, that you might consider useful. These religious books can help you in your life and provide carnal methods, steps, at mga pamamaraan, and temporarily motivate you. But these books will only feed your soul and not your spirit. The results of reading Christian books are often temporary and not permanent.
The Bible is the only Book that is transformed from the Spirit into the natural and is tangible. If you want your spirit man to grow up, then the only Book that will do the job is the Bible.
As long as you stay carnal and are led by the flesh, you’ll struggle to read the Bible, mag aral na lang ng Bibliya. When you begin to read, you’ll become tired and sleepy and consider the Bible boring. You’ll be distracted by your thoughts while reading the Bible.
Carnal Christians will understand most stories in the Old Testament and the four gospels to a certain level. But the prophets, the letters of the apostles, and the Book of Revelation will remain vague and incomprehensible.
For whom is the Bible boring?
But the Bible is not boring at all! It is only not intended for the old creation, whose mind is darkened and is hostile towards God and wants to do the will, mga pagnanasa, at mga hangarin ng laman. The Bible is intended for the new creation (ang bagong tao), who is born of water and Spirit and walks after the Spirit.
Only by the Holy Spirit the Word of God; the Bible is understandable. That is because the Word of God is a spiritual Book, inspired by the Holy Spirit. He is the Author and not the people.
When you love God above all, you will have a desire to spend time with Him in prayer and His Word. God speaks very clearly through His Word. But it’s up to you if you want to spend time with Him and makinig sa Kanya o di ba. (Basahin mo rin: ‘Religion or Relation?‘).
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom
The flesh shall always rebel against God and His Word and strive with the Spirit. God has put His will; His law in the hearts of the new creation, sa pamamagitan ng pananahan ng Banal na Espiritu. Therefore every new creation, who has received His Spirit shall walk according to the will of God and keep His commandments, and please Him.
The old creation, who walks after the flesh, has a carnal mind and can’t and won’t submit to the law of God, the law of His Kingdom and the Spirit. The old creation has his own rules and rather pleases himself and his flesh than God.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Mga Taga Roma 8:7-8)
But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: sapagkat ang mga ito ay kamangmangan sa kanya: ni hindi niya sila makilala, dahil sila ay espirituwal na nauunawaan (1 Mga Taga Corinto 2:14)
God is Spirit, His Kingdom is Spirit. And as long as you stay the old creation, you shall not be able to understand and comprehend the words and things of the Kingdom of God. When you apply His words in your life, they won’t work. First, the ‘old you’ ay kailangang mamatay, before the ‘new you’ can arise.
The old creation belongs to the unfaithful generation
The old creations belong to the unbelieving and unfaithful generation and constantly need proof, mga himala, mga palatandaan, at mga kababalaghan. Therefore the old creations are not able to walk in faith. They can say they believe, pero saying and doing are two different things. If they really believe, then they will obey His words, sundin ang Kanyang mga utos, and walk in His will.
Many people, na tinatawag ang kanilang sarili na mga Kristiyano, walk according to what they perceive with their natural eyes, what their carnal mind tells them, and how they feel, instead of what the Bible says?
Only when you become born again, your spirit will be quickened from the death and you will enter the Kingdom of God. You’ll be transferred from death (ang dilim) into life (ang Liwanag) and you shall live from the Kingdom of God in the Light.
Sumagot si Jesus at sinabi sa kaniya, Katotohanan, katotohanan, Sinasabi ko sa iyo, Maliban na lamang kung ang isang tao ay ipanganak muli, hindi niya makita ang Kaharian ng Diyos (John 3:3)
You must become born again before you can walk in faith pagkatapos ng Espiritu. When you become born again and walk after the Spirit, only then will you be able to comprehend the Bible and apply His Words to your life.
You’ll understand the Bible, believe the Bible, obey the words of God, and walk in the commandments of the Word.
You shall speak in new tongues to edify yourself and pray in the Spirit. You shall preach the gospel and speak the words of God and the signs and wonders of the Kingdom of God shall follow you. You’ll seek those things alin ang nasa itaas, kung saan nakaupo si Cristo. And you shall endeavor the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walk in these gifts to exalt God and please Him.
The Bible shall not work on the old creation
As long as you apply the Bible to the old creation, it won’t ‘work’. When you are still the old creation and experience miracles, mga kababalaghan, and prophetic words in your life, you should earnestly ask yourself, from which source they come.
The devil can also do signs and wonders. The devil has beholden God from face to face and lived with Him. He knows God very well, maybe even better than most Christians. The devil is an imitator of God and imitates miracles, mga palatandaan, at mga kababalaghan.
Look at fortune tellers, mga bruha, witch doctors, mga salamangkero, mga okultista, illusionists, fakirs, atbp. They can predict the future. They can make themselves invisible and float, fly, gumaling ka na, and do all kinds of other miracles, mga palatandaan at kababalaghan. The people are amazed at what they see. But these people don’t do all these miracles, mga palatandaan, and wonders by faith and out of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not their source but the devil is their source. Therefore they do these miracles from the kingdom of darkness and use occult powers.
If people in the church do miracles, mga palatandaan, at mga kababalaghan, but live like the world and bear the same fruit as the world (kasalanan ba), then you should earnestly ask yourself from which source they do all of these signs and wonders.
Only when people become born again and walk after the Spirit, they operate from the Kingdom of God. They will walk in the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and will bear the bunga ng Espiritu.
For whom is the Bible intended?
For whom is the Bible intended? Ang Salita ng Diyos; the Bible is a manual intended for born-again Christians. The born-again Christians believe in the truth of God’s Word and can’t live without the Word of God. How else can they feed their spirit and grow up into the image of their Lord Jesus Christ? Without the Bible that is intended for the born-again believers, the spirit of the believers starve to death and shall never spiritually mature.
When you buy a new camera, you receive a user manual. If you don’t read the user manual first, before using the camera, you may do something wrong and will miss out on certain features and never reach the full potential of your camera.
Many people only read the manual, when they encounter problems and come to the conclusion, that they need to read the manual to fix the problem.
Just like many Christians, who only open their Bibles when they are facing difficulties and have problems in life or they need something from God.
hIf born-again Christians don’t read and study the Manual for the new creation, they don’t find out, who they really are kay Cristo. They will not walk and live as the new creation and never reach their full potential in Christ.
Most of them stay spiritual babies and keep walking after the flesh and always need other Christians. They are sensual and never grow up into a mature son of God (Ito ay nalalapat sa parehong mga lalaki at babae).
Is the Bible a death letter or a living letter?
For many Christians, the Bible will always remain a written word; a dead letter, instead of the living words of God that come alive in their lives.
When you read the Bible in the Holy Ghost, only then shall you be able to understand the Bible. And if you apply the Bible to your life, you shall walk by faith in the will of God.
Every word of God that you take is a spiritual seed, that you plant into your spiritual man. As long as you protect these seeds, and nurture them, they bring forth fruit and life in your life.
But you have to take care of the seeds and prevent the seeds from being choked and becoming unfruitful. What is the cause of seeds being choked and becoming unfruitful? The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts and desires of the flesh, and otherworldly stuff. (Basahin mo rin: Ang talinghaga tungkol sa manghahasik; ang 4 kinds of believers‘)
Kaya nga, be watchful and protect the treasures from heaven and guard the Word. Don’t let anything destroy them and don’t let anyone steal them. Stay faithful to the Word and apply the words of God in your life, so that you shall bear the right fruit; ang bunga ng Espiritu.
“Maging asin ng lupa”
