- Colosians 2:8 :"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
- Revelation 22:18-19 : "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ass unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
- The Bible is a book of guidance and specific instruction from God. You can't take only the parts you want from the Bible, or add to it to suit your needs! You have to read the whole thing, and understand what God intends for you to.
Everyone has their own interpretation of how things are in the Bible. Some people have different ways of viewing the stories told and the lessons taught. No one can really know for sure exactly what the mediators for God where saying. We have to rely on our trust in God, on faith, and His word to try and understand and study what He is trying to teach us. The point that is being made above in Colosians 2:8 is that we shouldn't lean on others interpretations or understandings. Your journey with Christ is yours and yours alone. It's not meant to be dictated by someone else. It's a personal relationship! Some people's interpretations will speak to you and open doors to new thoughts. That's fine! What I believe it means is that you don't count on someone else to tell you exactly how you should feel and what you should take from the Bible. You have to read the Bible as a whole to truly understand all that has taken place.
In Revelations 22:18-19 the message is pretty simple. Don't take away from or add to the Bible in order to suit your needs or discredit things you have done. There are many lessons to be taught from the Bible! Not everything in the Bible is positive, however. There are things that are hard to read and hard to grasp. Some things in the Bible will make you feel guilt or hurt. No one enjoys those emotions, but they are part of life. You need those emotions in order to know how to change and what path to take in your spiritual walk with Christ. As far as adding goes, that doesn't include interpreting what you genuinely feel it's saying in order to better understand. It just means, in my opinion, not to add all the fluff and nonsense in order to benefit you. The Bible is black and white on it's expectations of you, the stories told, and the lessons learned and taught. It's your personal text book! Read the Bible in order to arm yourself against those who take away or "fluff" His word. Read it so YOU understand it and so that you might help council others and open the door of opportunity for them to seek understanding. Don't try to condemn someone without knowing your stuff! The Bible is an important tool. God intended it to be a direct guide to what He feels you should do. Embrace that tool for what it is.
Questions/Application
- What was your favorite Bible story growing up? What about your favorite story now?
- How does reading the Bible make you feel? What emotions does it stir up?
- What Bible verse do you feel helps you against false prophets?
No comments:
Post a Comment