ONLY GOD CAN OPEN EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR
While human resources can be helpful for learning about righteousness, God is the only one who has the power to open the eyes of people who are so blinded by religion that they cannot see why they should want to be delivered from it. And his chosen vehicles for teaching are his spirit and the Bible — not human teachers. That is why we find that the Bible says that all scripture is useful for correction, rebuke and training in righteousness. But these results are not achieved unless and until our eyes are opened to show the way to salvation by listening to God’s spoken voice. That means we no longer read and interpret the Bible exclusively for its literal content as human teachers do and teach. It also means that we no longer listen to the teachings of false prophets (i.e. religious leaders).  Our spiritual eyes and ears must first be opened before we can listen to God’s voice.

When studying the Bible, therefore, we should first look for scripture that convicts and corrects us of the many ways in which we are or have been religious. The stumbling block for us, however, is that these scriptures are hidden in difficult language (i.e. parables, dark sayings, proverbs and riddles, figures, words of the wise and riddles, dreams, enigmas and difficult problems, figurative language, dreams and visions, shadows, types and patterns, and symbols, signs and allegories) that can be interpreted only by New Covenant disciples. Some of these difficult scriptures are explained in the following pages:

When we find difficult scriptures, here is how we should respond:

Even before reading, we must keep in mind that God has a condition that must be satisfied before he will instruct us: We must not concurrently seek to learn about God from false prophets.

God, in his wisdom, does not open the spiritual eyes of people who insist on seeking instruction about God from men who presume to speak knowledgeably about God. This includes all persons, male or female, young or old, who have a public ministry and take on a label (e.g. father, rabbi, priest, bishop, teacher, apostle, pastor,counselor, etc.) that identifies them as someone who knows God, knows about God, and is qualified to speak for God by interpreting scripture. In God’s view, all such people are gods and idols that people serve and worship by listening to them, by obeying what they teach and by honoring them with praise and offerings (i.e. financial compensation).

God is very clear and firm in his desire to teach people directly through his spirit speaking to their hearts. It is absolutely necessary, therefore, that people who want to hear God for themselves must stop seeking religious instruction from human teachers. The reason for this condition is found in the “two masters” principle.