Ever Learning ? ? ?

July 14th, 2017

2 Timothy 3:7 (AKJV)  “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  

Does this play out in the age we now live? 

Paul gives us warning as to the last days, the last days that we now live in.  Paul told us earlier in this chapter of the perils that will befall mankind.  In Romans chapter 1, Paul tells of how Gods absolutes are to be understood and carried out.  iv’e often asked myself, why, why wasn’t i turned over to that reprobate mind spoken of?  Then when meditating that, am reminded of what He had told Moses:   “And he (God), he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee (Moses), and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”  Exodus 33:19.  Although spoken to Moses on the Mount when given the Law (the first time) must apply to all humanity (Ro 15:4).

side note:  one reference is to grace and one to mercy  (Exodus 33:19) both in the same sentence.  They are not the same in substance; there is a difference.  Mercy is extended to mankind in that the disobedience wasn’t concluded on mankind in instant death,  physically as well as spiritually.  God didn’t destroy all mankind for Adam’s sin, but showed mercy to mankind in their, our, my sin.  God dosen’t save mankind by mercy but by grace, His grace, His Divine grace shed out in His blood by Jesus the Christ, Messiah, taking away the sin of the world that was being held in abeyance until the coming of His salvation for mankind was manifested; working it out by “For by grace are ye saved through faith” Ephesians 2:8a;  no mercy there, but all divine grace, amazing grace!

All God has ever wanted of mankind is just to be believed. One of two scriptural absolutes is,  to believe that God is: “for he that cometh to God must believe that he is”  Hebrews 11:6b.   When God speaks, He just wants to be believed.  He has initiated the laws of nature and the laws of the Spirit, all being His creation, saying to us;  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”  Isaiah 55:8.  When, in the creation of Adam, God gave Adam only one (restrictive commandment) command: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17 He being God and creating man could have given man a multitude of commands, as He did later to Israel (because of man’s  pride i believe):  the ceremonial, civiic and social laws; some 600 +.  

What was the first command God gave to Adam?  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (both male and female in one body; that’s the implication, fact). And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”  Genesis 1:27-28.  When reading try to keep the time line straight.  Before Genesis 2:19 he, the created is called, named man; after verse 18 in verse 19 is called Adam.  Things to meditate on here would be: were their beings by Adam before Cain.  Where there offspring by Adam before the fall of Eve and Adam (as one unit)?  How long was that time there, before any offspring.  That may give reason to the much discussed verses:  “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years (Moses age at death Deut 31:1-6). “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”  Genesis 6:4.  Today, think from our perspective, our experiences and imaginations; we fail to just read from scripture and see what God is trying to show us from His Word.  i believe that a lot of man’s problems with scripture and the learning of, is that we don’t want to see or understand it from God’s perspective (Ro 12:2).  But rather want to take scripture and make it conform to our life experiences.  i believe God will allow that to happen for a while (His sovereign will to each individual) until in His Godship, just lets man have at it, then, they the creation become reprobate (Ro 1:28).  When does this happen?  that’s God’s business and not ours.   

Now to the subject verse.  “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  Solomon told us:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment (Heb 9:27), with every secret thing (Ro 2:16), whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.  Solomon thou being ignorant of and hadn’t: “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me (Paul) to you-ward (hearers of the gospel):” Ephesians 3:2;  and that gospel received by and given by Paul to us, is what?  “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”  1 Corinthians 15:1-4.   We will take what was for them, then and try to mix it with what is now.  It doesn’t work and when forced in to try to make it work and it (the scriptures) gets all wonky.  Some will accept and say: “Its so far above me, I’ll never get it”.  Others try their level best to make it work and in so doing fail, getting the scriptures so convoluted that there are so many different denominations, evolving into cults, just a big mess.  The verse says “Ever learning”; learning what then, what is being learned?  “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”  Isaiah 29:13.  We, mankind, know that we should grow, i mean Peter himself tells us to: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18.  From the last verse Peter was ever to write that we know of.  But what does man do?  he goes to the local book store, picks a book where he wants to expand his knowledge and accepts that, man’s word, man’s work as being the way to that “the knowledge of the truth”; just a few verses earlier Peter wrote:  “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9.  

Because of Israel’s rejection (Israel’s last opportunity: Acts 7) of their Messiah, the Gentile by Paul’s teachings has shown us now, the whole world Jew and Gentile alike that we are all, now, included into the receiving of redemption made available to those who will just believe God:  “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:4-10.  

Personal testimony:  Early in my newly received life in Christ Jesus, was so enthralled with my being made a new creation in Christ.  i was ecstatic with joy, the relief from guilt, i was new! i had been starved of heavenly bread for some 38 years, and now was able to partake, eat, all that i wanted, there was no end. i started to collect books on different subjects of my new life.  Most all published works i had acquired were most detrimental.  In a physical sense i was taking in Angel Food cake and using Tabasco sauce for icing; no wonder i was getting sick.  In short, i got rid of all of it, all i needed was God’s Word.  i was learning how to learn God’s way, i was learning the truth that would set me free.  Free from what?  all the entanglements of mans ideas (Ro 12:2), trying to turn a profit on another’s truthful desires.  When i put all the stuff, man’s ideas away, i did, i started to grow, it the Bible made perfect sense.  The down side there are very few like minded individuals of the same mind set.  It took a while for me to understand that and was then by scripture was reminded of:  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  Ephesians 6:10-20.  Paul made a lynch-pin statement in verse 19c: “to make known the mystery of the gospel,”.  Not until i allowed God by His Holy Spirit to teach me of this mystery none of what i was reading was making sense.  But when i came to understand:  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:32, by Paul’s teaching of the mystery given him to upward, i was just making a hash of it all.  

Thank You LORD Jesus for loving me, giving me Your life.  It is impossible for me to explain the how of where i am but i know the Who, the Who that has brought me to where i’m at.  i love You;  period, i don’t have the words.  But You know and i rest fully in that knowledge of who i am, what i was and what You have done in me.  Help me to continue to trust and just believe You, to ever learn and come to that knowledge that is only in You.  In Jesus’s name Amen . . . . . . .