ned engel study digital vs 2

Follow these fundamental principles
of the Gospel and Bible study

Introduction

Bible study is more than reading the Bible, gathering knowledge, or studying books and human explanations. It is about truly getting to know God the Father, understanding who Lord Yeshua is, and discovering what the Bible teaches about God’s plan of salvation.

Lord Yeshua Himself warned about this. People can search the Bible convinced that they will find eternal life in it, while refusing to come to Him to receive that life (John 5:39-40). So study the Bible for yourself, and do it carefully. Always read a passage in its context (a few verses before and after) and compare different translations. Ask God for insight and let His Spirit guide you.

The ultimate goal is not just that you know more about the Bible. The goal is that you grow in faith, understand Lord Yeshua better, and that your life increasingly reflects God’s will, in love, goodness, and righteousness.

Do not simply accept what you are taught or what you read here.
Examine the Bible carefully and seek understanding for yourself.

In-depth explanation

1. The foundation of the Gospel

Just as you first explain the rules before a sports match, we begin with the fundamental principles of the Gospel as they are taught on this website. A good start keeps your study from getting stuck. Do not accept these principles blindly either, but test them against the Bible (1 Thess. 5:21).

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)
Test all things; hold fast what is good.

2. Read the Bible digitally.

With digital study you can compare books, translations, manuscripts, and commentaries within seconds. This makes it easier to examine the context of a passage, spot important differences between translations, and do truly in-depth research. With color highlighting, you can add your own points of attention.

Example: what the app looks like, with your own color coding.

3. Theological framework

Many Bible translations were produced within a Trinitarian theological framework of church institutions. This can influence the way certain Bible passages are translated and explained. That is why it is important not to read just one translation, but also to carefully examine: various Bibles, the context, the original wording, and the underlying manuscripts.

When you come across passages that are quoted in support of the Trinity, study them critically and compare different Bible translations. Where possible, also examine the available manuscripts and the textual-critical discussion surrounding certain verses. That way you can check for yourself what the Bible actually teaches and which conclusions come from later theological interpretations. The starting point of this website is that the doctrine of the Trinity was not taught by Lord Yeshua Himself, but is a later human doctrine. That is why we encourage every reader to test this doctrine thoroughly against the Bible and to study the available evidence carefully.

Lord Yeshua is not God the Father.

The Father and Lord Yeshua are not the same Being; each has His own place in God’s plan of salvation. The conviction of this website is that there is no Trinity, because this doctrine was not taught by Lord Yeshua Himself. First read the biblical terms and definitions, so you know how important biblical terms such as God, Father, Son, Jesus, and Yeshua are defined on jesusmessiah.online.

Whom should you worship?

Worship only God the Father, through Lord Yeshua, according to the will of Lord Yeshua.
Give great honor to Lord Yeshua.

4. Your identity in Yeshua.

When you repent and believe in Lord Yeshua, He lives in you. Lord Yeshua has fully accomplished your salvation for you; you do not have to do it again. He is now:

your death and your resurrection from the dead. In Him you are dead to the flesh and alive in the Spirit;
the foundation of your faith in God the Father;
your sanctification, purity, and justification;
your knowledge and your wisdom;
your obedience to God the Father;
your Redeemer from death and sin.

In short:
Lord Yeshua is the FINISHER of your faith (Heb. 12:2).
That faith does not end at your next sin. Lord Yeshua has already accomplished everything you could not accomplish yourself: believing in God the Father and obeying God the Father. Through Him you come to God the Father (you are holy, pure, and justified). You do not need to redo His finished work, but you are called to remain in Him and to live according to God’s will.

You live in Him, so He lives for you. As He is, so are you (1 John 4:17).

5. You are one spirit with Lord Yeshua.

You believe in God the Father through His faith: His faith is your faith (Rom. 3:22; Eph. 2:8, KJV). Note: the KJV renders Rom. 3:22 as “the faith of Jesus Christ”; most modern translations, including the NKJV, have “faith in Jesus Christ”.

Through the faith, holiness, and purity of Lord Yeshua, you can pray directly to God the Father, without any human intermediary. He is the One through whom you come to the Father in faith and obedience. Through His finished work, the way to God has been opened, and you no longer need to remain separated from God the Father by sin and impurity. You can worship God the Father directly in and through the Spirit of Lord Yeshua, who lives in you (John 4:24). Through your union with Lord Yeshua, you are one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). So you pray to and worship God the Father through the Spirit of Lord Yeshua, who is at work in you.

Your human faith begins in your mind after hearing the gospel: you hear the message about Lord Yeshua and believe in Him. But the faith that works through the Spirit goes deeper than your own human conviction. Lord Yeshua, who Himself became flesh and blood, wants to live in you and make His faith and obedience visible in you. He became flesh so that you could be united with Him and be one spirit with Him. God the Father must be worshiped in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Through the Spirit of Lord Yeshua, who lives in you, you can worship the Father and come to Him.

6. Why Lord Yeshua went to heaven.

Lord Yeshua has a glorified, tangible body of flesh and bones. Because of this, He Himself cannot be present everywhere at once, and that is why the Holy Spirit of God the Father is necessary. For that reason He had to go to heaven: to be with God the Father as a glorified man, while at the same time, through the Holy Spirit of God the Father, who is present everywhere (omnipresent), He can live in everyone who has received Him (John 14:17; Rom. 8:9). As soon as Lord Yeshua is in you, your body becomes a temple for God the Father, and He prepares a dwelling place for you in God’s Kingdom.

7. You are already saved

In your life, Lord Yeshua works through you and for you. You no longer have to do anything to be saved, because you are already saved (Eph. 2:8-9; see also Gal. 5:4). In Lord Yeshua you have already died to punishment and condemnation, and in Him you have been made alive again in the Spirit while you are still in this body.

It is no longer you who live, but Lord Yeshua lives in you (Gal. 2:20).

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Bible study is not just about gaining knowledge, but about getting to know God the Father,
understanding Lord Yeshua, and letting His Spirit work in you.

8. The goal of your study: living by the Holy Spirit

Bible study should aim to understand how the Holy Spirit lives and works in you, that is: in your body (1 Cor. 6:19). Whoever has received the Holy Spirit has received not only God the Father, but also Lord Yeshua (John 14:23; Rom. 8:9).

Without the Holy Spirit you can do nothing in your spiritual life. Even Lord Yeshua only began His ministry after the Holy Spirit came upon Him (Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:14-18). The Holy Spirit is the power of God the Father Himself (Luke 1:35). He leads you further: to understand your calling, to understand the Bible, and above all to see who Lord Yeshua and God the Father truly are.

So whoever has Lord Yeshua also has God the Father within.
(1 John 2:23; 2 John 1:9; see also Matt. 10:40; John 13:20).

9. Believing with your heart

To be led by the Holy Spirit, it is important that you wholeheartedly believe what the Bible teaches, with the fundamental principles above as your basis (Rom. 10:10). Believing with your heart shows in how you treat others: you are good to everyone. Not because you have to, not because of the law, fear of punishment, or obligation, but because you truly want to from your heart. That is love, and a reflection of God’s character toward mankind.

Remember: only God is good (Mark 10:18). The good that you do comes from Him.

The Bible is like a compass or roadmap that leads to a holy life. Whoever learns to live a holy life is changed in character and increasingly does the will of God the Father, out of love, and so fulfills the law without being driven by obligation (Rom. 13:10). That means: doing good, being righteous, and showing love, because God the Father Himself is good, righteous, and loving.

You are transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2) and begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23. As your spiritual understanding grows, the Spirit teaches you and leads you into an ever deeper understanding.

This is how someone who is born again lives (John 3:5).

10. The Bible, spiritual understanding, and human teachings

When you talk about the gospel with believers who do not share your understanding, you may need to use the Bible to explain and show what you believe. Often they will want to read the written words for themselves before accepting what you say. At the same time, you are learning more and more to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He will go on to teach you in everything.

That is why many Bible passages are quoted on this website: to make biblical subjects understandable and to offer a written basis, so that you and others can check it and study it further. Yet many believers have allowed themselves to be locked up in books and human interpretations. The Bible is not the goal in itself; it points to Lord Yeshua. More and more, you will read the Bible with the Holy Spirit as your Teacher, and not with your mind alone.

John 5:39-40 (NKJV)
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

God is more than what is written in books or letters, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). Growing from milk to solid food therefore does not happen through more knowledge alone, but through the guidance of the Spirit and by practicing what is good.

1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (NKJV)
I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Hebrews 5:13-14 (NKJV)
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and remind you of everything Lord Yeshua has said. So do not build your faith only on human philosophy, church systems, or the teachings of religious traditions.

Test every teaching against the words of Lord Yeshua.

John 14:26 (NKJV)
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.

11. How do you approach your Bible study?

Where do you start, and how do you keep it up? These practical steps will help you study the Bible regularly and with focus.

1. Start with the four Gospels

Start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Read your favorite Bible digitally; the NKJV (English) or the HSV (Dutch) is strongly recommended. These translations were also produced within a Trinitarian framework (see Theological framework), but they stay close to the original text. So always compare them with other translations. First read the introduction of your Bible, so you understand how punctuation, italic words, and capital letters are used.

Pay close attention to how God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Lord Yeshua are referred to. Where needed, examine the underlying manuscripts and compare translations. Highlight passages in different colors, depending on whether they are about God the Father, the Holy Spirit, or Lord Yeshua. You can do all of this with the Olive Tree app.

The four Gospels tell the gospel of Lord Yeshua: the purpose of His coming and His life on earth. Study His words and meditate on them. If you do not understand something, ask the Holy Spirit, who is in you, for insight. You can also read what others have written on the subject, but in the end, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2. Then study Galatians and Ephesians

The letter to the Galatians teaches you, among other things, about the law, grace, the Holy Spirit, and the personal presence of Lord Yeshua in you. Read the letter several times, until its message becomes clear. Then read the letter to the Ephesians; it gives further teaching about the Christian faith and life in Lord Yeshua.

3. Make a study plan

Use the Olive Tree app to make a study plan, and start with a plan for the New Testament. Do not read the book of Revelation yet; first develop a deeper understanding of the gospel. Do let the Holy Spirit lead you as to when you are ready to study it.

4. Read regularly and examine the context

Read regularly, preferably every day at set times, on whichever device you like best: phone, tablet, laptop, or computer. Do questions come up? Keep reading. Answers often become clearer when you study the surrounding context and related passages.

If a verse refers to the Old Testament, look it up and study it. That is one of the reasons this website so strongly recommends digital Bible study: you find cross-references quickly and easily. Always examine the context of a verse: when was it written, by whom, to whom, and for whom?

5. Listen with discernment

Listen to gospel music and to sermons by preachers such as Abel Damina and Joshua Selman. They have a lot of Bible knowledge and share many valuable biblical insights. At the same time, like many other preachers, they hold to the doctrine of the Trinity. Even if you do not accept that doctrine, you can examine and appreciate the biblical insights from their ministry, as long as you distinguish them from Trinitarian teaching.