{"id":16944,"date":"2022-11-11T14:57:02","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T20:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nestorlima.com\/en\/?page_id=16944"},"modified":"2025-04-15T18:09:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T23:09:17","slug":"biblical-literacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nestorlima.com\/en\/biblical-literacy","title":{"rendered":"Biblical Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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BIBLICAL LITERACY<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE MATTERS<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In one of Jesus’ powerful teachings known as “The Parable of the Sower,” He made two compelling statements:<\/p>

Whoever hears the message about the Kingdom, but doesn\u2019t understand it<\/strong>, is like the seed sown along the path \u2014 the Evil One comes and seizes what was sown in his heart… However, what was sown on rich soil is the one who hears the message and understands it<\/strong>; such a person will surely bear fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:19-23 CJB)<\/p><\/blockquote>

According to Jesus’ teaching, there are four types of listeners, and only the “good listener” is the rich soil in whom God’s Word takes root and bears much fruit for His Kingdom.<\/p>

The Bible is God’s revelation, inviting us to taste an ever-increasing knowledge of Him and live the most fulfilled life possible.<\/p>

Being avid students of the Bible helps us:<\/p>

  1. Understand the Gospel of The Kingdom,<\/li>
  2. Distinguish Truth from Error,<\/li>
  3. Discern Unbiblical Mindsets, and<\/li>
  4. Become Effective Disciples of Jesus.<\/li><\/ol>

    Let\u2019s look at each one of these benefits closely.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    1. Understanding the Gospel of Jesus<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Jesus only taught one gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom.<\/strong> The entire Bible revolves around it. It is unique. It is exclusive. And stands alone far above all religions ever known to mankind. It is a Kingdom. It has a King. It has Laws. A language. A peculiar lifestyle. It demands complete loyalty. Total surrender of our own will to the King. It exists among us, inside us, and is within our reach. This is the Gospel that Jesus preached. Confessing Jesus gets us to the threshold of His Kingdom. Delving deeper into the Bible allows us to know God more intimately.<\/p>

    Throughout history, different “gospels” have been taught, emphasizing good habits such as charity, prosperity, generosity, and positivity. The Gospel of the Kingdom includes such attributes, but it is far beyond “good” because it is not of this world nor man-made. It is divine.<\/p>

    The Gospel of the Kingdom is about establishing the will of King God on earth.<\/strong><\/p>

    This is the Gospel that Jesus preached and commissioned His disciples to continue spreading. It demands repentance, obedience, and complete surrender, even to the point of death. Jesus’ kingdom message is summarized in one word\u2015repentance<\/strong>:<\/p>

    From then on Jesus began to preach, \u201cRepent<\/strong> of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.\u201d (Matthew 4:17 NLT)<\/p><\/blockquote>

    To repent means to turn away from sin. In Hebrew, repentance is Teshuva<\/em>. To make teshuva<\/em> means to return to God wholeheartedly.<\/p>

    What does being a citizen of God’s Kingdom look like? <\/strong><\/p>

    It is putting God first, where He is “n\u00famero uno”, number one, above all else, including your spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends, job, career, hobbies, pets, and yourself. When He is first, everything else in our lives comes into alignment.<\/p>

    But seek first<\/strong> His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB)<\/p><\/blockquote>

    What traits and values do citizens of God’s Kingdom exhibit daily?<\/strong><\/p>

    The traits resemble those of our heavenly Father: justice, righteousness, mercy, love, and holiness (set apart).<\/p>

    Righteousness<\/strong> and justice<\/strong> are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy<\/strong> and truth<\/strong> go before You. (Psalm 89:14 NASB)<\/p>

    But now you must be holy<\/strong> in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, \u201cYou must be holy because I am holy.\u201d (1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    2. Distinguishing Truth from Error<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Stark contrasts between the Biblical text and man-made doctrines are easy to spot. That which looks like the truth, sounds like the truth, and apparently acts like the truth is dangerous territory to engage in.<\/em><\/p>

    Jesus only preached one sermon known as the \u201cSermon on the Mount\u201d found in the book of Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Here, the Lord Jesus amplified the meaning of the Torah (laws) given to the Jewish people, commonly referred to as the “Law of Moses,” which includes the first five books of the Bible. In Hebrew, Torah means divine instruction. In a series of “you heard it said… but I say…” statements, Jesus expanded the understanding of the Kingdom code to live by. And He did NOT <\/i>make it easy!<\/p>

    Jesus got to the heart of humans, and from it, all issues of life flow.<\/em><\/p>

    For example,<\/p>

    • To avoid committing adultery, Jesus said to not even look at a woman with lust because doing so is already sinning in your heart.<\/li>
    • To avoid committing murder, He said not to get angry at our brother because anger leads to murder. And don\u2019t even think of calling him a fool because that puts you in danger of burning in hell!<\/li><\/ul>

      But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, \u2018Raca!\u2019 [Arameic, “empty head”] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, \u2018You fool!\u2019 shall be in danger of hell fire<\/strong>. (Matthew 5:22 NJKV)<\/p><\/blockquote>

      In His only sermon, Jesus addressed real issues of life on earth and how to deal with them. He addressed suffering, murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, injustice, hatred, vengeance, charity, prayer, forgiveness, fasting, worry, anxiety, judging, valuing, persistence, trust, treatment of others, doing the right thing, avoiding false teachers, listening, and obeying. (See Matthew Chapters 5 through 7).<\/p>

      Certainly, we cannot live righteously on our own. And that’s the point Jesus made. We can never meet God’s high standards for holy living. We need a Savior, an intermediary who can help us stand right with God. That is Yeshua (Jesus). Thank God for the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from all sin! And thank God that we have the Holy Spirit to counsel, guide, and strengthen us to do the will of our heavenly Father.<\/p>

      Jesus provided the standard to live by as members of the Kingdom of Heaven.<\/p>

      How can we differentiate between the true and false Gospel?<\/strong><\/p>

      The fruit. Jesus said:<\/p>

      You will recognize them by their fruit<\/strong>. (Matthew 7:15-20 CJB)<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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      3. Discerning Unbiblical Mindsets<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      One of the greatest attacks against our faith today is mindsets that oppose<\/strong> the knowledge of God established in His Word. Embracing such mentalities desensitizes us to God\u2019s moral laws. If we give in, it’s because we do not know nor understand<\/em>\u00a0God’s Word<\/em>.<\/p>

      We may think this is a new challenge, but the apostle Paul dealt with it during his time, and his counsel is written for our benefit. Paul addressed this war of unbiblical mindsets in his letter to the Corinthians:<\/p>

      For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God\u2019s power for demolishing strongholds<\/strong>. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God<\/strong>; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 CJB)<\/p><\/blockquote>

      Analyzing the text closely, the apostle Paul clarifies that:<\/p>

      1. We are in a spiritual war.<\/li>
      2. We don\u2019t fight in a worldly way but instead use weapons with God\u2019s power.<\/li>
      3. Our weapons are so powerful that they crush \u201cstrongholds\u201d. Strongholds include fear, doubt, unbelief, strife, accusations, and sinful habits.<\/li>
      4. Those strongholds are \u201carguments and arrogance,\u201d every mindset that opposes the divine counsel established in God\u2019s Word.<\/li>
      5. We overcome those strongholds (mindsets, arguments) by confronting them in light of the truth of God\u2019s Word.\u00a0<\/li>
      6. For example, we overcome the strongholds of fear, doubt, and unbelief with faith; we overcome strife with peace and accusations with silence, as Jesus did when He was falsely accused; and we overcome sinful habits with the powerful trio God gave us: the spirit of power, love, and self-control.<\/li><\/ol>

        Any thought or mindset about anything in life that presents a perspective contrary<\/strong> to the Word of God is a stronghold, an argument founded in pride and arrogance against what God has established. It is Satan\u2019s old trick of deception with a few modern tweaks customized for today\u2019s era. It is professional, polished, knowledgeable, sounds good, smells good, and can sometimes be convincing. A 99% truth mixed with a 1% lie is still a lie.<\/p>

        Satan\u2019s method has not changed. It worked wonders for him in the Garden of Eden, and it still works wonders for him today. His arguments oppose<\/strong> the counsel of God and subtly twist God’s Word into deception.<\/p>

        Here’s Satan’s strategy used in the Garden of Eden, which he still applies today:<\/p>