Twisting Scriptures
Today was a good day to get cleaned up, caught up and ready for a coming snow. It was a good day not for appointments, but arranging for appointments. It is nice to have my landscaping projected completed and ready for the coming season and holidays.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…Some things in Paul’s letters are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and weak in faith explain these things falsely. They also falsely explain the other Scriptures, but they are destroying themselves by doing this.” 2 Peter 3:16 NCV
What does the Bible say? What does the Bible mean? We certainly realize that many arguments and divisions have taken place over the centuries on the teachings of the Bible.
Even before having the “Bible” as it is today, we see people “twisted” the words of the apostles and the scriptures that they did have available. At times it happened to develop a following based around a specific teaching; at other times it was to discredit the author of the words.
Today we see twisting scripture is done to justify actions condemned by the Bible, or to make someone sound spiritually superior, as well as for other motivations. Peter addresses the bottom line of those who distort scriptures, “they are destroying themselves.” The “friendly-fire” casualty is that often the faith of others is destroyed as well.
Paul wrote to Timothy and admonished him, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)
Here are some basics to keep in mind…
1 – The Bible is first and foremost a “redemptive revelation.” It shows both the beginning and the end of the known world and reveals God’s work throughout time and His eternal plan. God reveals Himself through the scriptures. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39 NLT) It is often said, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.”
2 – The Bible is the result of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on the hearts and minds of men. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21 ESV) 2 – The Bible in its 66 books is like a “self-contained” library. It has books of history, law, prophetic writings, poetry and letters written by the apostles to different individuals and groups.
3 – The Bible doesn’t tell us everything about all things. The Bible provides for us what we need for our faith and our conduct. What we believe and how we are to act. The Bible at times is very specific and at other times provides us principles that are to guide our lives.
4 – The plain meaning of the Bible is to be our first guide. For example, when the Bible says, “all have sinned….” (Romans 3:23) it means, “all have sinned.” It doesn’t mean some do and some don’t. It doesn’t mean it is humanly possible not to sin.
5 – The meaning of a verse should be understood in the context of the chapter and book where it is found. Pulling a verse “out of context” can be dangerous. This is especially true of using the Bible as a “spiritual horoscope” tool and opening and pointing at a verse to find guidance for your life.
6 – The Bible should be understood and interpreted in light of the Bible itself. Scripture gives meaning to scripture.
7 – The Bible should be understood in light of the culture in which it was written as well as the “figures of speech” that are found. The Bible uses metaphors, hyperbole, poetry, parables and other figures of speech that must be kept in mind.
8 – There is a difference between what the Bible records and what the Bible teaches. Not everything found in the Bible is to be modeled in our lives. We see the sins of many of God’s people laid out for the “world” to see. For example, in the Old Testament multiple marriages was the cultural norm and even though the Lord prohibited it, it was still practiced by many.
9 – There are passages of scripture and concepts that are more challenging to understand. It is important to use Bible Study aids for word studies, Bible dictionaries and commentaries to see what Bible scholars say about a passage.
10 – Understand the difference in Bible translations. “Literal translations” look for word for word interpretation from the original language to English. Many Bible versions use a translation method known as a “dynamic equivalent.” The goal is to communicate the meaning of the words staying as close to the original language as possible. Paraphrases are the “loosest” forms which are written in the author’s own words, communicating the meaning of scripture in a creative style or “modern language.” Most of these are the work of an individual opposed to a committee of Biblical scholars.
Sometimes people say, “you can make scripture say anything you want!” I think that is more true about statistics than the Bible; but if someone is “using” the Bible for any purpose but to discover God’s plan and purpose for their life are they, as Peter said, “destroying themselves.”