*** SHOW NOTES (not a transcript) ***

Lead:

What’s one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible? And what should we do about it?

Intro:

THANK YOU! One of you reached out yesterday saying you liked the “big butt” comment. And another of you reached out with words of encouragement and telling me you shared the program with your mom. I appreciate both the feedback and the referral. And can I tell you why this touches me so? Sure, it’s nice to hear that what you like or don’t like, and the program’s been growing thanks to your referrals, but the big reason it warms my heart is because I am a servant of the Most High. I want Jesus to be glorified and honored. If you and I working together can help others experience His beauty and grace and forgiveness and healing and guidance, that’s a beautiful thing because there’s nothing more beautiful than His love for us.

That said, today’s reading is going to go past one of the things Jesus said that is taken out of context more than just about anything else. We’ll talk about that very briefly in our All Our Minds segment. AND note this…today’s got more in the notes than I will cover in the podcast. Go to forthehope.org and search for program number 895.

Sponsor:

You! If you’re enriched by what we do, would you kindly share it with others or give us a review or rating on your favorite podcast app? And if you buy a book from one the affiliate links in the sources below, that supports this ministry, too. THANK you.

Bible Segment:

Passage: Luke 6-7
Translation: NIV (New International Version)
Verses: 99
Words: ~2116

All Our Minds Segment:

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
ST answers the question, What does the whole Bible teach about certain topics? or put another way, What is true about God and his universe?
At the risk of stating the obvious, ST is systematic: it is organized on principles of logic, order, and need. ST is systemic: it is concerned with how the whole Bible logically coheres in systems of thought. It often organizes truth under headings such as the doctrines of God (theology proper), the Bible (bibliology), humans (anthropology), sin (hamartiology), Christ (Christology), the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), salvation (soteriology), the church (ecclesiology), and the end times (eschatology). ST is generally framed so as to interact with and address the contemporary world. Even systematic theologians who cherish the narrative of Scripture and make much of the varied ways the Bible addresses its readers end up with highly ordered structures, sometimes calling them “theodramas.”
The Bible’s unity makes ST not only possible but necessary. The biblical data must control ST; however ST must in turn challenge alternative worldviews. Sometimes it is especially important not to “go beyond what is written,” for some Christian truths include within their sweep substantial areas of unknown things. For instance, there are important things we do not know about Jesus’ incarnation, about the Trinity, and about God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. To pretend we know more than we do generates shoddy ST that can prove misleading and dangerous. A large part of orthodoxy resides in listening carefully and humbly to all of Scripture and then properly relating passage with passage, truth with truth.
Everyone holds to some sort of ST. The quality of ST is based on its foundational data, constructive methods, principles for excluding certain information, appropriately expressive language, and logical, accurate conclusions.(1)

As it relates to today’s reading, consider the word “judgment.” Is Jesus saying that we are to never judge others? On the contrary. Here’s a paragraph from United Church of God’s site (note, this isn’t an endorsement of UCG or their theology per se, just useful).

However, in other sections of the Bible, Christ says very clearly, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) and “a tree is known by its fruits” (Matthew 12:33). While we cannot see hearts, we can see—and judge—actions. There are times God calls on us to discern others’ actions because of their effects on us. For example, the Bible tells us to avoid angry people and those whose sins may rub off on us (Proverbs 22:24; 1 Corinthians 5:11-12). Hebrews 5:14 tells us that the spiritually mature are “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”(2)

The bottom line

We are not told to forgo the use of our minds, and doing so means that we evaluate, discern, or judge things. Jesus is warning against being judgmental, placing ourselves in God’s role.

Wisdom Segment:

Passage:
Translation: NIV (New International Version)
Verses:
Words:

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

(1) D. A. Carson, “The Bible and Theology,” in NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 2634. Thank you in advance — when you purchase NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message using this affiliate link, you support this ministry.

(2) "What does it mean to "judge," and why does the Bible say to "judge not"?", United Church of God, November 15, 2010, accessed September 23, 2019. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/what-does-it-mean-to-judge-and-why-does-the-bible-say

#895: Luke 6-7 | Systematic theology