Expert: Tom Smith - 4/30/2006

Question
what do the following mean?
peter1:20-21,matthew5:18,john16:12-13,revelation22:18-19,proverbs3:5,hebrews4:12,psalm119:105,psalm42:1,timothy3:15 and romans1:16

Answer
1) Peter 1:20-21

It is not clear whether you meant 1 peter 1:20-21 or 2 Peter 1:20-21. Please feel free to submit a second question with this clarification and I can addres this question.

2) Matthew 5:18

Matt 5:18
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
NKJV

Let's look at the larger context:

Matt 5:17-20
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
NKJV

Jesus is stating that he did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, whicgh are two sections of the Hebrew scripture (Old Testament), and thus Jesus is clearly stating that what he is doing is a fulfillment of prophecy. This is a huge topic and one which could be answered in detail by writing a book, but I will try to give a very brief answer by going to a couple of passages of scripture. the first is in Hebrews 9.

Henrews 9 is speasking of the sacrifices and how the sacrifices offered in the Old Covenant were merely a copy or an image of the perfect or real sacrifice to come:

Heb 9:23-28
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
NKJV

What this shows ios that temple itself and the ritual sacrifices are in fact merely images or propetic of the coming of the Messiah and the ultimate fulfillment of the oprophecy was in Christ.

Likewise, what is the purpose of the law?

Gal 3:19-25
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
NKJV

The was to show us how we failed to live up to God's standards and to point us to the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the law by becoming the sacrivfice, and through Him we no longer need the law because we have the Holy S[pirit indwelling us helping us to keep the spirit of the law rather than just the letter (which we failed to keep in any case).

The law and prophects did not pass away, but rather the ultimate fulfillment is in Christ. I know that this is a very superficial answer, but to go over it in details would requiremany pages.


3) John 16:12-13

John 16:12-14
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
NKJV

This refers to the indwelling of belivers by the Holy Spirit.

John 14:25-27
25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
NKJV

John 15:26-27
26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
NKJV

He will not speak on His own authority but on the authority of the Father, as Jesus did when He was on earth. He does not draw attention to Himself, but rather points to Jesus through whom we are saved by means of the sacrifice on the cross.

4) Revelation 22:18-19

Rev 22:18-19
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
NKJV

This is one of many references that we find in scripture warning against tapering with the Bible. We find others in Deut 4:2 and proverbs 30:5 for example. There are arguments as to whether this refers solely to the Book of Revelation or to the book of the Bible, but that appears to be a moot point when we see so many references to the same warning from the OT through to the end of the NT. God does not want man tapering with His word.

5) Proverbs3:5

Prov 3:5
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
NKJV

This one seems clear and relates well to the last one - depend upon God's word alone and do not establish doctrine based upon our own thoughts, feelinsg or dictates of men. God warns elsewhere about following traditions of men:

Mark 7:11-13
12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."
NKJV

6) Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:105

Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
NKJV

Ps 119:105

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
NKJV


Amen! Again, pointing to the word of God (The Bible) as our sole source of truth in doctrine.

7) Ps 42:1
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
NKJV

Our focus mjust be on God, not on man.


8) Timothy 3:15

It is not clear whether you meant 1 Timothy 3:15 or 2 Timothy 3:15. Please feel free to submit a second question with this clarification and I can addres this question.


9) Romans1:16

Rom 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
NKJV

Let us not be ashamed of the gospel of God, keep our focus on Him and His truth alone because it is through Him and His word alone that we find salvation. I believe that paul summed this up nicely when he said:

1 Cor 2:2-3
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
NKJV

There is no other gospel by which we can be saved. Paul further emphasized the importance keep true to the gospel when he said:

Gal 1:8-10
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
NKJV

Clearly, it is a serious matter when we corrupt God's word and especially the clear teaching of the gospel. I think that one could give an excellent sermon using the verses that you put forward.