How To Safely Interpret The Bible

Last Friday, a good friend handed me a newspaper article on the resurrection of Christ. I could sense my friend's 'righteous rage' because of the awful interpretation (miss-use) of the Bible in the article. The person who wrote it used a few Bible verses to bring out HIS way of thinking! How could he do this?

How can two people with opposite views quote the same Bible? Let us be clear, it is not a flaw in Scripture, but the mistreatment of it by the reader. Here is an example for you to understand: Ephesians 4:28 says: "Let him that stole, steal no more." I could use this very text to teach that the Bible commands Christians to steal. After all, doesn't the verse say: "Let him that stole steal" (if you cut the verse short)? Yes, those words are there, but the immediate context of the rest of the verse gives the opposite meaning. Every verse in a book of the Scriptures is in a context. We must take into account the sentence, the paragraph, the book, and even the Testament (Old or New) in which it is found to conclude what is the significance and meaning of any part of Scripture. Much of the confusion is simply due to not applying this essential principle of 'context' in Bible interpretation. (J. Dennison)

 GOD CANNOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF AND NEITHER CAN HIS WORD!

 

God's written Word says "God cannot lie" Titus 1:2. The Bible is infallible; not one part contradicts another. A consistent God speaks consistently; a perfect God speaks perfectly. Therefore, our interpretation of any passage must be consistent with the rest of Scripture. We must never ignore some parts and emphasize others. We must read, study, and apply ALL of this precious volume giving all of it equal authority for the Bible says: "ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16 That means that every word in the Bible has equal authority. The words of Christ in red do not override the words of Paul in black. All Scripture is equal; we are obligated to take all the Bible into account when we identify our doctrine and practice. (J. Dennison)

 

Some will focus on one Scripture and ignore others. For example: some may use Acts 2:38 to teach that forgiveness of sins depends on baptism in Jesus' name. That verse alone may sound that way, yet there are approximately 150 verses in the New Testament that stress salvation is by faith alone. Suddenly, we are brought to a different conclusion. Salvation is 'not by works' Ephesians 2:9.

Many years ago, someone handed me a religious article which used John 1:12 alone to prove that baptism once received would make them a child of God. I remember having my 'righteous rage' moment at that time! You see the context this verse is found in clearly shows that it is Jesus, who is the Word, who needs to be received, there is no talk about baptism in that section.

A rule I personally like is this: If the Lord Jesus spoke about it, and the Apostles practiced it and it is explained in the Epistles, then I am sure not to err in its interpretation.

A special note on parables: A parable compels listeners to discover the truth for themselves, and it conceals the truth from those too lazy or dull to understand it (not interested). In reading Jesus' parables, we must be careful not to read too much into them. Most have only one point and one meaning.

 

Also: Don't go beyond the Scriptures. We must also realize that God's truth revealed to us is never contrary to or apart from the Bible. Often there have been those who have claimed to have extra revelations through visions which supersede the Scriptures. God's Word clearly warns against this false assertion. (Jeremiah 23:16)

 

Someone has offered this sage advice regarding the use of the Bible

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

 

Precious pearl:
-Therefore, if any belief, practice, feeling or experience contradicts the Word of God, it is not of the Holy Spirit of God.
-God has given us His Word that we may know Him; we need to read it through, pray it in, and work it out in our lives.
-"The entrance of Thy Word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" Psalm 119:130
-God's Word should mold my life (Romans 6:17), guide my pathway (Psalm 119:9), establish my mind (Isaiah 26:3), bring happiness (Jeremiah 15:16); produce Christ-likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18), and much, much more!
-"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
-A short Nehemiah-like prayer is a proper beginning to every reading of the Bible, "Lord, help me understand."

 - "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

"Read the Book for whatever you can accept and take the rest on faith." Abraham Lincoln

 

Claudine

 

 

 

 



THE MOST FANTASTIC FACT OF HISTORY

Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ such an important fact? Because He claimed to be The Son of God! When someone makes such a lofty claim, critics rightly ask for the evidence. And Jesus gave them one, His resurrection. It is the test by which we could know that He was telling the truth, that He was who He claimed to be.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

All but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than on a philosophical system, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder. No other founder of a major religion is believed to have been raised from the dead, let alone have provided any evidence for such an event. Jesus rose from the dead!! All others died and are still in the grave today (Acts 2:27-32) The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On it the Church is built; without it, there would be no Christian Church today! Jesus' resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical systems, concepts about paradise and the afterlife, and various holy scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for his people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule His Church forever! (Evidence that demands a verdict by Josh MacDowell)
 

SOME POWERFUL EVIDENCES:

-Who would be willing to die for a lie? The Apostles told the truth!

-people do not make up lies to hurt themselves; they lie to help themselves
-If the Apostle's testimony was not true, there was no possible motive for its fabrication.
-The disciples had nothing to gain by lying and starting a new religion, they faced hardship, ridicule, hostility, and martyr's deaths.
-No one can prove it didn't happen; NO EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY
-Body was never produced (found)
-The Romans and Jews could not produce Christ's body or explain where it went.
-The Roman soldiers were not unfamiliar with the evidences of death or the sight of death following upon crucifixion. They knew a dead man when they saw one. He really did die!
-Had Jesus been alive when the spear pierced His side, strong spouts of blood would have emerged with every heart beat. Instead, the observer noticed blood and water, distinct and separate (proof positive that Jesus was already dead).
-There WAS an actual tomb! Why did the Jews ask Pilate to place a guard at Christ's tomb, if no such sepulcher existed? (Matt 27:62-66)
-multiple, independent sources support historical claims
-attestation by an enemy supports historical claim
-The tomb (Matt 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 19:41)
-If Christ did not die at this time, then when did He die, and under what circumstances?
-The enemies of Jesus had no motive for removing the body; the friends of Jesus had no power to do so, for the guards!
-It would have been to the advantage of the authorities that the body should remain where it was; and the view that the disciples stole the body is impossible. The power that removed the body of the Saviour from the tomb must therefore have been Divine.”
-The testimony of the guard was accepted as being entirely true; they knew the guard had no reason to lie.(Matthew 28:11-15)
-As for His friends, they had neither the intention nor the power to remove Him.
-robbers would not have taken the time to fold the linen
-Each of the disciples, except John, died a martyr's death. They were persecuted because they tenaciously clung to their beliefs and statements. “Men will die for what they believe to be true, though it may actually be false: They do not, however, die for what they know is a lie.” The theory that the disciples stole the body, then, is utterly absurd! It is so unlikely as to be virtually impossible. Hypocrites and martyr's are not made of the same stuff.

Halleluiah - What a Saviour!

'The difficulties of belief may be great; the absurdities of unbelief are greater.'

George Hanson

 

Precious Pearls:

-Just as He said, Jesus rose from the dead. We can be sure, therefore that He will accomplish all He has promised.

-The resurrection of Christ shows that the living Christ (not a false prophet or imposter) is ruler of God's eternal Kingdom.

-We can be certain of our own resurrection. Death is not the end, there is a future life.

-The divine power that brought Jesus back to life is now available to us to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life. (read Ephesians 2:1)

 

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" 

 Colossians 1:14

I know He is alive, He lives within my heart,

Claudine

 

 

There Is Hope For The Doubting Thomas'

Poor old Thomas, because of his one recorded doubt, he's been referred to as 'The Doubting Thomas' ever since! We don't know why Thomas was absent the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection, but he was reluctant to believe their witness to Christ's resurrection. Not even 10 friends could change his mind. But Thomas does deserve to be respected for his faith too! He was a doubter at one point but his doubts had a purpose, he wanted to know the truth! He expressed his doubts fully and had them answered completely. Doubting was only his way of responding, not his way of life.


We can doubt without having to live a doubting way of life. Doubt encourages rethinking. Doubt can be used to pose the question, get an answer, and push for a decision. But doubt was never meant to be a permanent condition.  When you experience doubt, take encouragement from Thomas. He didn't stay in his doubt but allowed Jesus to bring him to belief. Take encouragement also from the fact that other followers of Christ have struggled with doubts. The answers God gave them may help you too. Don't settle into doubts, but move on from them to decision and belief. Find another believer with whom you can share your doubts. Silent doubts rarely find answers!


How did the Lord handle Thomas' situation? The Lord Jesus wasn't hard on Thomas for his doubts. Some people need to doubt before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions lead to answers, and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubts becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a life-style that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don't stop there. Let your doubts deepen your faith as you continue to search for the answer.


For help, may I suggest you to read the book of THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. John's stated purpose for writing his Gospel was to show that Jesus was the Son of God (John 20:31). He clearly and systematically presented the evidence for Jesus' claims. When evidence is presented in the courtroom, those who hear it must make a choice -- is Jesus the Son of God, or isn't he? You are the jury. The evidence has been clearly presented. You must decide!

(Taken from: Evidence That Demands A Verdict - Josh McDowell)



 Reading God's Word increases faith: "Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ!" Romans 10:17

Precious Pearls:

-Better to doubt out loud than to disbelieve in silence
-Read John's Gospel and believe!
-If you know me personally and think I may help, write me!
-To remain unbelieving is to be in a serious condition!

"Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whosoever has God's Son has life; whososever does not have his Son does not have life. I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life."

1 Epistle of John 5:10-13

Read Revelation 21:8

Claudine 

WHAT IS FAITH and Do I have enough of it?

WHAT IS FAITH?

"NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR,

THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN."

HEBREW 11:1

What does the apostle Paul mean when, in Romans, he speaks of 'saving faith'? We must be very careful to understand faith as Paul uses the word in Scripture because he ties FAITH so closely to salvation.

To begin with, we understand by Ephesians 2:8 that it is God's grace, not our faith that saves us. So right there we see that we should be more concentrated on God's grace than on our performance. Therefore, whether your faith is big or small is not the point! What is more important is where you put that faith. Is it in the death of Christ for your sins? If it is, your faith will grow as you continue to learn more about Him in your new relationship with Him.

Sometimes, when people learn that they are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8), they start to worry: 'Do I have enough faith?' or 'Is my faith strong enough to save me?' It is God who saves us, not our feelings, actions or emotions, plus He is strong enough to save us, no matter how weak our faith is. God offers us the salvation of our souls as a gift because He loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. "... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 The issue is not how much faith you have, but who do you have faith in! The Christian faith is faith in Christ. Its value is not in the one believing, but in the one believed, not in the one trusting but in the one trusted! (B.N.)

Some might say: 'It does not matter what you believe, as long as you believe it enough!' That is not Christianity! You may have more faith than anyone in history, but if you put your faith, for example, in the potted plant in your living room, do you have a saving relationship with God? Do you have forgiveness of sins? Do you have everlasting life? NO! Because your faith is in a potted plant. On the other hand, if you have faith the size of a poppy seed, and you put that faith in Christ, you have a saving relationship with God, forgiveness of sin and eternal life. When your faith is placed in the risen Lord Jesus, you are saved, by grace through faith God says in Ephesians 2:8. Faith does not save you but Christ does!

Some others might say: 'It does not matter if the resurrection happened or not, the important thing is: do you believe it happened!' The truth is, what I believe does matter, because if what I believe is not true, then I have no right to my Christian faith. The facts backing the Christian claim are not a special kind of religious fact. They are facts of history that are clearly accessible by all. (B.N). "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15:17

The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-8: "Now, let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message ...  that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, I saw Him too ..." The Bible is very clear on these facts and many history books prove it too!

Why does God save us by faith alone?

1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do but a gift from God!

2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do ... so praise Him!

3) Faith admits that we can't measure up to God's Holy Standard (Romans 3:23), that's repentance (Mark 1:15)

4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God, so it gives us peace and security: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them to Me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:28, 29

Understand that no amount of human effort or goodness will close the gap between God's moral perfection and our imperfection. Good deeds are important but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us through His Son "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Precious Pearls:

When we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. God called the universe into existence out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3 & Genesis 1), God declared that it was to be, and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by His Word. Won't you believe His words to you today? "So then FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures..."

1 Corinthians 15:3

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ..."

I Timothy 1:15

"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life:

and he that believes not the Son shall not see life;

but the wrath of God abides on him"

John 3:36

Safe in the hollow of His hand,

Claudine 

There Is No Hiding it!

Do we sometimes pretend to be a good person by showing our 'good side' in public? Or worse, do we even think that deep down we really are a good person? God's Word the Bible tells us otherwise by accurately describing us all as sinners (Romans 3:23), incapable of doing good for all our righteous acts are as filthy rags to Him who is holy, for they are all stained with sin! (read Isaiah 64:6)

Now what do you think of this? "But God showed His great love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

The same God who hates sin loves the sinner! He provided a way to justly forgive our sins and deliver us from the punishment we deserve. That way of deliverance was very costly to God, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16. Sinless, the Lord Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son, suffered the penalty for sins, so guilty sinners could escape punishment. The value of that sacrifice is sufficient for God to offer forgiveness to all. "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" Isaiah 53:6

We cannot know the depth of His love for us unless we are willing to face the facts of what we are before Him, a sinner through and through! Otherwise we are fooled into believing He must love the people we pretend to be, not the sinners we actually are! ( B.N.)

For each one who recognizes that his sin is a matter of personal concern between him and God, this is wonderful news: "Be it known to you ... that through this Man (Jesus Christ) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins." Acts 13:38. You cannot work for this or pay for it. You cannot receive it by 'being good' either. Salvation (the forgiveness of sin) is a free gift from God. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

The Apostle John and all the disciples convince us that God is able and willing to accept us as we are. His love is not given in exchange for our 'being good' or for our efforts; His love frees us to really live! Have you accepted that love?

Now, will you choose to bear God's judgment for your sins through an eternity of torment, or will you repent of your sin and come to the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that He died in your place and rose again? You can choose to accept the Lord Jesus and so become a child of God! (John 1:12) The message of God today is the same as it has always been: "I call heaven and earth to record this day ... that I  have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life ..." Deuteronomy 30:19

Precious Pearl:
-Because this involves your eternal destiny, either Heaven or Hell, you should respond today.
 -"what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness!" Romans 5:15

(p.s. my husband came to the Lord while reading this hymn Easter Monday 1987)

Just as I am  - without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am - and waiting not,

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am - though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings within and fears without

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind,

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

May this new year bring you love, joy and peace in abundance but most importantly of all, eternal life with God!

Claudine