FollowHow Do I Know the Bible is For Me? (Part One)
© 2024 by C. O. Bishop
2nd Timothy 3:16 and many others…
Introduction:
I have frequently taught the idea that “all of God’s Word is for you, but not all of it is to you.” That could sound like heretical teaching, but it is not intended to be that at all. It is only to underscore that when God says “you,” it is important that we see who He means. When He makes a promise, to whom was the promise given? If a command, to whom was it directed?
This is simply a part of careful interpretation, regardless of the text you read. Whether we read the newspaper, a legal document, or a personal letter, the context in which a word is spoken means a great deal in interpreting any document.
A couple of Examples
I like to ask, “When Jesus said, “That thou doest, do quickly” does it mean Christians are always supposed to be in a hurry?” (Of course, this was Jesus’s command to Judas Iscariot, as Judas had just then decided to betray the Lord, in John 13:27.) So, the obvious answer is “No, that command was not to everyone: it was only to Judas!”
But, then I might ask, “Well, how about the Great Commission? To whom was it given?” If we only read casually, we would automatically say, “Well, it was directed to the Eleven Disciples!” But a more careful reading would reveal that the Eleven disciples were to produce other disciples across the whole world; and that they were to teach those disciples to obey all that Jesus had commanded the Eleven. (So…what had He just commanded the Eleven to do?)
Yes! The Great Commission is for all believers in the Church age. But, by extension, the Great Commission is also TO all believers! It is a spiritual chain reaction, that began at Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts.
And, we see the continuing command in 2nd Timothy 2:2. Timothy was commanded to teach (make disciples of) reliable, “…faithful men, who could teach others also.”
But, We Believe the Whole Bible, Don’t We?
Yes! We believe the Whole Bible. All of it is true. And all of it is the inspired Word of God. 2nd Timothy 3:16 leaves no doubt about that. But, if we read Genesis, for example, we can see that the entire book is mostly a narrative. The few commands given there are usually given to a single individual. We learn fundamental precepts there, about the nature of God, and we can see in, “seed form,” the principles that fill the entire Word of God. We can especially see the broad patterns there. Usually, though, the “commands” we find are very specific: they were given to specific individuals.
However, when we begin to read the New Testament, we see that Jesus and the Apostles clearly saw the entire Old Testament as being THE Word of God (not just “containing the Word of God.”) They quoted some passages verbatim, but often simply alluded to some narrative about a person or a situation, to demonstrate a concept. And, in those cases, if we were not familiar with the Old Testament history, we would completely miss the point of the New Testament teaching that’s based on that passage…as it was derived from that passage. Let’s look at some examples:
Example 1: What About the Serpent in the Wilderness?
A good example of this is Jesus’s teaching (directed to Nicodemus, but still priceless to us) about why Moses “…lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.” (John 3:14-15)
If we don’t know the story in Numbers 21:5-9 then we will be utterly mystified by the comparison Jesus made between Himself and that bronze serpent. (The one Moses lifted up on a pole, during the desert wanderings of Israel.) It represented God’s judgment for sin! The People were invited to “Look, and Live!”
Example 2: What About “The Rock?”
When we read about Moses bringing water from the Rock (twice) during that same period, we might shrug and think, “Oh, yes: I know God miraculously provided water in the desert! That is wonderful, but it has very little application in my life…that was all for Israel!”
But in 1st Corinthians 10:4, we find some astonishing news: that spiritual Rock that followed them in the wilderness…was Christ! And it is not given as an allegory or a metaphor. It is stated as a reality! And…Jesus is with me today! If He is truly that spiritual “Rock” that accompanied Israel through the desert, can He supply the spiritual water of life to me, today? Can He supply the spiritual water to me as freely as He provided physical water to Israel in the physical desert?
What is the Water?
The story of “The Woman at the Well,” in John 4:4-14 helps us to link the two concepts. She thought Jesus was offering physical water, in an unending supply. But He made it clear that He offered something more. She was invited to receive that Living Water from Jesus! And Jesus’s promise in John 7:37-39 “seals the deal” for us! He offered that same Living Water, but the next verse explains that He meant the indwelling Holy Spirit, who was “not yet given!”
Today, however, The Holy Spirit has been given. And, ever since Pentecost, He indwells each believer. What’s more, in John 14:23, Jesus makes it clear, that, in the person of the Holy Spirit, the entire Trinity has taken up residence in us. What an astounding idea!
He is still the Rock of Ages, supplying His cleansing blood for our salvation, and the endless flow of Living Water, for our continuing walk with Him. He invites the sinner to Come to Him, to Look and Live, and to Receive His Grace forever!
Example 3: What about Jonah?
In Matthew 12:39, 40 Jesus cited Jonah’s experience in the belly of the great sea creature, as a rebuke to his enemies who asked for a sign. They demanded yet another sign, and He gave them the sign of Jonah.
And it did two things for us: first, it told us that the story of Jonah is true. It truly happened, just as told. If I am uncomfortable with that idea, I have a problem. If I don’t believe the book of Jonah is true as written, then I am stating that Jesus may be wrong about His own Word! But many deny that the story of Jonah is true. They relegate it to “myth” status. Jesus treated it as a fact! He treated it as history.
And the second thing: it told us that Jonah’s experience was specifically a prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus! (Jesus called Jonah a prophet: what other prophecy did Jonah make? Or is it just that fact that he spoke for God?) But without that Old Testament prophet to read, we would be blind to the message Jesus offered. If we couldn’t go back and read the Book of Jonah we wouldn’t know what He was talking about. We would completely miss the prophecy!
What about the Commands?
Now: were the commands in the book of Jonah directed to You? Did Jesus command you to go to Nineveh? (No…He didn’t.) But in that small book, we can see God’s compassion toward people whom we may consider our enemies. The teaching is there for us …if we are looking for it. How high is the priority you assign to the souls around you who are dying as we watch?
We saw recently that the president of a nation (the self-proclaimed enemy of Western culture, and the USA specifically,) was probably killed in a helicopter crash. What is our response to be? Are we to rejoice that an enemy has ceased to be dangerous? Or do we grieve the fact that one of God’s created beings, created in His image, has perished, and is almost certainly lost?
What is our Response?
Jonah saw that Nineveh (the capital of Assyria) was filled with the enemies of his people, Israel! And God commanded him to extend God’s Grace to them! (No wonder he ran away!) And when God succeeded in bringing Nineveh to faith, Jonah was furious, saying, “I knew You were going to do this!” But God revealed the sin in Jonah’s heart, and the compassion in His own heart.
Do I have that same compassion? Or am I apathetic toward the lost, at best, seeing them only as enemies of the Faith? Jonah’s story is not to me, perhaps, but it surely is for me!
Jonah preached for three days and saw over 120,000 souls saved….and was furious with God for saving them. Jeremiah, in contrast, grieved and wept for the souls to whom he reached with the message of God. And only two (as far as we are told in scripture) accepted his message as truth and responded in faith. Jonah had a huge response and a terrible attitude. Jeremiah had the right heart for the ministry but had an extremely small response.
I would still rather be “on Jeremiah’s team!”
Lord Jesus, we know that we are limited in our understanding of Your Word. Please open our eyes and hearts to understand Your Word, and help us to apply it to our lives.