Geeks for Christ

I find it humorous to read everyone’s replies defending their views. Everyone with their proof text to backup what they were taught or believe. Please don’t be offended, I also do the same, I am also guilty of this practice.

What if I told everyone that there is one key verse in the Bible that would help us understand why people believe the way they do.

Ok now that I have your attention let me first start by giving a little background about myself. As you already know my name is Orlando, and I was not named after a city. I am the husband of “YankeeGal” and the father of 5 wonderful kids. I was literally raised all my life in church, with the exception from 16 to 19 years of age when I rebelled. I was raised a Pentecostal all of my youth and was taught everything that they believe. When I was 19 I rededicated my life to Christ and began to attend a Baptist church with a friend of mine. That’s where my journey began to seek the truth. A lot of what I knew to be true all of a sudden became false. I tell you I was one confused puppy, but I never gave up in finding the truth of the Word of God.

Before I give you that verse let me first tell you what I have learned about how to properly interpret God’s Holy Word.

1. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We are taught that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14). It is equally true that the carnal believer cannot expect God to reveal supernatural truth to one who is out of fellowship. If a child of God is out of the Lord’s will for his life, God’s priority will be to restore the sinning saint. New truth will seldom be communicated to one who refuses to walk in light of the truth he has already received. The Holy Spirit must be our teacher and we must follow His Divine instruction. See John 16:13; 14:16, 17; 15:26.

2. Interpret the Bible literally, unless there is clear reason for not doing so.

Interpret the words in their normal grammatical sense. It is true that some passages use figures of speech and other literary devices, yet, for the most part, Scripture means exactly what it says. A good rule is: “If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.” See John 7:38; Psalm 17:8 & 36:7.

3. Consider the context.

Keeping the context in mind will greatly aid in understanding a particular passage. The verses immediately surrounding the passage form the immediate context. The chapters nearby would form a broader context and the whole book in which the passage is found is a still broader context. Consider a passage in light of the immediate context and then in light of the broader context. The broadest context of a passage would be Old or New Testament and then the entire Bible. See Acts 27:31; A passage must not be taken out of context. Someone has well said that a text out of context is a pretext. It is possible to make the Bible say almost anything we want if we take a verse here and there and ignore the context. This is dishonest interpretation of Scripture and it can lead to dangerous distortions of doctrine (Matthew 27:5; Luke 10:37; John 13:27).

4. Concentrate on the key truths of the passage.

Generally it is of little profit to spend much time on debatable issues in Scripture. For example, debating whether Simon the sorcerer was a true believer who lacked maturity or a false professor who never really knew the salvation of Jesus Christ will not help the average Christian to walk closer to the Lord. Likewise, where Cain found his wife is not a question that God wanted us to spend much time with, or He would have given us an answer in scripture. Do not waste time on issues that are of little significance.

5. Consider to whom the passage was originally written.

The little chorus may sound cute, but it is simply not true that “every promise in the book is mine.” Though there are general principles that relate to all times and peoples, we must be careful not to take a promise intended for another place and time and try to force it to fit our situation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a precious passage; the principles are timeless. Yet we must acknowledge that it was a promise given to the Nation of Israel and related to the Palestinian covenant (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28). While it is true that God will bless His people who serve Him, it is also true that sometimes His faithful children suffer because of the sinful ways of their friends and neighbors.

6. Never interpret a clear passage in light of an unclear passage.

In James 2:14-26, it appears that the writer is saying that we are saved by faith plus works. In Romans 11:6 Paul makes it clear that one is saved by grace alone, totally apart from any effort or good works. It is clear from an abundance of other passages that salvation is by grace and not works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:1-5; Galatians 2:16; John 3:16, and other similar passages). If the meaning seems to contradict other scripture, then it is best to avoid making a hasty decision about what is meant. That which is clearly understood must serve as the basis for understanding what is less clear.

7. Consider the original meaning of the words.

While most Christians will not take the time to learn Greek or Hebrew, many study tools are available for the English reader. A good Bible dictionary will usually explain the changes in word meanings and the words behind the English version that we so commonly use. Consulting another translation as an aid for study may also be profitable (the New International Version is a good translation, as is the New American Standard). Twenty years ago it would be considered a compliment to say that a person was a very gay individual. In 1 Corinthians 13 the word “charity” is understood to mean “love.” In Ephesians 2:1 & 5 the word “quick” is used; in this passage it does not mean “fast”; it means “alive.” The meanings of more than three hundred words have changed significantly in the 375 years since the KJV was first published. The preface to the RSV says, “It not only does the King James translators no honor, but it is quite unfair to them and to the truth which they understood and expressed, to retain these words which now convey meanings they did not intend.”

8. Begin your personal study with less difficult passages.

While most Christians are intrigued by prophecy, it is not always the best thing for them. Many believers will complain that they do not understand prophecy. This may often be the result of launching an immature or new Christian into an in depth study of the book of Revelation. A young or recently restored believer must become accustomed to the milk of the Word before attempting to digest solid foods.
ABOVE ALL ELSE . . .

9. Study God’s Word with the purpose of being changed by Its truths.

Each time we open the Bible we should let Psalm 119:18 be our prayer, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” God has promised that if we will call upon Him, He will show us “great and mighty things” which we know not (Jeremiah 33:3)

Galatians 1
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Now for that Key verse

Galatians 2
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter

10. Rightly dividing the word: A scriptural necessity

The above passages illustrate the importance of distinguishing between the different gospels that were preached in the Bible. Many Christians, though, fail to distinguish between these gospels. Because of this, they may erroneously claim certain promises and doctrines which, although scripturally accurate, are not meant to be claimed today in the dispensation of grace. Even some scriptural doctrines, such as the observance of the Jewish dietary law, are not mandatory in the Christian faith today (contrary to what some legalistic brethren would have us believe). The reason such confusion reigns today is largely because many Christians fail to heed the apostle Paul’s instructions to “rightly divide the word” in 2 Timothy 2:15 -

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

In order to rightly divide “the word of truth” (the Bible), notice that we must first study the word. And all Christians do indeed make divisions in the Word of God. For instance, most Christians make a division between the Old and New Testaments, based on tradition. But in order to be a “workman that needeth not to be ashamed”, we should adhere only to the divisions the Lord has made, and adopt the same attitude taken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as well as all other men of God in the Bible: The scriptures alone are to be our final authority, and we should recognize them as being the inspired and inerrant word of God.

A number of Christians today believe the New Testament (or the New Covenant) began with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, then, is thought to end immediately after the book of Malachi, with the birth of Jesus in Matthew beginning the New Testament. The Lord, though, inspired the author of the book of Hebrews to draw the line at the death of Jesus, and not at His birth. The author of Hebrews states that a testament requires the death of the testator, and is only in force after death. Therefore, the actual New Testament could not have begun with the birth of Jesus, according to Hebrews 9:15-18 -

15: And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16: For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17: For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18: Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

While this may surprise many who do not take a Dispensational approach to the Bible, the above passage clearly proves that the New Testament could not have begun with the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself even stated that the New Testament was to be implemented through His blood, in Mark 14:23-24 -

23: And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24: And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

The New Testament, then, could not have begun with the birth of the Christ Child in the manger, as many Christians are led to believe. Instead, it is only for convenience that the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old Testament”) have been separated from the Greek Scriptures that were written after the birth of Jesus (the “New Testament”). Yet this convenience has actually become a tradition down through the years. Thus, in order to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), we must be careful to allow the inspired scriptures themselves to be our final authority. Because the New Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, this example serves to illustrate the fact that man’s traditions, no matter how sincere they may be, can actually lead us astray.