Hey, this is John Galantis from the Cleaview Today Show checking in with you guys to plug our new show, How to Read Biblical Hebrew with Dr. Abadan Shah. It's a video podcast. You can watch it right from your favorite podcasting app, and we're releasing new episodes every single week. You don't have to be intimidated about learning Biblical Hebrew.
We're going to start with the alphabet. We'll start with sounds, basic grammar. We'll work our way up. But our guarantee is this. If you follow this podcast and put in the work, you will be reading the Old Testament in its original language in no time.
Again, that's how to read biblical Hebrew with Dr. Abadan Shah. Links in the description.
Now let's start the show. The wisest pastors who ever ministered know that when their people face tough times, they don't need a pep talk, they don't need encouragement. What they need is to hear from the Word of God. Amen. Cleaning the scripture and more coming up right now on the Clear Bee Today Show.
Oh. You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis.
Welcome to the Clearview Today studio. We have got a great conversation with you here today, with our host, Dr. Abadan Shah. If you're listening for the very first time, I want to let you know exactly who's coming at you. Dr.
Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show. Dr. Shah, it's going to be a good conversation. Absolutely. I'm looking forward to today.
Amen. It's going to be good because I know this is something that is near and dear to your heart. As a text critic, I remember you said this to me, I think maybe one of the very first times I ever met you, or where you started explaining your field to me. And it's always stuck with me. And maybe you can talk about it here on the show.
One of the reasons you got into text criticism is because it forces you to engage with the text itself. Yes.
So there are various fields when it comes to studying the Bible scholarly or academically. There's systematic theology, there is Christian ethics. There is philosophy. Then there are other fields like Christian education, Christian counseling. There's so many fields out there that, and I think they're very important, very essential.
But for me, what appealed the most. Was textual criticism much more than just doing a PhD on New Testament and Greek or. Old Testament and Hebrew. Textual criticism, you have to look at the text. because it it requires comparing manuscripts, it requires examining variants, making a case o for whether this variant over that variant is better.
So you have to keep looking at the text. And I grew up with the conviction that the Word of God is powerful. The Word of God has power because it is the outworking and the demonstration of God's will and purpose, and God's life itself is in the Word. Is the inspired word of God? It means this is God's breath.
So Once you know that, that is inspired, that is inerrant, that is powerful. then man, I want to do everything I can to to live in it, to read it. to study it, to share it. To learn more about it, I mean, the word is everything. Right.
I think that says a lot about you, just also as a person, too, because I think for many, many, the vast majority of people growing up in America, where especially in the South, where Christianity, Christian culture is plentiful, right? There's a church on every single corner. Mima always had a Bible on her on her coffee table and on her bookshelf and in her car. It's common. And I don't mean that as an insult, but I mean to say that, you know, when you grow up around it, it loses its value.
Versus you who grew up in the East where Christians were 0.1% of the population, it's like, hey, not only do I acknowledge that this is the truth and this is powerful, but I need this. I depend on this word. Yeah, we absolutely take it for granted, especially growing up, like you said, John, in the South. I mean, people either grow up in church or they grow up kind of church adjacent and they know enough of scripture to recognize things and pull things out, but often use them in a way that is not just wrong, but usually harmful. We're missing that sense of awe that comes when.
That comes when the Bible, when God's word is rare? Yeah.
Well, let me just say this way. I think there are positives and negatives. There's pros and cons.
So I grew up in a culture where the Bible was not the bedrock of that civilization, of that culture.
So. What was?
Well, by the time I came around in the seventies into the eighties, it was secular, you know. nationalism or Marxism, you know, that that was uh that was really the the order of the day.
So the Bible was there in our homes. We had plenty of Bibles in our homes because Dad was a pastor, he was he was, you know, a scholar.
So plenty of Bibles in our home. But average person out there Even average Christians would not have a Bible. It was rare to find a full Bible in people's Homes. That's hard for us to think about who have Bibles that just stack up on the coffee table and collect dust.
So, on the negative side, that's sad. You know, it's because they don't have ready access to the Word of God. And it does make a difference because they don't quickly turn to the Word of God.
Now, people in our church were different because they were hearing Dad's preaching. Dad was very biblical, expository, very evangelistic, very conservative. At the same time, very progressive in the sense of making a difference in the world, not just getting into a holy hurdle.
So they were hearing good word, but that's not the case with Christians everywhere in India.
So they were struggling. They struggled there.
So there's a negative. Positive is because they struggle, they also have a great value. For the word of God. They have a great desire to know. Not everybody.
But some.
Now when you come to the south where it is the Bible Belt, Bables are everywhere. People typically go to church because it's part of the culture. It's part of the tradition to go to church. There are again positives and negatives. Negatives.
Positives. Let's talk about the positives first. I think You know, amazed to know people where they stand biblically.
Now things are changing in our culture, but overall people are more conservative. They may not know the Bible, but they believe the Bible is God's Word. Not all of them again. right? And things are changing.
But most people will say, yeah. Jesus is God.
Now do you truly understand what it means? Probably not. But again, they will fight with you over whether or not Jesus is God. Opposite side of that. Again, we're talking about the Bible belt where the Bibles are prolific.
It also creates what preachers often bring out, and what we have been discussing just a few moments ago: there's a sense of carelessness about the Word of God. We are used to it. We don't value it like we should.
So there is that negative.
So I think there are negatives and positives on both sides of the globes. Right. Globe. Over there in India, there are positive negatives of not having the Bible that much. Over here, there are positives and negatives.
of not of having the Babble too much. Can we do? I don't know. I think we need to make the best of our situation, which is there are a lot of Bibles. There's a lot of influence of Christianity, even though it's sometimes surfacy.
If you ask me which one do I prefer? If you ask me, this may shock a lot of people. It may shock a lot of American Christians. I prefer the one here. He said, wait, wait.
You prefer the one here where people take Christianity casually, where they go to church more culturally, or they, you know, don't know that much, but they are still conservative. Yeah, I prefer that because at least the environment is safe enough. To share the gospel, yeah.
Well, I think that carries a lot of weight because you're the only one who's experienced both perspectives. Yeah, we can speak from one perspective, but we didn't grow up in India, we didn't grow up with the same set of circumstances.
So, you having lived in both worlds, you're the most qualified to speak to that. And you hear people say that, man, I've heard seminary students and people say that, like, you know, I wish that people had the hunger here that they do overseas. Man, I would, I would just, I think I would thrive. And it's like, I get what you're saying. I want people to be hungry for the word of God too, but man, I don't want my life at risk because I'm, you know what I'm saying?
That's not a, and I think you've said that too. If you don't have to live that way, don't live that way. Enjoy the freedom that you're going to be. I prefer the freedom. I prefer the church on every corner.
I prefer the casual Christianity. Don't misunderstand. I know I don't want it, but I prefer that environment because at least. At least I can I can fish in that pond. I can fish in that pond and catch some fish.
Although the fish are sometimes not that e that little guppies. Yeah, they don't I don't have the right bait many times for them. But imagine going to fish at a pond where somebody is there with a sniper rifle taking everybody out who goes to the no one wants to fish in that pond. Yeah, exactly. But the fish, man, they bite.
When they bite, they're like amazing. I know. It's like, I know, but man, you want to get hit with a sniper? Yeah, I don't want it. You know, one of the things we're talking about through the book of James, maybe we could talk about our central point today.
That you see on both sides, whether it's in the East or here in the West, is the need. No matter where you are in the globe, what you truly need in your times of trials is God's Word. Absolutely. Yeah.
Absolutely. Well, James talks about that. In James chapter one, verse twenty one through twenty five Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, Which is able to save your souls. Receiving with meekness is a must. I think we covered that a little bit last time, which is able to save your soul.
This is not about eternal salvation, it's more about saving you from sin and destruction, because sin will lead you to destruction and death. He said, Well, death does that mean I'm going to physically die? Maybe not. But there will be a death-like existence. You get into pornography and you keep going down that path.
You're simply a shell of a person moving around. With your mind somewhere else while you're at work, while you're with your wife, while with your husband. While you're in church, you are somewhere else, and you're hoping that this whole thing will end quickly so you can go back to that world. That's a death-like existence. That's right.
Drinking. Addiction. Bitterness, anger. All these things are sins And We need to receive the implanted where we covered that last time. That's able to save us from that death-like existence.
Will you refresh our audience just for those who may have missed it on last yesterday's episode? What do you mean when you say the implanted word? Great.
So, we have the implanted word and then the written word, right?
So, implanted word is a fulfillment of God's promise in Jeremiah 31:33, which says that there is a day coming when I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. having God's law written on our minds, and on our hearts. Is the implanted word.
Okay, that's the implanted word.
Now What is the difference between implanted and written word?
Well Without the written word, You would never know about Jesus Christ. John 5:39, you search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which. Testify of me. People don't just randomly get saved.
Now you people say, Oh, wait, there are people who are having dreams and this and that. I hear you. It's because missionaries and pastors and others are doing the work behind the scenes. That's right. And that's how they're having These dreams And the dreams are coming.
of Jesus coming to see them. And inviting them to salvation.
Okay, that's what's happening there. How do we know? that Jesus died for our sins. And he can save us is through scripture.
So written word Is what is necessary for you to be saved.
Now that you are saved, the promise in Jeremiah 31:33 becomes operative in your life. I like what you said yesterday, too. Once you have that implanted word, it just fuels your desire for more and more and more of the written word. That's right. So, this perpetual motion machine of God's work just keeps moving in the Christian's heart.
And on the flip side, John 5:38 says. but you do not have His Word abiding in you. because whom he sent, Him you do not believe. Did you hear that again? Let me read that one more time.
But you do not have his word abiding in you. This is not just the written word, this is the implanted word. Because whom he sent, him you do not believe.
So receive the one whom God has sent. How do you know? Whom God has sent, the written word.
Now you can have the abiding word, the implanted word. Right? Yeah.
So without the written word, you cannot have the implanted word. Once the word is implanted in your heart, it forever changes your attitudes and desires towards the written word. The written word and the implanted word go hand in hand in the Christian life. Why do you think it's so hard for Christians to understand that? Because when we're going through trials and suffering is happening, and I want a way out of this right now, I'm going to go to my pastor or someone that I trust, and I'm going to ask for advice.
I'm going to ask for wisdom. I'm going to ask for what you would do. Just tell me what to do. Give me an answer. And often I don't want that answer, even if I don't know it in my front brain.
I don't want that answer just to be scripture. Yeah.
Yeah.
Really, I'm probably going to ask you to condone what I already want to do. Yeah.
If I'm being honest. That's true. I think one or two things are happening there. Number one, they were never taught the value of the word of God. Mm-hmm.
I mean, in our church, we have the Awana Ministry, we have the Blaze Ministry. These are children's ministries, by the way, for those who may not know. Blaze, you may not be familiar with, but Awana Ministry is worldwide. These are ministries that specialize in teaching children the Word of God, the Bible. Genesis to Revelation.
Because these ministries or these these you know programs are are based on the principle that If those children will hide God's word in their hearts, they will not sin against God.
Now, of course, they need to get saved first and all that. That's also a purpose, a goal of a WANA. Mm-hmm. But once they are, the goal is to give them Scripture, Scripture, Scripture, Scripture.
So that When they Depart. When they grow up, they will not depart from God's word. They'll come back to the truth.
Okay? That's. Very essential. But many times people don't grow up with those kinds of upbringings. They grow up very oh, we're not going to go to church today.
Well, we're tired. I don't care about the church. All they do is ask for money, money, money. You know? Oh, you take the kids to church.
Y'all need to be in church. Oh, we don't go church. We're not a church going family. I'm going to let you pick your church. If you want to go to church, you can go to church.
If you want to go to a synagogue, you can go to a synagogue. If you want to go to some temple, or you can just be a good person. You know? So. There are a lot of things people.
Substitute for the word of God. I think that's something that we don't talk about enough: if you don't grow up with that, if you get saved later in life, you do, you, you are sort of, I don't want to say you're crippled, but you, you have a, you do have a fundamental lack of understanding about the necessity of those truths that you could have learned as a kid. I didn't get saved till I was 15. I never cracked open a Bible ever. I was a teenager.
Now, I was still young, but I guess what I'm saying is, even today in my 30s, I've only been saved 15 years. When I go through trials, there's still times where I'll ask for advice. What would you do? Tell me what to do. And I haven't looked at the Bible.
And I have that check where it's like, oh, yeah, I should have done that first. But I do think that if I had been more involved in learning scripture as a young child. It would come to me first thing, or at least more often. I think it certainly gives you a leg, but I mean, the temptation is still there to charge forward and not consult the Bible. I got saved when I was seven.
And, you know, there are still times in my life where I'm like, man, I can't figure out what to do. I can't figure out how to move forward. Oh, I haven't read my Bible. I haven't asked God. I haven't looked in the word of God and seen how I ought to navigate this situation.
And I should know that, but there are some times that I just forget it. And it also seems like that's the type of advice that people expect you to say when you're a Christian.
So they almost tune it out when they say, like, what should I do? And you say, wait, have you read your Bible? And it's like, okay, yes, let's get this one out of the way. And then actually, can you give me the answer? You know what I mean?
And some of that is laziness. You know, we'd rather you do the work and just give it to me because right now I'm really concerned about this situation or I'm really under pressure or I don't have time to sit here and do a Bible study. I don't have time to come to church, but I want to make an appointment with you so you can just give me the answer. And even then, I'm not promising that I'm going to. Do what you're telling me to do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
I just want you to do the work. Yeah, but even then, I'm not promising. Anything. Yeah, I might, I might and probably will still just do what I think you are. Yeah, because when I come to you, I just want you to validate what I already believe.
Yeah.
Smash cut to two years later. They're coming back. They're like, Pastor, I just don't understand where my life went wrong. Really? Because that happens a lot.
For real. I don't understand where my life went wrong. I can actually pinpoint it for you. I took notes. You know, this need, Dr.
Shaw, do you want to talk about this, this innate need for the word of God, especially in trials? The fact that we don't recognize it, and yet it is the one fundamental thing that we need. You know what I mean? Yes.
And I hope our listeners and our viewers will take this episode seriously and go dust off your Bible. Go buy a Bible. If you don't have one, let us know. We'll get you a Bible. Yeah, that's true.
We'll do whatever it takes so that you will have the Word of God in your hands.
Okay.
So. This is very important. I hope our our people are listening. All watching. And they will make it a priority to get into the Bible.
You say, well, I don't know where to start. I don't know. Start in Genesis, start in the book of John. I mean, that old tried and true suggestion: start of the book of John, the simplest book. It is simple, but it's very deep as well.
But start there. And learn about Jesus, who he was, what he came to do. We did a, this is just an aside, but we did a fifth. Video series in the Gospel of John in Israel back in 2020. We haven't done anything with it yet.
We still have all the footage though, but I remember reading the Gospel of John, like as we were writing the scripts, and I was being like, Oh, yeah, this is actually a pretty simple book. And then the stuff that we, the stuff that we actually filmed in Israel, I remember thinking, like, I don't remember reading that. Yeah, it was super deep. Yeah.
Well, that shows that there's complexity to the Word of God. There's, there's depth, there's theological richness of the Word of God, but it is an accessible message. It's, it's simple enough that people can jump in and understand it, but you can study it for years, for decades, and still not learn everything. Yeah, one of my favorite things to do is watch movies that I've seen hundreds of times and try to look for those new, those new little things that I never noticed before. But the more that you watch those movies, the less that happens.
That's never the case with the Bible. Yeah.
Right. Anytime you read the Bible, you'll always find something new. Yeah.
It is unlike any book in the world. Unlike. Any religious book, unlike any classic, unlike any even good classics, it is in a class by itself because it's the word of God. And you may say, Well, yeah, you're you're biased because you're a Christian, you're a pastor, you need to say those things, so you're going to say it because that's how you grew up. No, here's the thing.
I have read those other books. And I have subjected them to the same questions that I asked the Bible. And guess what? They failed to answer. He said, Well, maybe maybe if you spend more time in it.
I have. I have studied the context. I've studied the historical background of some of those things and it it's many times it's jumble.
Okay, I'm not going to sit here and pinpoint which book is like this and which book is like that. I'm not here to talk about different religions in this particular episode. Maybe we can do that another time. But most of the time, those books are just Ramblings Sometimes, I mean, I think they're also demonic, but sometimes they're just ramblings.
Sometimes they are poetic.
Okay.
Yeah.
Sometimes they're talking about some kind of virtue and some honor And it's like Okay, how is that gonna help me find peace in my heart that you found some kinda honor on the battlefield?
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It doesn't translate to our lives. It doesn't. It doesn't impact us. And there's a reason that the Bible is so prolific. It's so translated.
It's at the top of the bestseller list and has been for years and will continue to be because it's the Word of God. And there's some of those books that, and I know that's not the case with all of them, but you've pointed this out, Dr. Shah, that they wouldn't even exist were not for the Bible. Yeah.
If you took the Bible away from it, those books have nothing. Yeah, they reference the Bible. I mean, like the Quran. And I challenge anybody who says, oh, they're all religious books are the same. Take the Quran, and every time it references the Old Testament or even, you know, sections of the New Testament about Jesus, just remove the Old Testament and the New Testament and say, now you explain to us who they are.
Without these two books, they can't. Yeah.
There it's a referential book. It refers to For its meaning to the Bible, Bible, Old and New Testament.
So What what am I saying here? This book is very unique. And it's very powerful because it is the Word of God. Take the time to read it. Uh in fact, since we're going through this podcast, On the book of James, why don't you read the book of James?
Yeah.
The great places, yeah, may as well, and text us in. Let us know what you're getting from it. You know, we love to hear from you guys about the things that are happening in your life, how God's blessing you and your church and your ministry. But more than anything, man, I love the people who are just sending in verses, sending in verses from the Word of God that is helping them. And so, if you're going through this, if you're going through the book of James every single day along with us, write in and let us know.
And here's the beautiful thing about studying God's Word: as you are studying and as you're learning things, and as the Holy Spirit is working in your life and revealing things to you, write in and share those. And as we share them on the air, that's going to bless someone else who's listening, who's going through a similar situation. That's just how God's word works. Yeah, absolutely.
Well, if you want to go back for the next couple of minutes, is all we have left on this one. We'll have to come back to this section again. But here's something very important: when it comes to studying God's Word, yes, you can study it as a historical document. Yes, you can study it as a piece of literature. Yes, you can even study it as a quote-unquote sacred writing.
But here's the thing that you cannot do. You cannot just read it And leave it. There has to be some Application. You have to do something about what you have read. And that's exactly what James says here in James chapter 1, verse 22.
But be doers of the word. and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if all you're going to do is an academic study or a curiosity satisfier or just you know some you want to accumulate some Some small talk knowledge or just trivia. This is not the book for you. Yeah.
Yeah, you can do it. But it's not going to do anything for you there. This is a book that you have to come and say, I am going to now apply it to my life. I think that's such a powerful verse because I think of all the Christians who are playing the game. Living the life, putting on the front, thinking that they're deceiving everyone.
And what James is saying is really, at the end of the day, you're only deceiving yourself. Yeah, you're harming yourself. You're shortchanging yourself from what God wants to do in your life and how God wants to apply His word in your heart. How frustrating, especially a pastor in the South, how frustrating is it when you preach to people? And you can see this blankness on their face, knowing.
I completely agree with everything this pastor is saying. I believe everything you're saying. I'm just not going to do it. Happens every Sunday. Happens every Sunday.
That. That was a great message. And I thank people for that. I mean, they could not say anything, but they could say that was a terrible message.
So I appreciate the great message compliment. But. I hope they will apply it. Yeah.
Yeah.
Hey, listen, I hope I will apply it. Because sometimes You know, you can be g making bread, but never eat it. You can be preparing a meal, but never take part of it.
So I hope. I'm first in line. After preaching that word, To obey the word? Yeah.
I hope so. How sad would it be to get on the other side? And God says, You know, you did a great job.
Well done, but in your own personal life? He hardly ever obeyed. And here's a percentage. Compared to that fellow over there that you thought was just a jerk and whatnot, he listened to your messages and he obeyed them 89% of the time. And guess what?
You're bid. Your messages 8.9% of the time. Wow. Wow. That is, that is.
We've got like three minutes left, but I want to start doing this at the end of our episodes, Dr. Shah. There's someone out there listening to this right now who says, okay, I'm sold in. I've heard the word of God preached even over this last 30 minutes. I want to respond right now.
I just don't know how. Yeah.
What can I do?
Well, you know, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you're not saved, that is what the word is calling you to do. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, what do you believe? You believe that He is God's Son. Who came as promised in scripture? We're talking about the Old Testament prophecies and promises, and he died 2,000 years ago. I mean, he really died.
Someone died. Give your life to Jesus and you will be saved. That's right. That's right. And guys, if you've done that today, if you've prayed and given your lives to the Lord, we want to rejoice with you and help you walk in that journey.
So write in and let us know, 252-582-5028. We'd love to help you get started in your walk with the Lord. Thanks for joining us on today's episode. We're going to further this conversation next time we jump in here on the Clear Read Today show. Thanks to our sponsors for making today's episode possible.
And don't forget that you can support us by subscribing to the show anywhere podcasting content can be found. And you can always support us financially at Abhadanshah.com forward slash give. That's right. We're getting closer and closer to March 28th and closer and closer to our big, big announcement. We cannot wait to share it with you guys.
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