Light of Christ

In memory of John

Hebrews 13: 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

And Jesus said, in Rev 22:  13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Jesus never changes.  He is the Word made flesh (John 1) and as such He is God.  God does not, cannot change.

We are mortals.  We are born, we live, we die.  But God is immortal.  He has always been.  He has no beginning, no end.  Likewise Jesus, the Word, is immortal.  He cannot change.  He is love, and always has been, always will be.

Does He change His form?  Yes.  He became human, and lived amongst us, so that He could die for us, and save us from sin.  He paid the price of sin (its wages are death) to free us.

Does He change His mind?  No.  He always loves us.  He WILL always love us.  He DIED for us. 

Does His Law stay the same?  His law of love yes.

Do His commandments stay the same?   Some do, some don’t.  He gave many of His commandments to a specific person or group for a specific time and reason.  These change.  For example His commandment for Noah to build an ark was a one off.  His commandments to Noah in the covenant with Him were for everyone, and for all time.  Eat anything that moves, except for the blood.  Do not kill your fellow man.  Be fruitful and multiply. (Gen 9)

Likewise the commandments given to the Israelites were only for them.  They were never given to any gentiles, only the Israelites as part of their holy privilege and commission, that they were to be the nurturers of the Messiah, He would come from them.

But the commandments given to the followers of Jesus were for all His people and time.  They were from His law of love.  Love God, love your neighbour, love your enemy, and love each other sacrificially.

So Jesus, God the Son, Who lives for ever, Who was with God and Who was God when the world was created is still with us now.  He is with us through thick and thin, supporting us through life’s ups and downs, through good and bad, and WILL be with us till life’s end.  Forever.  And Whom we will see in the clouds, as He returns to take us home.

He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  He is the Lamb who was worthy, He is the marvellous Light.  He is all in all. 

He changes not.

Life changes.  His jobs for us might change, but He stays the same.  His love stays the same

He stays the same.  Yesterday and today and forever.

There is no commandment given by Christ to His followers to keep a day holy.  No day.  This is not to say you cannot have a day that you meet others for corporate worship, or you cannot have a day of physical rest, but it is completely unbiblical for anyone to say it is binding on Christians, or that it is a sign of being a Christian.  Christ said that loving one another is the sign that we love Him.  John 13: 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

To those who say the sabbath is the sign, let me remind you of its beginnings.  Exodus is the first mention, when it was given to the children of Israel, first in Ex16 with the manna, and then Ex 20 with the covenant.  In Ezekiel 20:12 we read Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.  Ezekiel 20 is worth reading, it gives a very concise history of the Israelites.

Because it was a sign of the covenant (and not the seal, it is unbiblical to claim that) it was never given to anyone else.  That covenant was with the children of Israel, ONLY.  (ex 20:2)

The sabbaths pointed backwards to God resting (ceasing) on His finish of creation, and also forward to Jesus, to the rest that only He could give.  It also pointed forward to His time in the tomb.  In the words of the hymn, in Christ Alone:

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

The sabbath was the sign post, the shadow, Christ is the reality.

The Israelites used a lunar/solar calendar, different to the one we use.  Each month started on the new moon, with witnesses reporting the first sliver of light of the moon.  Later the calendar became fixed, but initially it was governed by the phases of the moon.  This meant that sabbath, like the new moon day could be any time.  It was rarely on the day we call Saturday. Saturday was not given its name till many years after Christ, being named after a pagan Roman deity.

Remember then that salvation has nothing to do with the day on which you worship corporately.  We are called to worship in spirit and truth, and we are called to worship our Saviour, the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, who calls us to Him to give us rest for our souls.

So worship corporately on the day of your choosing.  Worship Him with your lives, and love God, your neighbour, your enemy and each other as He commanded, and also remember that this is what shows the world that you are a follower of Christ.  “If you have love one for another”.

Worship daily.  Rest in Him daily.

Jesus is coming!  Yes!  Hallelujah!  I am so looking forward to it!

But this is not His first coming.  And….if you really think about it, His first coming was even more important than His second. 

During the first coming, the Word took on flesh and dwelled among us (John 1).  During that time, He grew from an infant to an adult, and during His ministry He taught, healed the sick, raised the dead, and was obedient to His Father in all things (Matt 26:39).  He was the Perfect Lamb, and He was slain.  And because He was slain, His Body was broken, and His Blood was spilled for us, and this ratified the new covenant.  Now we are under the grace of God. 

By this sacrificial act, He atoned for us, and because of His imputed righteousness, made us right with God, and we have become adopted sons and daughters of God.  Those of us who are His followers have passed from death to life, (John 5:24) and for us, eternal life starts now!  (John 6:46) 

Jesus became our Saviour.  And those of us who are His followers have repented.  We have turned to Him, and  He has made us a new creation.  He has written His law on our hearts.  His law is love.  He has commanded us to love the Father, love our neighbour as ourselves, love our enemy.  He has also commanded us to proclaim the Gospel, to tell everyone the good news of His coming, and fulfilling scripture by His death and resurrection.  How by His death we are forgiven, and by His resurrection He defeated death (which is the wage of sin).

Now why is His first coming more important than the second?  The first one gave us atonement, and forgiveness.  All those who believe in Him will live eternally, even if they die in this life (john 11:25),  but we must believe.  We must listen to Him.  The Father said so! (Luke 9:35)

And having listened, and believed His words, and lived a life honouring Him, we are ready for the second coming!  With great joy!

And having ignored Him, or rejected Him, lived a life for ourselves, or even preached a false gospel, are we ready for the second coming?  NO!  We will find ourselves with the goats.  He will say to us, Depart from Me!

No one knows the day or the hour, save the Father…… Have you repented?  Have you listened to His voice?  Are you ready now? 

Ignore the first coming at your peril.

When Margie Littell was younger, she used to help out at her father’s doctor’s surgery. One day, when the town was in the throes of the latest “bug”, a young mum brought in her very sick little baby. Dr Littell took one look at the baby, dehydrated from the effects of the bug, and rushed him straight into the surgery where he proceeded to give him emergency injections of fluid under the skin. This saved the little baby’s life. He had lapsed into unconsciousness and was barely alive.

He was then sent to hospital where he completed his recovery.

In my work with native animals I had occasion to similarly treat some very small and sick kangaroo joeys. One weighed less than 2 pounds, all were not much bigger. Some were unresponsive, the rest were “flat”: they were not interested in life, nor food. With their tiny weights, they didn’t need a lot of fluid to make a big difference, but all of them responded so well. Back to having light in their eyes, and looking for food, and it gave their little systems the help they needed to start recovering on their own.

I have seen it too with domestic animals that have suffered from gastric disturbances. A trip to the vet, an injection of fluids, and there is your old friend back, with a spring in his/her step, and an interest in food again. And relief in your own heart.

When you think about it, this is what the Gospel does. It acts like water under the skin of a (spiritually) dying person. We all have different conversion stories to look back on. Sometimes it was quick, like someone switched on the light, others tell you of a longer time that God worked on them, with no definite time of “it” happening, it was so gradual.

But in all, the person realised their wretchedness, how they were dead in their sins, and how God was their only hope. How they needed to turn to Him, and the wonder of Jesus paying the price for Him. And that through His blood, they were saved. Literally or metaphorically they fell on their knees in gratitude, and prayed the equivalent of God be merciful to me a sinner.

And their lives were changed. Irrevocably, and immediately.

Jesus promised us in John 4 that He would give us water that would be living and we would never thirst again. Jesus is the Rock, and from Him, the Water flows. The Water of Life. It is indeed life to us.

What a great God we have!

written earlier

2020 has been a year like no other for us in Australia.  January, unprecedented bush fires, February, it rained and caused floods in parts of Australia….and the drought continues for other parts.  March, the corona virus started with its associated madness of panic buying.  April, more of the same, and now we are locked down.

What should we do?  What CAN we do?  Not a lot as individuals except live our lives and enjoy them as much as we can. There is a virus.  There is always a virus and people die, most times not from a virus.  And we are left to mourn.  Just in the last few months, I have lost two close friends, one to cancer, and the other to cardio vascular disease.  In recent years I have lost more friends…none to viruses….

But whenever people die, whatever they die from, they would want us to resume life as soon as we are able, and live life as well as we are able.  In this anxious time there are still things that we can enjoy, and there are still things we can do to show our Christianity.  We have a wonderful opportunity here to love our neighbour…shop for the old lady down the road, share your excess toilet paper with the old fellow round the corner.  Just the other day I was given a hamper which included various things I didn’t use.  So I contacted a friend who contacted her sister, who said she knew of people who needed some of the things I had. She offered to pay for them, and I said no money was needed.  She asked me if there was anything I needed, I thought for a few minutes, and said yes, I am nearly out of vinegar.  So she turned up at my place, I gave her the box of surplus goods, and she gave me three bottles of vinegar.  So a lot of people were happy and helped.  And I have enough vinegar for twelve months!

We are in a time of change.  We have also been given a golden opportunity to spread God’s love, in so many different ways.

So….we change because we have to……but still love our changed lives, and look for ways to serve our Lord, and love our neighbour.

Eph 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.I would have thought it was pretty straight forward. We are saved by grace, through faith. Not by works, it is a gift. I really wonder which part of this some people find so hard.Ah I hear someone say! James said faith without works is dead! Indeed he did! This is a perfect example of taking things out of context.First let us look at some things in order. We are going along in life, things appear ok, but we know deep down they are not. We eventually listen to that voice that has been whispering in our ear for how long? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Maybe it’s even shouted a bit to get our attention…but finally we listen. What do we do? We realise our wretchedness. We repent (turn to Christ). Our souls are sorrowful, and we ask forgiveness of our sins. He then gives us a new heart, and makes us a new creation. Depending on the individual, instantly, or over the weeks, months, years that follow, we notice changes. Big changes, little changes. We now have the fruits of the spirit. We ARE different. Changes that we tried to make and failed HE has done successfully.Now we are doing good works. But are they ours? Or is it the Holy Spirit working through us? Are these works really God’s?Back to James. James 2: The Sin of Partiality1My brothers,a show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.Faith Without Works Is Dead14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what goodb is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. Have a really good think about this. If you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you really believe in Him, His works will manifest themselves in you. You will not just go to church once a week, you will love others. You will not be able to help yourself. The love that God gives you, you will return to Him, in your worship and prayers, and also the fact that you will love your neighbour. You will love your enemies, and you will love each other.We are all in different circumstances, and we will all achieve this in different ways. Volunteering to give out food parcels. Helping a friend through a tough time with a cuppa and a shoulder to cry on. Being a prayer warrior. Donating money to help refugees. The list is endless. But this is what Christ wants us to do. This is how Christ will judge the sheep and the goats. We are not doing our works, we are doing His.Love is the fulfilment of the law. First Christ fulfilled it. By giving us His love we are enabled to spread His Gospel, the good news of His love, and by actual practical application of the two great commandments, love God, and love your neighbour.Remember the order? First we are called, then we repent, then we serve, with HIS works.

1 Cor 15: 1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 

How beautiful and simple the Gospel is.  Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, He was buried, He was raised on the third day, again in accordance with the Scriptures.

Notice only what He done was mentioned, not what we do.  What day we worship, what church we attend, what clothes we wear, what food we eat, none of this attains salvation.  Only what Christ did.  He was our sacrificial Lamb, He alone was worthy.  (Rev 5:12

…“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”)

We do nothing to save ourselves.  He does it ALL.

BUT!  I hear you say.  There is always a but!  BUT If we love Him, we keep His commandments.  Yes indeed, Firstly though, note the order.  If we love Him.  That means He loved us first.  Love proceeds from God first, He IS love.  We love Him, because He loved us.  (1 John 4:19  We love because he first loved us.)

Secondly, HIS commandments.  Jesus gave us over 1000 commandments in the NT.  These included proclaiming the Gospel, loving God, loving humanity, caring for the needy, loving each other.  Nowhere did He command us, His followers, to “keep” a day holy.  Nowhere did He say you must wear special clothes or eat special food to prove you love Me.  In fact He said the sign of loving Him was LOVE.  (John 13: 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”)

So…Jesus is the source of our salvation, He is the source of our love.  He wants us to love God and others. 

It is a Gospel of grace.  We are saved by grace, through faith.  We are not saved by works.  Once we are saved, we do HIS works, not ours.  We keep HIS commandments of love.  We do not keep the commandments given to others, for example we do not build an ark, or leave Ur (Noah and Moses), and we do not keep the ten commandments given as the words of the covenant given to the children of Israel.

Hang on!  Does that mean we can murder, commit adultery, steal??

NO!!  If you love God and love humanity, you want the best for them, don’t you.  You look after them, you provide for them.  YOU DO NOT HURT THEM IN ANY WAY! 

Matt 22: 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

And

John 13:  34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If you love your neighbour as Christ loved you, you will die for them, not hurt them. 

Jesus was humble.  He is a King, yet He became a servant.  He is a King, yet He became our Sacrifice. 

What humility.  What love. 

If you are humble, you cannot be selfrighteous.  You do not boast of your works, and say how they save you, you do His.  Gratefully, happily.

Be humble and love as Christ loved you.

Written earlier

The Corona Virus has pretty well brought the world to a stand still.  And it has caused churches of many different denominations to close their doors.  So much for the Sunday law.  Sabbath keepers cannot be forced to worship on Sunday when there is no service on Sunday.

Some services will be online, which is not a bad thing.  People who are housebound will now be able to “attend”.  People who do not feel comfortable attending a church may find it better to watch it from their monitor.  And it may be comforting to many to find out that they can listen to the Gospel message, or find comfort in the liturgy in this time of trouble.

And ALL Christians, whatever denomination they are, will have to find other ways to witness to others..  In reality, worship is not about “bums on seats”, it is showing Christ to others, in our actions.  The sign that we are Jesus’ disciples is that we love one another.  So here is our chance.

You know your communities best.  Shop for those shut in.  Toilet roll deliveries for the elderly.  Cook a meal for anyone who is ill.  In previous epidemics, Christians were at the forefront.  They cared for the sick, they stayed with them when everyone else fled to safety.  While we have to maintain sensible health standards ourselves, here is our chance to put the love of God into action.

Let us witness for Him, whatever we do.

Matt 24: 9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

This verse is often used by SDAs as proof that they will be the ones persecuted.

But is this really what it says?

Matthew 24 is a fascinating chapter.  It talks about the destruction of the temple, and the end of the age, and at times both of these seem mixed together.

Adherents to post and pre rapture, post and pre tribulation all have differing views of this chapter, and this article is not about any of those, it is about the use of this verse by SDAs referring to their supposed persecution.

Just for the record, I am a pan tribulationist.  I look forward to the coming of Jesus, and I will observe whether it is pan or post trib, etc. with great interest.  It will all pan out in the end.  Jesus knows what He is doing!

Despite the fact this verse is not referring to SDAs, but Christians in general, SDAs have grabbed this verse and run with it.

From the time of Christ, His followers have died willingly as a witness for Him.  The Apostles, all but one, were martyred for Him.  Many died in Rome.  Many have died right throughout history since. And they still die today.  Did they die for a day?  No, they died for their Saviour.   

In some countries today prisons contain Christians, whose only crime is that.  They are Christians.  Christianity is the most persecuted of all the world’s religions.  This verse really applies to what has happened, and will continue to do so, until the end.

Does this verse contain any reference to worship on a particular day being the cause of their persecution?

Here is some context.

Matthew 24:  3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10And then many will fall away^a and betray one another and hate one another. 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Unless I have missed it, there is no reference to a particular denomination.  In fact there is a warning against cults, and false prophets!

Proof texting is a way of making the Bible agree with you.  You can take two unrelated texts (or more)  and make them mean anything.  For example.

Matthew 27:5  So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10.37 ……Go and do likewise. 

Obviously, that is not what is meant.  Take those verses in context and the meaning is very different.

The Bible is to be studied in context.  Not verses from all over the place.  We need to keep our ideas in line with the Bible, not trying to make the Bible agree with our preconceived ideas.

A good idea is to take a passage, and read the verses before and after.  Maybe read the whole chapter, or the chapters before and after.  Ask yourself.  What is the whole section about?  Who is speaking?  To whom is the person speaking, or writing?

If you look at each passage as a whole, the meaning becomes clearer.

Remember too that the Bible, the scriptures, are the written word of God, and they give testimony to the Incarnate Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Jesus.

Do not be fooled into the “here a little, there a little” method.  That is actually taken from a curse. 

Isaiah 28: 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

11For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Always study in context.

Proof texting is a way of making the Bible agree with you.  You can take two unrelated texts (or more)  and make them mean anything.  For example.

Matthew 27:5  So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10.37 ……Go and do likewise. 

Obviously, that is not what is meant.  Take those verses in context and the meaning is very different.

The Bible is to be studied in context.  Not verses from all over the place.  We need to keep our ideas in line with the Bible, not trying to make the Bible agree with our preconceived ideas.

A good idea is to take a passage, and read the verses before and after.  Maybe read the whole chapter, or the chapters before and after.  Ask yourself.  What is the whole section about?  Who is speaking?  To whom is the person speaking, or writing?

If you look at each passage as a whole, the meaning becomes clearer.

Remember too that the Bible, the scriptures, are the written word of God, and they give testimony to the Incarnate Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Jesus.

Do not be fooled into the “here a little, there a little” method.  That is actually taken from a curse. 

Isaiah 28: 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

11For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Always study in context.

Proof texting is a way of making the Bible agree with you.  You can take two unrelated texts (or more)  and make them mean anything.  For example.

Matthew 27:5  So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10.37 ……Go and do likewise. 

Obviously, that is not what is meant.  Take those verses in context and the meaning is very different.

The Bible is to be studied in context.  Not verses from all over the place.  We need to keep our ideas in line with the Bible, not trying to make the Bible agree with our preconceived ideas.

A good idea is to take a passage, and read the verses before and after.  Maybe read the whole chapter, or the chapters before and after.  Ask yourself.  What is the whole section about?  Who is speaking?  To whom is the person speaking, or writing?

If you look at each passage as a whole, the meaning becomes clearer.

Remember too that the Bible, the scriptures, are the written word of God, and they give testimony to the Incarnate Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Jesus.

Do not be fooled into the “here a little, there a little” method.  That is actually taken from a curse. 

Isaiah 28: 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

11For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Always study in context.

Proof texting is a way of making the Bible agree with you.  You can take two unrelated texts (or more)  and make them mean anything.  For example.

Matthew 27:5  So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10.37 ……Go and do likewise. 

Obviously, that is not what is meant.  Take those verses in context and the meaning is very different.

The Bible is to be studied in context.  Not verses from all over the place.  We need to keep our ideas in line with the Bible, not trying to make the Bible agree with our preconceived ideas.

A good idea is to take a passage, and read the verses before and after.  Maybe read the whole chapter, or the chapters before and after.  Ask yourself.  What is the whole section about?  Who is speaking?  To whom is the person speaking, or writing?

If you look at each passage as a whole, the meaning becomes clearer.

Remember too that the Bible, the scriptures, are the written word of God, and they give testimony to the Incarnate Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Jesus.

Do not be fooled into the “here a little, there a little” method.  That is actually taken from a curse. 

Isaiah 28: 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

11For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Always study in context.

Proof texting is a way of making the Bible agree with you.  You can take two unrelated texts (or more)  and make them mean anything.  For example.

Matthew 27:5  So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10.37 ……Go and do likewise. 

Obviously, that is not what is meant.  Take those verses in context and the meaning is very different.

The Bible is to be studied in context.  Not verses from all over the place.  We need to keep our ideas in line with the Bible, not trying to make the Bible agree with our preconceived ideas.

A good idea is to take a passage, and read the verses before and after.  Maybe read the whole chapter, or the chapters before and after.  Ask yourself.  What is the whole section about?  Who is speaking?  To whom is the person speaking, or writing?

If you look at each passage as a whole, the meaning becomes clearer.

Remember too that the Bible, the scriptures, are the written word of God, and they give testimony to the Incarnate Word of God, the Son, Jesus Christ.  It really is all about Jesus.

Do not be fooled into the “here a little, there a little” method.  That is actually taken from a curse. 

Isaiah 28: 10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

11For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Always study in context.

Always study in context.

Always study in context.

Always study in context.

Always study in context.