Bible Doctrine

The Bible Believers Guide To Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Published

10 years ago

August 14, 2015

Geoffrey Grider

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You want God’s approval? Paul says you can get it through Bible study.

“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:14,15 (KJV)

We live in a day and age where Christians have been fed on nothing but positive affirmations, feelings and finances for so long that they are spiritually dying from biblical malnutrition. Truly our generation is the fulfillment of the Laodicean church in the last days. But for those of us with ears to hear, Paul is still speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit, and he has something he wants us to do. Study the Bible like a blue collar laborer.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul gives us a tri-fold command (God does all His most important things in 3’s) to STUDY – BE A WORKMAN – RIGHTLY DIVIDE whenever we open the pages of the Holy Bible. It is the only place in all the New Testament where Christians are commanded to do so, and is extremely important in light of our ongoing sanctification. You want God’s approval? Paul says you can get it through Bible study. But when you study, he says to be a “workman” about it. What does that mean? Simply put, it means to do it with deliberate intent, strength of spirit, sleeves rolled up and ready to work. Have you ever had a blue collar job? I sure have. It’s hard work and at the end of the day you are tired and sweaty because you expended lots of energy. That’s how God wants you to study the Bible. Read 10 verses a day is better than not reading any at all, but it is by no means a workman-like approach to the Bible. Lasty he says to “rightly divide” the word of truth, and this is where the rubber truly meets the road. Buckle up, kiddies, and let’s do a little digging.

What it means to rightly divide the Bible

First of all, rightly dividing has nothing to do with cherry picking, not one thing. For those of you who maintain that’s what rightly dividing is, you are being intellectually dishonest. Rightly dividing does not mean throwing out verses, any verses, rather it means to put them where they belong. In the Bible, there are 3 groups that God can be addressing at any one time, and these are as follows:

The Jews and Israel
The Church
The Gentiles (everyone else)

God presents specific and distinct doctrines and promises to all 3 of these groups, and they are not necessarily overlapping or transferable. Let me show you what I mean with this very well-used verse by Christians today:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

Every year at the National Day of Prayer, you will hear this verse prayed over and over again as a call for America to repent of our national sins so God will heal our nation. But this verse does not apply to America, or any other nation for that matter except as a promise to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. The context of the verse is the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, and God is speaking directly to him about “his people” the Jews and their faithfulness in following Him. It is not a transferable promise to Christians in the age of grace. So we “rightly divide” this as a promise to the Jews, doctrinally, and understand that the only application we can make to Christians in America is in a spiritual sense. We can certainly pray for our nation to repent, hope that we do, and hope that God will heal us. But He is not obligated to do so, because He has not promised to do it for us. Let me show you another example of rightly dividing.

The gradual transitioning of the Church unfolds

Jesus did not come to start a Christian church, not at all. Listen to His own words as to why He was sent: “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24 (KJV). Jesus came to save His people, the Jews, from their sins. But the Jews as a nation rejected Him, and so He went to the gentiles. But all the way up to Acts chapter 7, it was the Jews who were the focus, not the gentiles. Matthew, Mark and Luke are Jewish books to the Jewish people. There is no salvation by grace through faith alone. The Jews rejected God the Father in the Old Testament and wound up with 400 years of silence from Malachi to Matthew. They rejected God the Son in the New Testament, and wound up with the veil of the Temple ripped in two. And finally, they rejected God the Holy Spirit at the preaching of Stephen in Acts 7, and that’s when God put the Jews into a 2,000 year time out, and turned His attention to the gentiles. In the very next chapter, Acts 8, the first gentile gets saved at the witness of Phillip, and one chapter after that Saul becomes Paul and the New Testament church that started as Jewish church in Acts 2 is rolled into the “new work” of Paul, and by Acts 15 the church that we know today is up and running. God will yet turn His attention back to the Jews and Israel after the Rapture, and will use the 144,000 to fulfill promises like these:

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15-18 (KJV)

When you read the signs that follow those that believe, you understand rather quickly that God is not talking to the Christian church. Yes, there are those that claim to speak in tongues and cast out demons today, but not so much the other three signs. There is not a Christian on the face of the earth today that can perform or display signs 3-5 as written. Many a backwoods Pentecostal preacher has “taken up” a deadly snake only to be laid to rest shortly after. Same goes for the drinking of poison, obviously. And laying hands on the sick and seeing all recover? Nope, not a chance. And why not? Because it was not written to Christians in the Church Age, it was written to Jews looking for a Kingdom. It will yet be fulfilled in the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation, by the 144,000 Jews that God will raise up during that time after the Rapture. So we rightly divide these verses as not being doctrine for the Christian church, and we look for the spiritual application for us.

Paul is the apostle for Christians in the Church Age

When Jesus raised up the Apostle Paul, He did it for a very specific reason. Paul was to be the leader of the new Church made up from believing Jews and Gentiles. He was given mysteries not known to the other apostles, and became their teacher. What the Holy Spirit wrote through Paul – Romans to Philemon – comprise the doctrine for the Church Age, but is by far not the entire New Testament. It is Paul who teaches us about Eternal Security, the Pretribulation Rapture, the Body of Christ, and all the other doctrines we hold so dear. But keep in mind that these are not things taught by Matthew, Mark, Peter and others. Paul’s teaching on Eternal Security flies directly in the face of Hebrews 6 that says it is “impossible” to be restored if you fall away. But Hebrews, as doctrine, was not written to the Christian Church, it was written to the Hebrews. But unless you study the Bible like a “workman” you will not arrive at these conclusions. They take time, prayer and the illumination of the Holy Spirit to see. Study to show yourself approved unto God, don’t expect Him to reward you with Bible pearls by putting in a half-hearted effort. In salvation, all the work is on Him, all we do is accept it. But for everything after, God expects us to work and work hard as we mature as a Christian. Babies drink milk, full-grown people need meat and lots of it. It has taken me years of hard study to be able to even present this to you today. If you are intellectually honest, you will spend more than 60 seconds in reading this before coming to a conclusion. And in conclusion, I will end with this.

All the Bible was written for us, but all the Bible was not written to us. Jews were promised a kingdom on earth, Christians promised the New Jerusalem. Unbelieving Gentiles await the fires of Hell. Jews are looking for a King to sit on the throne of David, and Jesus will certainly do that in the Millennium. But Christians don’t wait for a King, we are a Bride waiting for her Bridegroom to come get us in the Rapture. Jews were given signs and wonders, Christians walk by faith and not by sight. Jews have a Temple building, Christians have their body as a Temple for the Holy Spirit. For Jews, the sabbath is a day. For Christians, the Sabbath is a Person. And the list goes on and on all the way from Genesis to Revelation.

Rightly dividing puts everything the Bible promises in it’s proper place, reserved for the people it was promised to.

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Bible Doctrine

The Bible Does Not Teach ‘Original Sin’, It Goes Far Deeper Than That And The Answer Is Found In Understanding What The ‘Image Of Adam’ Really Is

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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You were not born with ‘original sin’ as the Roman Catholics teach, you were born with the image of Adam, something far more deadly than mere sins you can commit

If you look at the photo at the top of this article, you see Adam and Eve, and the snake, with an apple. The Bible says nothing about an apple in the Garden that day, if you want to make a case for a fruit being the ‘forbidden fruit’, you’d want to take a look at grapes starting in Numbers 6:3. But just as the Bible doesn’t teach that Adam and Eve ate an apple, it also doesn’t teach that every human born after they fell has ‘original sin’, because they don’t. It is something far deeper, it is the deadly ‘image of Adam’ that will send your soul to Hell. It’s not so much that we commit sin, but rather that we are born sinners with Adam’s image fused into our DNA.

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:” Genesis 5:3 (KJB)

In the gospel of John, Jesus says something quite curious to Nicodemus, and he has no idea what Jesus is talking about. Jesus tells Nicodemus “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Jesus is telling him that his physical birth generated him with the image of Adam, and that he needed a spiritual birth to receive the image of God. Take a look at some of these verses speaking to that:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJB)
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 (KJB)
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” Ephesians 2:14-16 (KJB)
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22 (KJB)

Do you see what those verses are telling you? When you were born, you were born into Adam and received his fallen image. When you become born again, the ‘old man’ is taken away and the ‘new man’ is born. Where does the concept of ‘original sin’ come from? Why it comes from the Roman Catholic Church! They teach that your ‘original sin’ can only be ‘washed away’ in a Roman Catholic baby baptism ritual. Ha! Also not in the Bible in either Testament. Please see Acts 8:35-38 (KJB) for ‘more on that story’.

Years ago, someone asked me what ‘religion’ I was, and I replied that I am born again. And they said, “oh, you’re one of the born again’ers, not me. I don’t need that. I’m just a regular Christian.” No, you’re not. Either you are born again and in the Body of Christ, or you are lost, stuck in the image of Adam and heading for Hell. But what about the babies? Glad you asked.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Romans 5:12,13 (KJB)

God is not a Calvinist, He doesn’t bring souls into the world in order to save some and damn the rest. Maybe R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur taught that, but the Bible sure doesn’t. In His mercy and grace, God does not impute sin to the soul that is not aware they have sinned against Him. This includes all babies, people with Down Syndrome, severe mental impairment and retardation, souls who got killed in abortion, you get the idea. But once you are awake and aware that there is a God and He has a Law, at that point, you become accountable at whatever age that is. This is why being a witness for Jesus Christ, handing out gospel tracts and telling people how to get saved is so very vital and important.

If you are ‘in Adam’ with his image, you’re a dead man walking. Being born again in Jesus Christ erases that image, generates you reborn in the image of God, and then seals you unto the day of Redemption. We live in an highly image conscious world, whose image do you have?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Bible Doctrine

Black Sabbath Singer Ozzy Osbourne Was Known As The ‘Prince Of Darkness’, Sang Incessantly About Satan, And Glorified Hell. But Was He Saved?

Published

4 weeks ago

July 23, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne has died, is he now in Heaven or in Hell? Your King James Bible has the answer

Heavy metal god Ozzy Osbourne died the other day, and a flood of tributes have been posted online in his memory, many of them from Christian pastors who were huge fans. One pastor in particular, Tullian Tchividjian whom I have never heard of, had this to say about the Black Sabbath singer. “Oh Ozzy… you wild, beautiful soul. You gave misfits like me a soundtrack for our lives. Beneath the madness was a tender heart that understood pain, and sang it loud. Crazy, Iron Man you—thank you for the honesty, the chaos, the comfort. Rest now, brother. Grace has the final word. Love, Tullian.” There it is, Ozzy Osbourne safe at home in Heaven. Is that possible? Let’s take a look and see.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Ephesians 5:11,12 (KJB)

First of all, let me just say, I do not wish Hell on anyone, not even on Adolf Hitler, because when you study the doctrine of Hell long enough and understand what it truly is, you don’t want anyone to wind up there. Hell is real, it has flames and outer darkness, and if you find yourself there you will never get out. How to avoid Hell is easy, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’ It doesn’t get any easier than that. According to all accounts, Ozzy Osbourne was raised in the Church of England, the same Church where the King James Bible came from, he was baptized as a baby, and he attended Sunday School. That’s pretty good stuff, right?

In an interview with Spin in 1986, as shared by The Guardian, Osbourne said, “I’m a Christian. I was christened as a Christian. I used to go to Sunday school. I never took much interest in it because … I didn’t.”

Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sleeping in a garage doesn’t make you an automobile. Baptism doesn’t save you, and neither does attending Sunday School. In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch had this exchange with the apostle Philip. “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Belief in Jesus first, baptism second, that’s Church Age doctrine.

The Truth about Heaven and Hell

Let me ask you the most important question you will every be asked in your entire life. If you were to die tonight, where would you go?

Ozzy Osbourne said he ‘believed in God’, that’s good, right? “I believe in God. I don’t go to church, but I don’t think you have to go to church to believe in God,” he said.” On that point he was correct, you do not have to attend church in order to believe in God. James has this to say about that “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Devils in Hell believe in God, so much so that it makes them tremble, but it doesn’t make them saved. Believing that God exists is a wonderful first step on the path to salvation, but believing in God is not enough to save you. God has placed salvation in His only begotten Son Jesus, it is in Him where salvation dwells, no place else. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Black Sabbath has a song called ‘After Forever’, and here is a line from it “I have seen the truth, yes, I’ve seen the light, and I’ve changed my ways. And I’ll be prepared when you’re lonely and scared at the end of our days.” Sounds almost like a profession of faith, doesn’t it? Maybe, except for the fact that Jesus Christ is THE Truth, there is no other truth. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Black Sabbath has dozens of songs mentioning Satan and the Devil by name, but as far as I know, not one mentioned the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. Why would Jesus not even get a mention if Ozzy was truly a Christian?

So we see that salvation as defined by the Bible for New Testament Christians living in the Church Age is quite clear, and here it is. “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:” Did Ozzy Osbourne believe that? There is no record that I could find to show he did, no testimony of salvation or receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour. I think that music like the kind practiced by Black Sabbath, and by “Christian” artists like Slayer, Stryper, Skillet, Demon Hunter and all the others is satanic, and no one who names the Name of Jesus should have anything to do with that garbage. But listening to bad music doesn’t send you to Hell, not believing on the Name of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth does. That’s where we’ll leave it.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Bible Doctrine

Your King James Bible Tells You That God Was Manifest In The Flesh As Jesus Christ, A Precious Truth Snuffed Out In Nearly All The Modern Versions

Published

3 months ago

May 12, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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1 Timothy 3:16 in the King James Bible shows you God manifest in the flesh, a truth snuffed out by nearly all the modern versions

There is a verse in 1 Timothy 3 in your King James Bible that is one of the most-powerful verses anywhere in either Testament showing you the deity of Jesus Christ in clear and precises terms. This verse tells us that “God was manifest in the flesh”, that is to say that God the Father put Himself inside a human body to make Himself open and visible. Paul declares this clarion truth to us, and nearly every one of the modern versions take that truth and erase it from the passage like it was never there.

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJB)

Of course, this is the teaching of the Bible, giving you written proof that God prepared Himself a body in order to come into this world as the sinless Saviour. Isaiah show us God the Father, born into this world as a baby, who grows to be the Saviour of mankind and the King of the world. We see these verses so often at “Christmas” that they become stripped of their prophetic power and meaning, reduced to being used as fodder for greeting cards.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6,7 (KJB)

Jesus Christ is not a “second God”, he is the Father in human form, that’s exactly Who He is. It is the Roman Catholics who tell you about “God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost”, but the Bible doesn’t say any such thing. The Bible says that it is God – Father, Son and Spirit – in one body, Paul calls this the Godhead, and so it is. So why would all the “easier to read” modern versions want to prevent you from receiving and understanding this clear and precious truth about God? It’s an attack on the deity of Jesus Christ which they all love to do. With that in mind, let’s do a quick comparison between the King James and the modern versions.

WANT THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THE MODERN BIBLE VERSIONS? CLICK TO ORDER!!

KING JAMES BIBLE: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJB) Using zero footnotes, Paul tells us that God, the Father, was manifest in the flesh of Jesus Christ, in such clear language that controversy and private interpretation becomes impossible. This is why the modern versions take it out.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit,[fn] was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV). Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Footnote added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage. Billy Graham was a paid spokesperson for the NIV.

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He[fn] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated[fn] by the Spirit,[fn] seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Multiple footnotes added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage.

LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE: “And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, Was [fn]vindicated [fn]in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (LSB) This is the version championed by John McArthur, which is basically a slightly updated ESV. Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Multiple footnotes added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage.

And the Grand Prize for biblical heresy is reserved, of course, for the Roman Catholic Church, these being the same people who at every turn try and tell you that they are the ones who “gave us the Bible”. Nothing could be further from the truth or more laughable.

DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE: “And evidently great is the mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, appeared unto angels, hath been preached unto the Gentiles, is believed in the world, is taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (DRB) The modern versions all remove the word “God” and substitute it with the word “He”, leaving you with a masculine being of some sort to contend with. Pure garbage, but the Catholics do worse. They take the “He” that modern versions reduced God to and substitutes it for the neuter “which”.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH GAVE YOU ALL THE MODERN VERSIONS, AND THIS BOOK PROVES IT. CLICK TO ORDER!!

Christian, your Bible is under attack and the sooner you figure that out the better off you will be. This is not a matter of “King James Onlyism” as our opponents mockingly suggest, this is a war designed to rip God’s preserved word right out of your hands and replace it with cut-rate slop like the modern versions.