Attributes of God - Part 2

God is Invisible

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: - Romans 1:20

God is invisible, but we see the evidence of him through the things that are made.

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: - Colossians 1:15

Curious wording isn't it? The implication is that there is a visible God. The LORD appeared unto Abram, yet he didn't see God.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: - Colossians 1:16

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. - 1 Timothy 1:17

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. - Hebrews 11:27

Moses endured as though he had seen him who is invisible. Moses didn't see the invisible God.

Either the only wise God (there is an unwise one) is invisible or he is not.  John said that no man had seen God at any time.  Therefore, the only wise God has never been visible to any man.  Yet LORD God was seen by many.  Again, the Bible makes it plain that the only wise God and LORD God cannot ever be one and the same.  The two are different persons.

Attributes of LORD - Part 2

Visible


And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  -  Genesis 17:1

The LORD appeared to Abram.  Abram could see him.  Yet:

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.  -  1 Timothy 1:17

So who did Abram see?  Abram did not see the only wise God.  He did see the LORD.  Isaac saw the LORD  (Genesis 26:2), as did Moses (Exodus 3:16), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:21), and Solomon (1 Kings 3:5).  Either John was incorrect in saying that no man has seen God at any time or the LORD is not the only wise God.

Many argue that LORD is the pre-incarnate manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  However, the LORD states that he knows both good and evil in Genesis 3:22.  If the LORD is the Lord Jesus Christ, then he knows good and evil.  Also, that would make him both the instituter of the law (ministration of death) and the end of the law (Romans 10:4).  It implies that the Lord Jesus Christ is a hypocrite for telling the people of Israel, "Thou shalt not kill." and then saying, "I will kill ..."  The only reasonable alternative is that LORD is neither the only wise God nor is he the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lives in Darkness

He (from the context - LORD) made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.  -  Psalms 18:11

What can I say?  Here in the Bible we see that the LORD has a dark, secret place.  Yet of God, John said, "God is light and in him is no darkness at all."  This should astound the reader.  There is no way to reconcile these two aspects.  The LORD likes dark places, but anywhere that God is then there is no darkness.

The differences above are stark.  They are not subtle.  It amazes me that for the better part of my 30+ yer Christian life.  I didn't see it, or accepted the explanation of the differences without questioning.  I am often reminded of::

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  -  2 Corinthians 11:3

Paul was concerned that people would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  Seeing these stark contrasts plainly shows the ease of deceiving mankind from the truth.

Good Trees and Corrupt Trees

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.  -  Luke 6:43-44

The Bible provides simple principles to allow you to discern between two or more things.  I've mentioned one of them relating to the the inability of a person to have two or more masters.  Now lets look at trees and the fruit they produce.

Its simple.  A grape vine produces grapes.  An apple tree produces apples.  A good tree produces good fruit, and a corrupt tree brings forth corrupt fruit.  In I Corinthians 15:33, we find that evil communication corrupts good manners.  Evil corrupts good.  The reason the evil corrupts good is that the person infected by both has two motives, and, therefore, two masters.


And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:  -  Genesis 3:22

The LORD God testifies that he knows good and evil.  Furthermore:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.  -  Isaiah 45:7

This LORD creates evil.  He has two masters.  Whatever is good in or about him is corrupted with evil.  So what kind of fruit does he produce?  Corrupt fruit.  In fact, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is a corrupt tree, since it produces corrupt fruit.  Adam and Eve partake of that fruit, and they become corrupt and take on the likeness of LORD God in that they know good and evil.  Adam and Eve are corrupt just like LORD God.

Contrast this with God, the true and wise one.  Through his witness to all men, Paul, God tells us to abide in charity, the greatest of faith, hope and charity.  According to I Corinthians 13, charity is NOT bestowing your good s to feed the poor.  You can bestow your goods to feed the poor and still not have charity.  One of the characteristics of charity is that it "thinketh no evil."  Charity is the bond of God's perfectness, so he must be the supreme example of charity.  That means he thinketh no evil, and that God is not corrupted with the knowledge of evil.  God sees no evil, hears no evil and thinks no evil.  He must produce good fruit.  Indeed, look at the fruit of his Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23.  Can you find anything bad about those nine things?  I didn't think that you could.

The Bible says that charity never faileth.  There has never been a need for God to abandon charity.  Why would God abandon charity for something that can fail?  Charity edifies, and does not destroy.  If God abandoned charity then that would make him a hypocrite.

Why doesn't God just put an end to the deception, pain, and just  plain bad fruit?  Because charity is longsuffering, is kind, it seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked.  For God to end it all would mean that he had abandoned charity.  He merely presents the evidence along with principles to apply when considering the evidence.

Attributes of God - Part 1

God of Peace

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 1:7

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. - Romans 15:33

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. - Romans 16:20

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. - 1 Corinthians 14:33


God is the author of peace.

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. - 2 Corinthians 13:11

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. - Galatians 6:16

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. - Philippians 4:9

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. - Colossians 3:15

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Thessalonians 1:1

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, - Hebrews 13:20


Compare these verses with the verses in the previous post that declare the LORD to be a man of war.  If God and LORD are one and the same then we have a problem.  The two are not compatible. Especially since Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)), and:



Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  -  Hebrews 13:8


When does God change?  Never.


One portion of the fruit of the Spirit is peace.   Is peace the fruit of war?  If you live by the sword then you will die by the sword.  Certainly the peace that passeth understanding does not come by war.  No reasonable way to reconcile war and peace exists.  LORD and God must be different persons.

God is No Respecter of Persons

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: - Acts 10:34

For there is no respect of persons with God. - Romans 2:11

God does not respect persons.  In the Romans verse, this simply means that whether Jew or Gentile keeping the law or not keeping the law will have the same outcomes irrespective of race.  God is not partial to one or the other.  In Acts, Peter sees that people that follow after God receive the same benefit.  Again, God favors no race or nation.  Therefore, he cannot be a jealous God.  God shows no partiality.  Anybody that believes God will be counted righteous.  He has no favorite NFL team or player.  Tebow doesn't get blessing and not Eli Manning.

So does God get jealous if you worship another god?  Good question don't you think?  People expect that God reacts with anger.  In this situation, the LORD visits the sins of the father to the third and fourth generation.  Have a look at Leviticus 26:14ff to see the LORD's reaction in greater detail.   However with God it is his goodness that leads people to repentance according to Romans 2:4.  Romans 2:4 also talks of the riches of his goodness, forbearance and longsuffering.  Also, charity never (ever) faileth.  When does God abandon charity (I Corinthians 13), since he must be the supreme example of it?  Again we see a separation between God and LORD.

Attributes of LORD - Part 1

Introduction

There is just no way to keep this short by any means other than publishing one or two characteristics per post.  Then I will post characteristics of God that are related to those characteristics of LORD.  It will go 2 about LORD, and then 2 about God, and repeat.  Of course there is not necessarily a one-for-one correspondence between them, but I try this.

What you will find in the following is that I have attempted to list those verses which say, "LORD is ...." or "God is ...".  The following is an example of the approach:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. - Isaiah 45:7

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; - 1 Corinthians 13:5

In one verse is a partial description of charity in which the one having it thinks no evil. In the other verse is the LORD saying that he creates evil. There is room for a lot of confusion, until the reader realizes that God (perfect example of charity) and LORD (in the OT including LORD God) are not the same person.  IF LORD is God then God is a hypocrite.

God does not think evil unless he is a hypocrite (do as I say not as I do) for telling us to think no evil.  Whereas Isaiah 45:7 shows, by the LORD's own testimony, that he creates evil.

The LORD is a man of war -

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. - Exodus 15:3

The OT presents many places which testify to the accuracy of this statement.

This verse is completely consistent with:

Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. - Exodus 15:6

And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded. - Zechariah 10:5

The LORD is Jealous

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; - Exodus 20:5

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: - Exodus 34:14

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. - Joshua 24:19

The alternate name of the LORD is Jealous.  What invokes this jealous response of the LORD is to worship another god.  So the term jealous refers to worshiping another god in this context.

As for Me

After seeing the possibility of God and LORD not being one and the same.  I sought to deny it.  My head was swimming with all sorts of questions.  Perhaps yours is, too.  I said to myself, "Okay that's one passage."  Is there another, in which both appear?  Genesis 17 is the next place.


And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  -  Genesis 17:1

Lets take a careful look at this verse.

the LORD appeared to Abram - Abram could see the LORD.  The LORD cannot be the Lord Jesus because they disagreed about the cleanliness of animals.  The LORD cannot be God for John 1:18 declares, "No man hath seen God at any time ..."  Paul confirmed this three times by stating that God is invisible.

and said to him, I am the Almighty God; - This phrase implies that there is more than one God.  The LORD claims to be the almighty one.  In I Corinthians 13, one of the characteristics of charity is it "vaunteth not itself."  In modern terminology, a person characterized by charity does not brag.  If LORD and God are one and the same, then God is not characterized by charity, and is a hypocrite for expecting us to follow after charity.

walk before me, and be thou perfect. - Abram gets a command from the LORD.  He's told to be perfect. Job is said to be perfect (look at what that got him), so its achievable.  Nevertheless, its a tall order.

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.  -  Genesis 17:2

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, - If Abram remains perfect, then the LORD will make a covenant between them.  This covenant does not yet exist.  Its a conditional covenant.  Abram's reward for the covenant will be that he will be multiplied exceedingly.

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,  -  Genesis 17:3

Abram falls on his face.

and God talked with him, saying, - God does not appear.  Abram has not seen God.  God merely talks with him.  And here is what God says:

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  -  Genesis 17:4

As for me, -  By these three words, God distinguishes and distances himself from the LORD.  We say these three words when we wish to offer another opinion or another point of view.  A husband may say something and the wife separates herself from that by saying, "As for me, I think ...."  By these three words, God makes it plain that he does not identify himself as the Almighty God or anything else other than God.

behold, my covenant is with thee,  -  This covenant already exists.  My covenant is.  It is already in a state of being.  Abram is unaware of it until now.  Abram shalt be a father of many nations.  Its worded as strongly as it can be stated.  There is no condition associated with this covenant.  There is nothing for Abram to do.  Its going to be true.  Abram is offered one covenant, and the other is already in existence.

Abram (name changed to Abraham in v 5) is confronted with two possible masters.  Its not as simple as Noah's situation.  Abraham did pick one master.  Which one did he choose?

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  -  Romans 4:3

Abraham chose God.  We, today, are confronted by a similar choice.  We should, also, believe God just like Abraham.

Now there are two passages indicating that LORD and God are not the same.  I was totally discombobulated.  The puzzle pieces are laying all over the place.  I had sought to build my whole life on a foundation of an assumption that God and LORD were just different names of the same person, and that foundation was now rubble.  I was preaching four times a week, and now I was unsure of anything.  Twenty five years of ministry was based on it, and I wondered if it was all for naught.  The truths that I could hold on to were that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures (I Cor 15 3,4).  By believing that I was and am saved.

I concluded that the only way to put this issue to rest one way or the other was to compare the characteristics of LORD, LORD God and LORD God Almighty with the characteristics of God as they appear in that ol' King James Bible.  Let the evidence speak for itself.

Differences that Make a Difference

About five years ago now, I was continuing to consider what Paul said.  I came upon something that I had wondered about, but never really dug into it.  Paul refers to Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus.  I am convinced that the right word in the King James Bible is in exactly the right place.  So I think once again to myself, "Things that are different are not the same."  So I dug into it - for WEEKS.  I'll share the differences in a later post.

That study led me to look at all the different names to see if there was a difference that made a difference.  I started with God, which is first used in Genesis 1:1.  In Genesis 2, the name LORD God is first used.  This was the next study.  I resolved to dig into the difference between these two names.  The result was that basically turned the card table over and few pieces were left in-place, and it took my at least six months to recover my composure, and I have been putting pieces back since then.  In about 1-2 years, I recovered my composure.  In short, what follows is shattering.

If you can clearly disprove it, then I'd happily go back.  In fact, I set out to disprove it myself.  The evidence just keeps piling up to confirm what I found.  Let me share just exactly what I was studying and what I found.  This is how it happened for me.

One more piece of foundation:


For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  -  Romans 15:4

In looking at the highlighted portion of this verse I often wondered what I was supposed to learn from the Old Testament (OT).  Finally, just before undertaking the study of God and LORD God, I asked God for wisdom in this matter of learning from the OT.  I did this because God gives wisdom liberally to those that ask for it.  I was not prepared for this answer.

God and LORD God - The Start

I started in Genesis with the first occurrence of each.  I glossed over chapters one and two not seeing anything new, and I get to Noah in Genesis 6.  In verse 13, where it says, "And God said unto Noah..."  Down in verse 19:


And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.  -  Genesis 6:19

Got that?  Two of every sort.

Now in Genesis 7:1, "And the LORD said unto Noah..."


Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  -  Genesis 7:2

God says two of every sort, and the LORD says seven of the clean ones.  My first thought is that Paul said, "I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself." (Romans 14:14)  At this point if nothing else is clear, I concluded that God and LORD didn't agree on the number of animals, and LORD and the Lord Jesus do not agree about the cleanliness of all animals.  The potential elephant in the room is that God and LORD are not one and the same, and it looks like Noah has two masters to serve.

The last verse of Genesis 6:


Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.  -  Genesis 6:22

and after Noah listens to LORD:


And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.  -  Genesis 7:5

Noah is between a rock and a hard place, but Noah didn't just fall off Cain's vegetable cart.  He realized that if he took seven of one kind that he'd have at least two of every sort.  After all, God didn't say he couldn't take more than two.

At this point, my head was swimming with the possible conclusion that LORD and God are not the same.

It certainly looks like the difference between God and LORD is more than spelling.  Next stop - Genesis 17.

Follow Paul the Apostle

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. - 1 Corinthians 1:10

In the previous post, I mentioned the four divisions in the church of God at Corinth. Paul directs them that this should not exist. In the last 20 centuries has the problem gotten better or worse? Dare I say that it has gotten worse? The Corinthians were divided into following Paul, Cephas (another name for Peter – perhaps his popish name), Apollos and Christ. The answer to the problem is for everybody to pick ONE to follow. God's choice:

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. - 1 Corinthians 4:16

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. - 1 Corinthians 11:1

The divisions that existed then and exist today do not lead to peace, but do maintain confusion. Today, we have followers of the apostles Peter and John, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Billy Graham, John Hagee, Kenneth Copeland, and on and on. I contend that we should not allow divisions to exist and that we should still follow Paul. But, lets let the evidence in the Bible speak for itself.

Who is Paul?

For thou shalt be his (the God of our fathers from v 14) witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. - Acts 22:15

Paul is God's witness unto all men. All certainly includes Peter, James and John. There is no reason to constrain his witness by time. The phrase “all men” includes you and me. This witness that we have from Paul is found in Acts through Hebrews in the New Testament (NT).

That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. - Romans 15:16

Paul is the minster of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. His job was to minister the gospel of God. Paul's ministry included all the Gentiles. Again, since we have his epistles, there is no need to limit his ministry to when he was here on this earth.

Why Paul?

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. - Philippians 4:9

Following Paul implies that you do what you learned from him, received from him, heard and seen in him. There is a benefit of doing those things. Paul promises that the God of peace shall be with you. Not following Paul's instruction and example implies that the God of peace shall not be with you. That's a pretty good reason for following Paul. Wouldn't you say? There's more.

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. - I Thessalonians 4:1

Paul instructed the Thessalonians on how they should walk and please God. Do you want to please God? Hmmmm? Most likely, you would. Where are you going to find out how to do that? From Paul! In his epistles, Paul definitely provides instruction on how to conduct our lives. By doing that, then we, too, can please God. Still there is more.

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. - II Timothy 2:7

Paul writes to Timothy and tells him to consider what he says. The result will be that the Lord will give him understanding in all things. So you want understanding in all things? Well, the one way in the Bible given to achieve that is to consider what Paul says. Listen to God's witness to all men.

How many times did I see this verse before I realized what it said? I'd like to know. So I started to consider what Paul said with Romans. I studied Romans like I never studied it before. Then I did the same in order right through Hebrews. Imagine having 20 year old questions answered. I began to understand things from the Bible that I had never understood before. This I started some 10 years ago.

It produced a revolution in my life and in my understanding. Looking back is like stopping at the summit of Doherty Slide on the Winemucca to the Sea road in southeastern Oregon (Oregon 140), and looking where you came from. You can't see all the twists and turns on the way up, but you can see clearly where you were, and you know where you are. Around the time of “discovery” of this verse, there were many changes and many times I would spend weeks trying to disprove my new understanding. The big one was yet to come.

The one constant, though, has been the gospel that saves, which is the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (see I Corinthians 15:1ff).

(See: Philippians 3:17, II Timothy 1:13 and II Timothy 4:17 for other berses related to following Paul.)

What Could I Possibly Add to Bible Understanding?

Aren't there enough commentaries, Christian books, blogs, websites, etc. out there?  How can I possibly contend that I have knowledge of truth?  Good questions, to be sure.

There are more positions at which I can shake a stick, but couldn't.  There are hundreds of denominations.  There a several positions regarding baptism (sprinkle, pour, immerse or none), the Lord's Supper (every day, every time the church meets, once a quarter, once a year or no observance), doctrine of last things, the Bible itself  (which version, what is inspired, what language, is it without error, etc.)  Confusing isn't it?  Its enough to cause anybody to throw up their hands and say that they've had enough of it, and walk completely away.  And many have.

Yet,

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.  -  1 Corinthians 14:33

God is not the author of confusion.  Even more, he is the author of peace.  A confused person is not at peace.  I want people to have peace through the knowledge of the truth.  Its God's will that we, mankind, should know it and not just believe it.  He wants us to know truth.  If he wants us to know it, then it must be available to everybody.

I like simplicity.  I like simple, uncomplicated landscape photography.  I like finding simple solutions to complex problems.  Part of simplifying the confusion is related to what Jesus said:

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  -  Luke 16:13

No servant can serve two masters.  So it is incumbent upon people to reduce the number of masters in their lives. This is akin to not knowing what time it is when you have two or more watches. More importantly, we must eliminate the number of Bible related masters.  One night while preparing a Sunday school lesson, I had a question regarding a verse.  So I went and got another version.  That didn't help, so I looked at a third, then a fourth, and finally a fifth.  I was no closer to comprehending what was written.  One didn't agree with the any of the other five.  I wish that I could tell you that I remembered the above verse at that time.  I wish that I had, but, sadly, I did not.

Ultimately, I did pick one Bible version.  I picked the King James Bible.  I'm not here to argue its merits though there are many.  I am here to encourage you to pick one, and throw the others away.  Pick one "master."  Two or more will result in confusion.  In Bible "translation" there are two methods.  One is formal equivalence (word for word) and the other is dynamic equivalence (essentially thought for thought).  Pick a formal equivalent Bible like the KJV, and toss the others.

Another centuries old controversy is over law and grace.  Pick one.  Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the law to all them that believe.  Pick grace and toss the law.  In 1 Corinthians, there were four divisions: Paul, Cephas, Apollos and Christ.  Pick the one given in 1 Corinthians 11:1 - Paul.  Follow Paul (I'll visit on this one in more detail later) as he follows the Lord.  Paul says that there are many gods (1 Corinthians 8:5).  Pick the one that happens to be the God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:6).  When there are two or more choices between things in the Bible, then pick the best or greatest.  For example, among faith, hope and charity, the greatest is charity (make sure that you let the Bible define charity).

In following this simple guidance, I have tossed commentaries, dictionaries (both Bible and English), study Bibles, reference Bibles, the Greek and Hebrew texts,  Strong's concordance numbers, denominations, false doctrines, "Christian" books, radio preachers, TV preachers (list to be continued).  My final authority on all matters is that one King James Bible.  It provides its own commentary.  It defines its own words, and it has the truth that God wants all men to know.  There is ample evidence in the Bible to support each and every bit of truth

When the Bible is your final authority, then when what it says conflicts with what you understand then you must allow it to alter your understanding.  I was saved 33 years ago.  I have been a serious Bible student ever since.  I have thought many times that I had all the pieces in the right place.  Then God hit the bottom of the card table and all the pieces went flying, and each time I began putting the pieces back together.  This time around there is no case where I have had to force a piece back in place.  If it seems like I am then I don't fit it into the puzzle.

If you are ready to have your puzzle pieces bounced then read on.  If you are not, then don't waste your time.  I'm reminded of the adage: A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.