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Showing posts with label Ezekiel 37. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ezekiel 37. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Context Principle

Context Principle

             The Context Principle is where the Bible student keeps Scripture in the same context in which it was intended by the author, and to keep it’s same meaning intact.
             The most common source of false doctrine and Christian cultist beliefs is the misinterpretation of Scripture, knowingly or through ignorance, by taking it out of its intended context.  Knowing the context is the key to knowing the mind of God through His Word.   Every verse must be studied in the context that God has given it.  We should never take a verse out of its setting and give it a different meaning.  By taking Scripture out of its context we only deceive ourselves.
             Nobody makes isolated statements.  Everything we say and think is in a certain context   Without context nothing would make since!  The Word of God is no exception.  God had His Word written in His context.  By not knowing the context of Scripture we will most certainly misinterpret God’s Word.  Here are five easy rules for finding the context.
             1. Observe carefully the immediate context; that which precedes and follows the passage.  This usually tells you the most about your target passage.  This is called the “near” or “immediate” context.  If the key to the context is several chapters before your target passage, this is called the “remote” context.
             2. Observe carefully any parallel thoughts in the same book to the materials in the passage being interpreted.  Be aware of the purposes and development of thought in the book.  I call this the “contextual flow.”  The contextual flow is especially important in the Gospels and the New Testament. It seems these texts were well thought out before the writing and written in one setting.  We should also read these books in one setting.
             3. Observe carefully any parallel thought in another book by the same author or in other books by different authors.  Take into account the purpose and development of thought in these books.
             4. Have a good understanding of metaphors, shadows and types, and other figures of speech.  The Bible is full of these figures of speech!  We must recognize them and understand what they are telling us.  If we fail at this then all kinds of silly doctrines could be imagined!
            5.  Bear in mind that the smaller the quantity of material to be interpreted, the greater the danger of ignoring the context.  No axiom is better known and more frequently disobeyed than the oft quoted: “A text without a context is only a pretext.”  Somehow, to discern this kind of error in someone else is easy but to recognize this same fault in ourselves is most difficult.[1]
             Here are some of the most misinterpreted verses of the Bible.  Let us go through them and find the correct interpretation, using the correct context.
             Baptism for the dead- 1 Corinthians 15:  The Mormon Church (LDS) believes that a living church member, in good standing, can go to their Temple and baptize themselves in the place for people long dead, and baptize and provide salvation in their stead.  They use 1 Corinthians 15:29 as their justification for their strange doctrine. “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”  They have taken this one verse and built an entire doctrine from it.
             If we read the entire book at once, we can fully understand the context and the contextual flow of the book. The “dead” in chapter fifteen is a reference to Christ. This is reveled in verse twelve of the same chapter. “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?” Now knowing this, to better understand verse twenty-nine substitute “Christ” for “dead.” Chapter fifteen starts with the explanation of the resurrection of Christ, and then uses that example to explain our own resurrection. This is a beautiful chapter of the Word of God, and it is the full mention of our own resurrection.  It is a shame that it has been sullied by misinterpretation!
             Paul’s choice of the word “they” in verse twenty-nine is not a reference to a group of people or Christians as the Mormons claim, but just an indirect reference to the fact that Paul baptized very few persons himself.  This fact Paul states himself in chapter one verse fourteen through seventeen. In twenty-five years of ministry Paul baptized only two persons and one household himself. Paul did not feel called to baptize but to preach the Gospel.  The Apostle Paul always allowed the local church leaders do all of the baptizing.
        Faith- Psalm 23:  Most people consider this beautiful Psalm to be about a thanksgiving on God’s blessing.  It really is not about thanksgiving, but it is about faith.  In order to see this, we must read Psalm twenty-two; this is the psalm that sets up psalm twenty-three.  “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Also, “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not.”  Psalm twenty-two is a cry for help when God seems distant.  It is a cry for help when you cannot find God or His Presence.
             Now read psalm twenty-three.  David’ reaction to the absence of God ‘Presence is an explosion of faith!  “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”  And again, “He restoreth my soul.”  We should always read these two psalms together because twenty-two sets up the meaning and beauty of twenty-three!
             Valley of the dry bones- Ezekiel 37:  This is not the Church as some will say.  The eleventh verse clearly states that this is a vision of “the whole house of Israel.”  Chapter thirty-six speaks on God blessing Israel once more.  Starting at verse sixteen of chapter thirty-six speaks of Israel’s new life.  Then we now have the vision of the dry bones.
             Starting at verse fifteen the prophecy begins to speak of the future unity of Judah and Israel. The vision of the dry bones is a vision of this future unity and restoration in the Promised Land.  Looking at the proceeding chapter and then the whole of chapter thirty-seven we can see the flow of the context that God has given it.  It clearly does not speak of the Church. 
             Let’s look at the context of the times.  The prophet Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon like the rest of the people of Israel.  The people were wondering and even fearful that they would never see the Promised Land again.  They needed and wanted hope.  God sent this series of prophecies through Ezekiel in order to tell the people that the House of Israel would be restored in due time.  And it was restored exactly as the LORD had said!
             Robbing God- Malachi 3:7-11: “Will a man rob God?”  This is the most widely used verse today and is used in conjunction with tithing or church giving. It is many a preacher’s sugar stick.  But, sadly, it is used out of its context on purpose.
        Let’s put the book in its proper context.  The priests had got accustomed to spending large amounts of money on themselves instead of the Kingdom of God as the Temple tithing system was designed to do. The priest’s in the countryside were withholding the full amount of the tithes from the temple. When the money reached the temple, it was skimmed off by the temple priests.  Due to this corruption the Kingdom of God and the temple services were being neglected.
             In the first chapter of the book of Malachi God tells the Jewish people how much He loves them and that they are still His people.  Then (1:6) God rebukes the priests for being corrupt.  Starting at the tenth verse of chapter two God then rebukes the people for abandoning the Law of Moses.  In (2:17) God warns of the coming judgment for their sins.  In (3:6) God then commands the priests and Levites to stop robbing God by stealing the tithes.  In (3:13) God then promises mercy if the Israelite would obey from then on.  Chapter four is about the coming of the Messiah, which indeed happened about four-hundred years later with the birth of Jesus Christ.
             The book of Malachi is all about the priests of that day and the sins in which they were involved.  The priests were irreverent and neglectful.  The priests were offering worthless animals (1:8) in sacrifice to God that they would not offer to the governor.  They refused to work except for money (1:10).  Mixed marriages became common (2:11), some would even divorce their Jewish wives to make this possible (2:14).
             Fool's- Matthew 5:22:  Jesus says that one who calls a brother a fool is in danger of hell-fire, yet He calls the Pharisees fools in 23:17-19.  Some have said that Jesus is contradicting Himself, let’s look at it.
             In the first instance that Matthew brings this up is when Jesus is in Galilee on a mountain.  The great crowds followed Him, but the disciples followed Jesus to the top of the mountain.  Those that were willing to climb the mountain were the ones who received the insightful teaching.  There Jesus gave the famous Beatitudes sermon.  Part of this sermon was about anger, and what it can lead into.  Talking about anger is the context for calling someone a “fool” in this instant.
             The Greek word here is “Moros,” which has a meaning of “moral stupidity.”  God has given everyone a basic understanding of right and wrong and we have all been given a moral compass to follow.  Plus, we all have Scripture available to us and God’s Spirit is always available to those open to Him.
 For a man to call another man “morally stupid,” is evil and not true.  Jesus did not have to tell His disciple this for they already understood that all know right and wrong from birth.
             Matthew relates in the second instance that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in the temple, Jesus was there teaching and then tells the Scribes and Pharisees that they are a bunch of “blind fools” and that they are stealing and robbing God and the people in general.
             Matthew is trying to tell them that being a spiritual leader, leading people astray spiritually, and stealing the churches money for your own benefit will put you in danger of hell-fire.  God is not contradicting Himself, but instead is trying to teach us a valuable lesson.  If you want to be a priest or a preacher, you have to be honest with your position and the money in your charge.  If not, it does not matter who you are, or what you have done, you are in danger of hell-fire in eternity!
             Persecutions- Matthew 10:34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth:  I come not to send peace, but a sword.”  What!  This sounds like the Prince of Peace wants to start a war.  If we take this verse out of its proper context it could seem to mean that Jesus wants us to wage war.  Now then, you may think that is silly, but we can clearly see that some people do not need much to fall into false doctrine.  That’s why we never take a verse out of its context.
             At the beginning of chapter ten, Jesus is about to send out the twelve disciples out into the land to preach the Word of God.  They will go out alone and will experience persecution (10:14).  Starting at verse sixteen Jesus warns them about persecution and how to deal with it.  Jesus understands that many people will resent their message and be filled with hate and rage and persecute them.
             When Jesus speaks of a sword in verse thirty-four, He is speaking of the Word of God not an actual metallic sword.  The Word of God will divide the people into those who believe, and those who do not.  The sword has always symbolized the Word of God in the Bible.  Husband and wife will be divided.  Father and son will be divided.  Brother and sister will be divided.  Jesus is getting His disciples ready for this type of conflict.  By reading the flow of Scripture before and after the target verse, we can clearly see the proper context.
        Purgatory- Matthew 12:32; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15: Purgatory is a wide spread doctrine of the Catholic Church, among others. They formed this false doctrine by taking two separate verses, from two separate books of the Bible, by two different authors out of their proper context, and making them mean something altogether different.  Let’s take a look at it.
             Matthew wrote in his Gospel, “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:  but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” Matthew 12:32.
             The last part of this verse is what is of interest, “neither in the world to come.” This is just a vague reference to eternity, heaven or hell.  There is no mention of which “world” is coming, nor should there be any, since the context is speaking of something else entirely, which is blasphemy.  Let me explain further.
             Jesus went into the synagogue and healed some people on the Sabbath day.  The local Pharisee called Jesus out for that saying that Jesus was using demonic powers in order to heal.  The truth was the Pharisee could not heal anyone nor tell them how to get healed and then arrives Jesus, who heals everyone present.  The local Pharisee probably felt very small and insecure.  Their prideful spirits were crushed!
             Jesus uses this opportunity to teach a lesson about maliciously misrepresenting the work of the Holy Spirit.  To know of, and to be, or was, filled with the Holy Spirit and then to say it is all the work of the devil is an unforgivable sin.  This is the context of this half of chapter twelve.  The idea of purgatory is nowhere to be found.
 The second verse that people take out of context to mean purgatory is found in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.  Let’s start with verse fourteen, “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:  but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
        It’s the last part of verse fifteen here that is of interest, “...but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  There is no mention of any place called purgatory here.  In chapter three of this book, Paul is speaking of being a servant of God in His Kingdom. When we are saved by Christ’s Blood, we then work in His Kingdom doing good works, building up the Kingdom.  If our works are good and holy and from God, then they will be cast into the fire of judgment and will be proven to be righteous. That saint will receive a reward in accordance to his work and the natural talents he had in this world.   If our works are not from God, but are selfish, they will be thrown into the fire of judgment and will be burned up like chaff.  The saint will be saved, but he shall receive no reward in heaven.
The reward of a Christian is to enter Heaven for eternity and to see the face of Jesus Christ, and to partake of God's Righteousness.  Revelation 22:4. 1 John 3:2.  Matthew 5:8-12, 25:21-23. 
             So, we have reviewed both of these verses and have found out that both have been taken out of their proper context and used for something entirely different.   We must keep all Scripture in its context!
             Transfiguration- Matthew 17:1-13:  Some have said that verse Matthew 16:28 proves that Jesus would make His second return during the lifetime of the disciples.  You can only believe this by taking this verse out of its context.  Let’s take a look at it.
             Six days before the transfiguration Jesus and His disciples were along the coast of Caesarea Philippi.  Jesus asks Peter who he thought that He was.  Peter said that he thought Jesus was the “Christ.”  Later, Jesus mentions that “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom (Matthew 16:28).”
             Well, only six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, probably Mt. Herman, “And was transfigured before them:  and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light (Matthew 17:2).”  This is what Jesus referred to as “coming in His Kingdom.”  The context of chapter sixteen blends right in with chapter seventeen.  To not understand this, verse twenty-eight of chapter sixteen will be misinterpreted.
        The Lords Supper- Matthew 26:26-29:  Roman Catholics around the world take communion and actually believe that Christ’s flesh and blood is in the wafer and wine at the communion table.  This is not true at all, this is taking a metaphor and making it literal.  Jesus was just giving the disciples a simple metaphor of the two different sacrifices in each covenant (Moses’ Covenant and the New Covenant).  There are many metaphors in the Bible; we must know them, understand them, before we interpret Scripture.  Jesus also said He was the “door,” is He really a “door,” of course not, it is just a metaphor to teach us.  Well, the bread and wine symbolizing the body and blood of Christ is the same, just a metaphor.
 God provided the blood for the Old Testament alter in Exodus 24:8, now He does again through Jesus in Matthew 26:28.  Sins can only be remitted by blood (Hebrews 9:22).  Jesus was just referring to His upcoming death, sacrifice, and resurrection to fulfill our salvation.
             Thirty Silver Coins- Matthew 27:9-10:  Jesus in referring to a prophecy of the prophet Zechariah 11:12, proclaimed it to be from the prophet Jeremiah.  Some have said that this is a mistake   This was not a mistake, but quite intentional.  It was the custom of that day to refer to all of the prophets by just one of the Major Prophets, in this case, Jeremiah.  This is never done today but was common in Jesus’ day.   That is the historical context.
             Rewards- 1 Corinthians 3:6-15:  Some have said that there are no rewards in heaven.  They have said that heaven itself is the reward.  Well, heaven will surely be rewarding, and it is our eternal reward.  But there are additional rewards that will be given to those who have built up God’s Kingdom and have used their talents in this life doing God’s work.
             Let us now look at the context of what I am talking about.  In the first chapter of First Corinthians the apostle Paul writes about the power and wisdom of Christ.  In chapter two he writes about the message of the crucified Christ, then on God’s wisdom.  After this is established, Paul then writes about how to be a servant of God.
             We are servants of God when we witness, teach, and preach to others about Christ (3:6-7).  Each one building upon the others works with the help of God (3:7).  In the end God will give us a reward according to our labors (3:8). Together, we are building God’s building (3:9).  The foundation of this building is Jesus Christ, and everyone we bring to salvation is then a part of that building (3:11).  This work will be judged by fire, good work in building God’s building will be proved good, unworthy work will be consumed by the fire (3:13-15).
        Working out salvation- Philippians 2:12: “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  Many silly things have been said and written about this last half of verse twelve.  It is a great verse of Christian humility and liberty in Christ.  The contextual flow begins at the first chapter where the apostle Paul writes that to live is Christ.  Chapter two then explains Christ’s humility and greatness, commonly referred as “the kenosis. The Apostle Paul speaks on the humility of Christ’s life and it was that humility before God and man (2:7) that made Him great in the Kingdom of God (2:9). 
             Now then, that is the context upon which we find verse twelve. We work out our salvation through “fear and trembling,” because of the humility that Jesus showed the world, we should emulate that humility ourselves.  We should always be fearful to show pride in our lives.  The meaning of this verse is revealed by the context of the first two chapters.
             Clearly this was written so that Christians will emulate this same example.  So then, in that light we need to “work out our own salvation.  But how do we “work it out?”  Well, the next two verses tell us.  “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.  Do all things without murmurings and disputing” (2:13-14).



[1] Mickelson, A. Berkeley.  Interpreting the Bible.  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, MI, p. 113.  1963.

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.