Since most of us have more alone time at home and may be having church online, I am hoping that my fellow Christians are spending more time reading the Bible for themselves. In view of that, I want to share some ways to read the Bible with better understanding.
I want to start with the subject of reading the Bible in context. Those of you who are educated in these things might be tempted to nod your head and stop reading this post because you know all about that. But I encourage you to keep reading because my guess is that you are as guilty of this as anyone else. You take scriptures out of context or simply ignore the context in determining the meaning. We have all done it.
Before we get into this, though, I want to make sure I am not misunderstood. Even when we get into the various ways we can better understand the Scriptures, I am not saying that we can figure it all out in our heads. We cannot. We have the Holy Spirit to teach us and to lead us into all truth. (John 14:26; 16:13) Always look to Him for understanding, first and foremost, then use the other tools that can aid our minds in grasping the truths of the Bible.
First, I want to admit that certain verses that we often quote and use are well understood even without a lot of context. Take John 3:16. We quote that verse, we understand it correctly, we use it correctly so we do not have to take too much time talking about the context.
But even in this instance, if someone knows nothing about Christ, nothing about sin, and nothing about eternal judgement, then he would not have any idea what this verse is actually saying. A uniformed pagan might ask "Which god?", or, "Since God has given His Son to give us everlasting life, how can I find Him?" He might understand nothing of the cross much less about sin or redemption or faith. The context of the whole Bible would have to tell him those things.
So, let's look at an example of a verse that is commonly misunderstood and misapplied because the context is not carefully considered. 1 Timothy 1:15 says, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." So Paul calls himself the "worst of sinners" or, as some translations say, "the chief of sinners". I have heard this many times used to "prove" that we should consider ourselves to be sinners of the worst sort if we want to be humble Christians. After all, if the great Apostle Paul whom we consider to be among the best Christians ever thought of himself as the worst sinner, how should we see ourselves? We should see ourselves as awful sinners as well. Right?
Wrong. The context has been completely ignored. Let's look at the whole passage.
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16
When you read this in context, Paul is not saying that he was the worst sinner when he wrote this, but before he was saved. Although he uses the present tense to say "worst of sinners", it is clear that he is talking about the time he "was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man." He used the past tense there because he was no longer that man. That man was saved by the merciful Savior Jesus. Paul is telling Timothy to use him as an example of the mercy that Christ shows to sinners.
Perhaps you have met, or have been, one of those who think that God will not save them because they have been so bad. Paul uses himself as proof that God will save the worst of sinners.
So to use this one verse to prove some idea that we are still sinners after salvation is just not tenable. We must consider the context of all that Paul has said along these lines.
"God exhibits his love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, being justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5:8-9 Notice that "sinners" is referenced in the past tense. The implication is that we were sinners until we received our justification by the blood of Jesus.
"For if, by the offense of one, death reigned through one, much more so shall those who receive the abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness, reign in life through One - Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17 Righteousness (not just a legal kind of righteousness) is a gift and has nothing to do with works.
"Not having my own righteousness (which is of the Law) but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness which is from God by faith." Philippians 3:9 We obtain righteousness from God by faith.
"For He has made him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we should be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 The strongest statement in the New Testament regarding our righteousness. The context here reveals that he is talking about us being made new creations in Christ, brand new people with a new nature.
I could quote more verses, but if you study these things (in context, of course) you will find that Paul consistently says that we were sinners but have received the gift of righteousness and received it by faith. We have been new creations, created in righteousness and true holiness. (2 Cor. 5:17; Ephesians 4:24) Thank God that though we were sinners, we were saved, that is, made righteous, by faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.
So I encourage everyone to study the context of every passage, both the immediate context of where that verse is, but also the context of what else the Bible says about that subject. Let's not build our theology on verses ripped out of their context to prove our theology. Sometimes our more used verses, taken out of context, have led us into misunderstanding and poor theology.
I hope that this has been enlightening or, at least, challenging. I encourage comments and questions - even arguments. However, the Comments Section of this blog does not seem to work, so put in the Facebook post or email me at brian.scarborough@aol.com
NEXT TIME (maybe): Using the context to interpret too narrowly.
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