DISCIPLES OF CHRIST PART 5

The Bible is at the heart of discipleship! Without “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” a person will follow his own ways instead of the ways of Christ (2 Timothy 2:15). We dare not handle the Word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2). There is no place for spiritualizing what is being said in the text, nor trying to gain some deeper (hidden) meaning or find some signs by way of numerology or some other method. It is imperative to let the Words of Christ speak for themselves and inform us of what He has for our lives today. Never say, “I know what the Bible says, but I just feel that God would want me to . . .”, and thus be led astray with the error of the wicked (2 Peter 3:17).
Christ’s learners must take their master’s example of “I”nterpreting the Scriptures correctly, as good DISCIPLES, to combat false teachers and the one behind them, Satan himself. The Lord Jesus knew full well what was written and knew how to wield it against the deceived and deceiver (Matthew 4:5-7; John 8:3-5 (see Deut. 22:23-24). We must familiarize ourselves thoroughly with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
In coming to understand the meaning of a given biblical text, it is always necessary to consider the verses before and after to determine the proper context. Sometimes it is even beneficial to know the theme of the book (greater context) in which a certain verse and verses are found. Then, it is good to compare Scripture with Scripture that deals with the same topic of study (2 Peter 1:20-21).
~ If the plain sense makes good sense, look for no other sense ~