I’m not a priest, pastor, elder or deacon. I’m simply a student of the Bible who desires to tell others the good news about how to become a Christian and how a Christian should live. This is something I’ve wanted to share for many years, but didn’t know what forum would work best. However, in late 2013, I decided that a blog would work well, so here it is. Since then, I’ve written more than 190 posts, and have drafts of another 150.
To write about how a person becomes a Christian and how a Christian should live, I read every book in the New Testament three times, and focused on each verse that relates to salvation. I also read most of the Old Testament four times.
As part of my research, I use Bible Works software to search for key terms and phrases. I use Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, and Greek and Hebrew lexicons, to understand key words. I typically will read three or four different Bible translations (New American Standard, NIV, New Living Translation and the Amplified Bible) and the notes in them. And, I have about a dozen different Bible commentaries and will frequently consult these.
However, I believe the best way to understand a term or phrase is to start with the context. Once you get this right, you can then look up this word in other verses (cross reference) to see how it is used. Bible dictionaries, commentaries and lexicons can be used to “fill in the gaps.”
I think it’s important to note that I do not allow the teachings of any one denomination to influence my views. I’ve attended a variety of churches in the past – Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, non-denominational, etc. – and I’m not a fan of simply accepting the beliefs of the denomination’s founder or the “church fathers” in the place of doing one’s own research to develop their understanding of the text. The founders did not all agree with each other on every issue, and they too were likely influenced by others when developing their personal views.
A good example of this is baptism. Is it for babies or adults? For everyone, or just believers? Should a person be sprinkled, poured on or immersed? And what is the significance of baptism? Is it symbolic, or does one receive forgiveness of sins from it? Etc. If you want to know the meaning and significance of baptism according to Scripture and not church teachings, simply do what I do. Look up every verse where the word baptize (and its derivations, such as baptism, baptized, etc.) is used. Then, look up the word up in Hebrew/Greek lexicons and dictionaries. From this, develop a view on what it means that is consistent with all of the verses (cherry picking one or two to support a church’s practice is not allowed). And last, if you’re still a little unsure, consult a few commentaries. Once you do this, you’ll understand who should be baptized and what it means.
For those who may want to know some about me, I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado and work for a brokerage firm. In my spare time, I used to enjoy running, but my knees no longer cooperate, so reading Christian books, golfing (trying to) and completing items on my to do lists are what I do for stress relief. I have a weird interest in keeping our cars clean (frequent washing, cleaning the inside, waxing), and want to be able to do more mechanical work for the satisfaction (and cost savings) of it. I bought a 1992 Mercedes Benz 300D (diesel) that always has something wrong with it, so I’ve been working with a mechanic at times and relying on You Tube videos at other times to try to repair it. I’m happily married and have three kids. We have a seven year old yellow lab named Riley who has brought much joy to our family.
Thank you for reading my blog. Feel free to leave comments or pose questions, and I’ll do my best to address them. And may God richly bless you for your desire to know Him better and live in a way that pleases Him.
Scott
Other religious books I’ve read at the time of this writing
– Islam: The Qur’an, the Gospel According to Muslims. See my posts on Witnessing to Muslims.
– Mormonism: Half of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith’s Commentary on the Bible, Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons, Is the Mormon my Brother, Unveiling Grace. See my post on My Experience in Witnessing to Mormon Missionaries (one of my most popular posts).
– Hinduism: An introductory book on Hinduism, parts of the Hindu scriptures (portions of The Four Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita).
– Buddhism: Part of an introductory book on Buddhism (The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh). I have A Buddhist Bible but not read it yet.
– Atheism: The Making of An Atheist, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, Unimaginable, On Guard, part of Bertrand Russell’s book Why I Am Not A Christian, part of Christopher Hitchens’ book god is not Great. In the future I plan to finish these books, and read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe.
