Featured Enabling Hermeneutics

Thus Enabling Hermeneutics are like grinding wheels that sharpen tools so they accomplish their intended purpose. They cut the blinders off our inhibited eyes and give us a much clearer picture of where we should go.

 

Romans 3:11 makes this statement and some read this as saying "there is none who seeks for God at any time." However the intended contextual message might be "there is none who seeks for God all the time, or when they are going against God by sinning."

Contextually, since Paul is saying "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), so when going against God by sinning is most likely the actual message.

Consider this verse:
2 Chronicles 15:4 (NASB)
“But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

If no one ever seeks after God, then scripture would not mean what it says!

Psalms 34:4
I sought the LORD and He answered me,
And rescued me from all my fears.

Acts of the Apostles 13:7
who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

Read Psalms 14:1-6. Who are the ones who seek God as a refuge and make God their refuge? Who are ones in great dread, who are the righteous generation?

Who are "My people" in Psalms 14:4? Believing Jews! According to false doctrine, God knowing no one ever seeks God, looked down to see if any were seeking God. Nevermind that is an irrational absurdity. And of course in addition to seeing some that proclaim "there is no God" and therefore not seeking God He also did see those who had made God their refuge, the righteous generation, the believing Jews.

The claim no lost person ever seeks God is obviously false doctrine.

The doctrine originated by expanding the scope of the statement, no one seeks God, to include at all times. Thus, the scripture study technique of asking the question, "what is the least God is saying," once again leads us away from falsehood and toward truth.

 

A primary pillar of scripture is deliverance. God through Moses delivered His people through the Red Sea. This of course foreshadowed Christ delivering His people from the penalty, power and presence of sin. And what is supposed to be our response? We are to diligently strive to help Christ deliver more of the lost out of being enslaved to sin in the realm of Darkness.

And how do we seek to enable ourselves to become more effective as Ambassadors of Christ with the ministry of Reconciliation?
Applying God's word in our lives, which includes using enabling hermeneutics to help guide us into effective understanding.