Handling the Bible Well

 

While it's normal for bad doctrines to be established by extracting "verse 6" and ignoring "verse 5", here's just one Bible verse that I've seen people recently remove one line out of and leave the rest behind as they establish a so-called "biblical fact."

"Yahweh is near to all?" Well, He is... to those who call on Him. And not just those who call on Him alone. He's near to those who call upon Him in truth. In Hebrew, this is "emet" and insinuates that one must call upon the Most High according to His "divine instruction, testimony and established faithfulness."

I personally believe that this is why the foundation of the early Believers (post-Messiah) had so many things right. They were being brought into the faith via the Torah and the Prophets (sound doctrine.) Their truth was rooted in Who Yahweh Himself told His covenant People that He was (and is.) That's why we read of this so often, as in 1 John 2 "Loved ones, I am not writing a new commandment for you, but an old commandment - one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard." And 2 John, "Now this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the commandment - just as you heard from the beginning - that you walk in love."

This language, of course, permeates the entire New Testament. Why? Because, unlike modern Christianity, the stream of new converts were taught how to love Yahweh and love their neighbors via the Torah and the Prophets! This was *THE ONLY WORD (BIBLE)* of their day. And, it was entirely sufficient to show a man how to walk like the Messiah.

The Bible needs no "new" way to discover new revelation based upon poor handling of each individual line within It. We must give ourselves to approach the Word in Its fullness. Let's practice how to rightly divide and handle the Bible today!