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NASB | Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" [Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48] |
Subject: forgiveness |
Bible Note: Cheri, even though the hour is late and I came within a hair of closing my computerized toy box for the night, I saw your post addressed to me, read it, and decided to respond briefly, which for me could run into several pages. :-) ...... Cheri, you made an important point when you raised the crucial issue of the tension that we all of us experience, in varying degrees perhaps, depending upon where along the road we happen to be in our walk with Christ, between knowiedge of the word of God and application of that knowledge to our lives. And I don't for a moment believe, or claim as my achievement, that anyone this side of glory ever does, or can, reach a flawless homeostatis between knowledge and application; or, one could say, between knowing what to do and doing it. ...... But we cannot apply God's word to our lives unless we know what it is, can we? So the point I wish to make is that the first step, the sine qua non, in doing what God wants us to do is to apply ourselves first, and diligently, to learning, to which there is no royal road. It comes no other way except by study. Some Scripture references along these lines are as follows: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:25; 1 Peter 2:2; Deut. 11:18-21; Ps. 1:2; Ps. 119:11. There is more, much more, that could be said about the importance of studying God's word. Perhaps I'll say more about it anon. For now, Cheri, I do hope that this little dissertation will help you in some small way. --Hank |