#2 Vital Bible Study Key "'Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.' " (Isaiah 28:9-10).
The book of Isaiah tells us that in order to understand doctrine, we must study the Scriptures line upon line and precept upon precept. This is exactly how we should study every doctrinal question. The New Testament confirms this approach to understanding the Word of God and establishing sound doctrine! "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2Timothy 2:15).
In order to come to the knowledge of the Truth, we must always follow the Biblically outlined method of study--" straightly cutting" or "rightly dividing" the Word of God. Any other type of study is useless and all in vain! This is exactly what many ministers and scholars have done in their doctrinal teachings because they have NOT rightly divided the Word of God! Whole congregations have been subverted by strivings and people disputing over the meaning of key words that are used in Scripture. Some teachers and ministers have even engaged in redefining words--attaching their own personal interpretations and rejecting the authoritative definitions that are found in Hebrew and Greek lexicons. Anyone who undertakes such practices is "using the law unlawfully," as Paul said, and will end up teaching false, satanic doctrines that subvert the minds of their followers. Unfortunately, the landscape of religious history is filled with the bodies of people who have taught false doctrines, and the bodies of people who have embraced their teachings. Only by learning to rightly divide the Word of God will we be able to recognize and resist these false doctrines. #3 Vital Bible Study Key ". . . knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. " (2Peter 1:20-21).
In today’s world, we find many pseudo-teachers who are twisting the Scriptures and deceitfully using their own personal interpretations in order to persuade others to believe their false doctrines. To support their teachings, they may quote numerous Scriptures. To their listeners, their teachings sound very authoritative, but the way that they apply the Scriptures exposes their craftiness. They are using the same subtle methods of deception that Satan the devil uses. Yes, even Satan the devil quotes Scripture! When Jesus Christ was being tempted by the devil in person, Satan did not hesitate to quote the Scriptures. "Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" " (Matthew 4:5-, Psalm 91:11-12).
Satan correctly quoted this Scripture, but misapplied it in a crafty effort to tempt Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus resisted Satan's deception by rightly applying the Scriptures. He said, " "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" " (Matthew 4:7). The fact that a minister or teacher may continually quote the Scriptures does not guarantee that he is teaching the truth. Scripture that is quoted accurately is often misapplied to teach false doctrine! True servants of God do not use such deceitful tactics. Those who are truly serving God will not deceitfully use Scripture to promote their own ideas and personal interpretations. They will seek to understand and teach the true meaning of the words that God inspired by the power of His Holy Spirit. #4 Vital Bible Study Key "Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1Thessalonians 5:21).
The command to "prove all things" is a lifelong responsibility for every true believer. We must continually be testing every teaching that we read or hear by carefully studying the Scriptures. The Bereans were commended because they diligently searched the Scriptures: "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11).
The account in the book of Acts reveals that the Bereans were diligently studying the Scriptures to prove whether or not the things they had heard were true. They did not react with blind emotion and refuse to consider the teachings of Paul. Rather, they carefully examined the Scriptures and proved to themselves that Paul was, in fact, preaching the true message of God. We, like the Bereans, must diligently search and examine the Scriptures in order to discern true doctrine from false doctrine. As we apply our minds to this effort, we will become skillful in using the Scriptures--no longer feeding on the "milk" of the Word but able to handle "strong meat." If we do not exercise our minds and learn to discern truth from error, we will not become spiritually mature Christians. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14). Too many Christians have remained as spiritual infants because they have transferred their God-given responsibility to discern truth from error to a minister or church board. Their ministers have told them that they, the laity, are incapable of understanding the Scriptures and must submit to the doctrinal decisions of their church leaders, who alone can interpret the Scriptures. But it was never God's intention that we, as individual believers, place our trust in human leaders who claim sole authority to establish doctrine. Christians who have done so have left themselves open to grievous deception. They have forgotten the many warnings throughout the New Testament to be on guard against false teachers and false apostles who make a pretense of serving God. The apostle Paul warned, "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. " (Acts 20:29-30).
Likewise, the apostle Peter strongly admonished the brethren. "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber." (2Peter 2:1-3)
True to the warnings of Paul and Peter, many Christians in the New Testament churches were subverted and drawn away from the true doctrines of Scripture because they neglected to "prove all things" and did not test and try the teachings of these false apostles. But the church at Ephesus did not forget the warnings and admonitions of Paul and Peter, as well as the other true apostles. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ commended the Ephesian believers because they tried and tested those who falsely claimed to be apostles and proved them to be liars. " 'I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;' " (Revelation 2:2).
Like the brethren at Ephesus, Christians today must constantly be on guard against false ministers whose Scriptural-sounding teachings are actually a perversion of the true doctrines of Scripture. It is our personal responsibility as Christians to test and try the teachings of every minister, teacher or scholar by careful examining the Scriptures. By following the Scriptural command to "prove all things," we can learn to recognize and reject false doctrine, and we will be able to stand fast in the true doctrines of Jesus Christ. #5 Vital Bible Study Key "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit (or Spirit of Truth), whom the Father will send in My name, He (it) will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26).
The final vital principle to remember when we study Scripture is that we must be led by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is called the Word of Truth. Furthermore, it is the Spirit of Truth that teaches us all things. The Bible makes it clear that the Spirit of Truth works hand in hand with the Word of Truth to give us the understanding God wants us to have. Regardless of how brilliant or how great the intellect may be, God's Truth is not understood through human wisdom and rationale. It is only through the Spirit of God that the Word of God can be understood. Which Bible translation should we use? Which version of the Bible we should use, especially for in-depth study? Numerous translations of the Scriptures are available to us today, and new versions continue to be published. The modern versions may be very attractive because they are easier to read than the older versions with their archaic words and expressions. However, these modern versions generally cannot be relied on for doctrinal study because they do not closely follow the original text. In some of these versions, thousands of words have been omitted. Despite repeated attempts to discredit the King James Version, it is still the most reliable translation of the Bible. While no version of the Bible has been published that is perfectly accurate in every respect, the translators of the King James Version took great care to follow the original text. For those who seek to understand the true teachings of Scripture, the King James Version is highly recommended as the safest and most reliable translation. Fourteen Basic Rules for Bible Study -
If possible have a regular, private place for your Bible studies. Before each study ask God to give you a spirit of humility while reading His word and guide your heart to comprehending, accepting and practicing His precious truth. -
Start with Bible verses that are easy to understand when studying on a particular topic. Then, use these scriptures to understand harder, vaguer passages of God's word. -
Let the Bible interpret and prove the Bible. Don't look for what YOU want to prove; look for what the Bible actually proves. -
Seek to understand the general context of a particular Bible verse by reading the verses and chapters just before and after it. Does your understanding of a Bible passage harmonize with the rest of Scripture? Remember, the Bible DOES NOT contradict itself! -
Study the original language (Hebrew or Greek) words and their meaning(s) behind a Bible verse. Remember, however, that although study aids like Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible can be helpful, they should not be exclusively used to discover and prove what the Bible teaches. -
ASK, what does the scripture you are studying clearly say? -
ASK, what does the scripture you are studying NOT say? -
ASK, to whom was the Bible book containing the scripture you are studying written to? Who wrote the book? Who is speaking the scripture(s) in question? -
Seek to understand the general time frame in history when the Bible verses you are studying was written. -
Remember that the Bible at times uses parables, allegories, symbols, poetry, metaphors and other figures of speech and literary techniques to reveal God's truth. -
Don't bring your own personal assumptions and preconceived notions into your understanding or conclusions. -
Base your study on scriptural knowledge that you already understand. WHAT DO YOU KNOW UP TO THIS POINT IN TIME? -
Do not form conclusions based on partial facts or insufficient information, or the opinions and speculations of others. -
Remember that your or anyone else's convictions, regardless of how strong they may be, don't necessarily count. GOD'S WORD is your ultimate standard and guide. |
