Post by Radrook Admin on Oct 19, 2021 23:17:27 GMT -5
Bobby, a thirteen-year-old boy, sat fuming as usual. He didn’t know why his parents insisted that he have a weekly Bible study. He didn’t know why he just couldn’t read the Bible by himself, just as he read his comic books. After all, he understood them just fine without someone having to explain them to him Or else be allowed t g hang out with his school buddy James on the street corner with his buddies.
Yet, his parents insisted that Bobby sit for an hour every week and study this book they called the Bible. As he sat fuming, his father, who was in charge of giving him the Bible studies, felt that his son needed an explanation.
“Listen Bobby! I know that you would rather being doing something else, like playing video games or watching TV or hanging out. But it is very important that you study the Bible so that you understand the message that our heavenly Father, the creator of all things, sent us by inspiring men to write his thoughts in order to guide us”.
Bobby just stared back at his father, pouting, and just wishing to get it over with, he could go do something that he enjoyed.
“You see Bobby,”“ his father continued, “Your creator loves you and wants to give you a map, a guide that you can follow. That is what the Bible is, Bobby, a map, so that we don’t get lost on our walk through life.”
“Walk through life?” Bobby finally asked, having had his curiosity aroused. Usually they just read part of the Bible and talked about its meaning. But this time his dad was actually conversing with him, and it was starting to sound interesting.
“Yes Bobby! Life is a journey, a journey with many tricky twists and turns and obstacles that need to be avoided. Any wrong turn can cause us great harm. So a guide is of importance.”
Bobby’s father could tell he had caught his undivided attention, since he was now sitting up and leaning towards him as if listening attentively.
“Let me give you some examples, Bobby. If you choose the wrong friends, do you know that they can lead you to a very dark future? A future where you suffer a lot because of having such friends’ bad habits rubbing off on you? That’s how some kids wind up taking drugs, son. But if you follow that Bible’s advice that bad associations should be avoided, and only have friends who worship the Lord, then you can strengthen each other to be wise.
“Is that why you don’t want me hanging out with James?”
“Exactly Bobby! James does things that God condemns, like stealing and beating up other kids for fun. Do you know where kids like that wind up, son? They wind up in reform schools and very often in prison when they grow up!”
“Ah! Ok I understand”
“Good Bobby, Good. I don't want you just doing what I say because I am your dad. I want you to understand the reason why I say these things and why Bible study is important. You know, Bobby, another reason that Bible study is important is to avoid having false ideas. You know, many people have unbiblical ideas about God and about his creation. For example, some think that God made the world this way and this is the way it has to be.”
“Well, I know that’s not true!” Bobby said, beaming with childish pride in the biblical things he had learned during his studies.
“True Bobby, That’s because you study and have learned that such an idea not a Bible teaching.
Also, many think that we don’t really die. That humans have something inside them that keeps living, forever. They call that thing a soul. Some kind of spirit creature that leaves the body behind. But we both know that such is not a Bible teaching, don’t we, Bobby? We know that God called man himself a soul.
The Encyclop[edia Brittanica tells us where they got that idea from:
Quote
“The early Christian philosophers adopted the Greek concept of the soul’s immortality and thought of the soul as being created by God and infused into the body at conception.”—The New Encyclopedia Britannica (1988), Volume 11, page 25.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scriptures don’t support that idea: Here Bobby read these:
Genesis 2:7
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Ezekiel 18:4, 20
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Thoughts cease at death:
4: Ecclesiastes 9:5
“For the living know that they shall die: BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
So that immortal soul idea is the opposite of what the Bible tells us,
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“...that means that such a belief is from Satan, who wants us to think that we don’t really die because of sin. That we are still alive regardless of how blatantly we break god’s laws. That’s why he is called the Father of the Lie.
When he (Satan) lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
“ That’s the same thing that he told Eve, right, dad? You know, in the Garden of Eden when Eve repeated what God had told her to Satan, and Satan told her that God was lying?”
“Yes , Exactly Bobby, the same thing that he told Eve. That God was a liar, and that she would not die if she disobeyed him. Here it is in Genesis:
Genesis 3:4 NIV
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“You see Bobby, Satan has never given up. He is still trying to get humans to believe that same lie, but has made it more fan so that they can’t recognize it for what it is, just the same big lie made to look different.
“I know dad," Bobby said,“ My other friend Jimmy believes that. He says that we have something invisible inside called a soul, and that it comes out of our body whenever we die, and maybe goes up or goes down, depending on how God feels about the person who died.”
“So you see Bobby, he doesn’t know because he doesn’t study the Bible, or else studies it, but is still being misled by those that Satan uses to keep his original lie going. Or maybe he just listens and accepts anything people say as truth. So this Bible study is to help you understand God’s message, and help you not to accept lies. That’s why your mom and I always make sure that you study the Bible at least for an hour each week. Because we love you, and want you to grow up full of wisdom, and so you can also teach your kids the truth.
After pondering all that his father had spoken, Bobby finally said:
“Thanks dad!” got up, and gave his dad a big hug.
Yet, his parents insisted that Bobby sit for an hour every week and study this book they called the Bible. As he sat fuming, his father, who was in charge of giving him the Bible studies, felt that his son needed an explanation.
“Listen Bobby! I know that you would rather being doing something else, like playing video games or watching TV or hanging out. But it is very important that you study the Bible so that you understand the message that our heavenly Father, the creator of all things, sent us by inspiring men to write his thoughts in order to guide us”.
Bobby just stared back at his father, pouting, and just wishing to get it over with, he could go do something that he enjoyed.
“You see Bobby,”“ his father continued, “Your creator loves you and wants to give you a map, a guide that you can follow. That is what the Bible is, Bobby, a map, so that we don’t get lost on our walk through life.”
“Walk through life?” Bobby finally asked, having had his curiosity aroused. Usually they just read part of the Bible and talked about its meaning. But this time his dad was actually conversing with him, and it was starting to sound interesting.
“Yes Bobby! Life is a journey, a journey with many tricky twists and turns and obstacles that need to be avoided. Any wrong turn can cause us great harm. So a guide is of importance.”
Bobby’s father could tell he had caught his undivided attention, since he was now sitting up and leaning towards him as if listening attentively.
“Let me give you some examples, Bobby. If you choose the wrong friends, do you know that they can lead you to a very dark future? A future where you suffer a lot because of having such friends’ bad habits rubbing off on you? That’s how some kids wind up taking drugs, son. But if you follow that Bible’s advice that bad associations should be avoided, and only have friends who worship the Lord, then you can strengthen each other to be wise.
“Is that why you don’t want me hanging out with James?”
“Exactly Bobby! James does things that God condemns, like stealing and beating up other kids for fun. Do you know where kids like that wind up, son? They wind up in reform schools and very often in prison when they grow up!”
“Ah! Ok I understand”
“Good Bobby, Good. I don't want you just doing what I say because I am your dad. I want you to understand the reason why I say these things and why Bible study is important. You know, Bobby, another reason that Bible study is important is to avoid having false ideas. You know, many people have unbiblical ideas about God and about his creation. For example, some think that God made the world this way and this is the way it has to be.”
“Well, I know that’s not true!” Bobby said, beaming with childish pride in the biblical things he had learned during his studies.
“True Bobby, That’s because you study and have learned that such an idea not a Bible teaching.
Also, many think that we don’t really die. That humans have something inside them that keeps living, forever. They call that thing a soul. Some kind of spirit creature that leaves the body behind. But we both know that such is not a Bible teaching, don’t we, Bobby? We know that God called man himself a soul.
The Encyclop[edia Brittanica tells us where they got that idea from:
Quote
“The early Christian philosophers adopted the Greek concept of the soul’s immortality and thought of the soul as being created by God and infused into the body at conception.”—The New Encyclopedia Britannica (1988), Volume 11, page 25.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scriptures don’t support that idea: Here Bobby read these:
Genesis 2:7
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Ezekiel 18:4, 20
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Thoughts cease at death:
4: Ecclesiastes 9:5
“For the living know that they shall die: BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
So that immortal soul idea is the opposite of what the Bible tells us,
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“...that means that such a belief is from Satan, who wants us to think that we don’t really die because of sin. That we are still alive regardless of how blatantly we break god’s laws. That’s why he is called the Father of the Lie.
When he (Satan) lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).
“ That’s the same thing that he told Eve, right, dad? You know, in the Garden of Eden when Eve repeated what God had told her to Satan, and Satan told her that God was lying?”
“Yes , Exactly Bobby, the same thing that he told Eve. That God was a liar, and that she would not die if she disobeyed him. Here it is in Genesis:
Genesis 3:4 NIV
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“You see Bobby, Satan has never given up. He is still trying to get humans to believe that same lie, but has made it more fan so that they can’t recognize it for what it is, just the same big lie made to look different.
“I know dad," Bobby said,“ My other friend Jimmy believes that. He says that we have something invisible inside called a soul, and that it comes out of our body whenever we die, and maybe goes up or goes down, depending on how God feels about the person who died.”
“So you see Bobby, he doesn’t know because he doesn’t study the Bible, or else studies it, but is still being misled by those that Satan uses to keep his original lie going. Or maybe he just listens and accepts anything people say as truth. So this Bible study is to help you understand God’s message, and help you not to accept lies. That’s why your mom and I always make sure that you study the Bible at least for an hour each week. Because we love you, and want you to grow up full of wisdom, and so you can also teach your kids the truth.
After pondering all that his father had spoken, Bobby finally said:
“Thanks dad!” got up, and gave his dad a big hug.