Transparency time....
I think what is amazing about the bible is that each time you read it, you learn something new. This book is much more than just words on paper. It's literally, alive! I challenge anyone that has not dove deep into Scripture to come with an open heart and see what He is offering...It truly is amazing!
And like I said, I need to be transparent...I still have plenty of questions on this walk with Jesus, and lots of doctrines that I have had a hard time...Not only understanding but practicing.
1 Corinthians Chapter 11 is one of those challenges that I've had.
This chapter goes over the Lord's Supper in great detail. And not only did I never really practice it growing up, the limited times I saw a priest give people a little piece of bread and had them drink some red wine, I had questions...Lots of questions. This apparently as some faiths believe, is the literal body and blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation is something I really do find in the bible when you carefully read the Scriptures, but that's not really the point of my post today. Simply because, that's a study that would take a few hours to go over I'm sure lol
Instead, I want to highlight the verse that stuck out the most to me in 1 Corinthians 11...
There MUST be heresies.
This is a potent proclamation made by Paul that believers, will not always have the truth. And sure, that may mean each of us has some dogmatic beliefs in our faith...But this is why I think #bible study is so important.
I think of the counsel given to Isaiah that precept must be upon precept, and line upon line is how we are to study Scripture. And it's not for us to come up with our own 'winds of doctrine' per se...We have to compare Scripture with Scripture.
There is biblical advice given in the old testament and even in the new, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, everything will be established. So for me, I've used that counsel when it comes to my faith and the doctrines I hold true. For example, and this is a silly one, but I hope it shows the point clearly...
The shortest verse in the bible is found in John 11:35 where it simply says..."Jesus wept". By taking that one verse, someone can build an entire doctrine around...You need to cry to be saved. I know that's a silly example, and yeah maybe we should show some more emotion. But the point I'm making is, people take one verse and create entire theologies around it.
This is why I think verse 19 really hit me, because Paul is telling us that this WILL...No, excuse me, it MUST happen....But if we study the Scriptures diligently and carefully, we can avoid the traditions of men, and keep the will of God top of mind.
Again, the Lord's Supper is a big doctrine that my church holds as a fundamental belief, but it's the one I think I need to spend more time studying to understand it more. That's why my #biblejournal by God's grace will continue for decades to come :)
Housekeeping nuggets for:
We'd love to have you join and take part in both the Kingdom community on chain as well as it's Discord server. We are a friendly bunch, that love to discuss religion and our walks with Jesus. We'd love to see you!
Also, I have a healthy amount of #bbho that I upvote with in the BBHO Community. If you add #bbh to your blog posts tags, I'll make sure to give you a hefty upvote as well!
And finally if you are interested in taking part in the #biblejournal journey, simply use that hashtag within your blog posts, and I'll find it. I'll upvote ya' and maybe send ya' a gift or two ;)
