CONTEXT IS KEY
The Bible is unique in that it contains the message of Christ. It is holy, sacred and set apart to show us Christ.
John 5
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Life is in Christ as documented in the scriptures. The scriptures speaks of Christ. We must understand how to interpret the scriptures without contradictions. Many times, it is our inability to READ the context of the scriptures that brings contradictions. Jesus is the truth of the scriptures. The profit of scriptures is in making us skillful in salvation in Christ. (2Timothy 3:15). Genesis to Malachi contains truth in Christ as mysteries(secrets). Matthew to John contains documentation of Christ in the flesh. Acts contains the documentation of men with Christ in them. The epistles contains the explanations of the secrets/mysteries in Genesis to Malachi. The Spirit of Christ has revealed this secrets to the apostles as documented in the epistles.
Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Therefore, we read the revelation.We take the meaning given to us in the epistles. We do not interpret the epistles. We take the interpretation given to us. What of the seemingly contradictory verses in the epistles?There are no contradictions if you take the pain to study and also pay attention to context. For more on how to interpret Genesis to Revelation kindly see our previous posts on THE TRUTH ONLY.
Knowing that Christ is the interpretation of the scriptures,
WHAT THEN IS THE ROLE OF CONTEXT?
In these series, we will select some SCRIPTURES that seems contradictory to the truth in Christ. Don’t forget, there are no contradictions in the Bible. Contradictions only exist in the mind of the readers due to several reasons like preconceived notions and lack of contextual interpretations.
WHAT IS CONTEXT ?
Context is simply surroundings, circumstances, environments, backgrounds or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence. It is the text in which a word or passage appears and which helps ascertain its meaning. The context of a text include the surrounding words /paragraphs of the text. It can also include the background information or events that result in the text. Context also include the history and general knowledge of the writer and receiver of a text. Let’s look at this example, imagine two friends Taiwo and John playing, and Taiwo begins to shout; I WILL KILL YOU TODAY. Another friend Paul walks in and accuses Taiwo of threatening to kill John. It will look like Paul is insane because he doesn’t know the CONTEXT of the words. Words are not spoken or written in isolation. They always go with other words/actions/events. The Bible is a holy book in that it is set apart to teach us Christ. It is the only book we can get detailed knowledge of God in Christ. To understand the Bible, we must also learn to read the entire context of what is said. This doesn’t in any way side line the role of the Holy spirit in bringing illumination to us about what has been revealed. Now, let’s examine some scriptures often misquoted or misinterpreted out of context .
CONTEXT IS KEY #1 #. ALL HAVE SINNED ?
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This is one verse that many have taken out of context to say that everyone is a sinner including those in Christ. In religious settings especially during prayers, we often hear people use this verse to convince people of the need to cry to God for mercy. Is this true? What does the text mean by ALL HAVE SINNED? You cannot carry your meaning of all have sinned to Romans 3. Is this text in any way suggesting that Christians are sinners ? Obviously NO! The writer of Romans is not confused. The same book in Chapter 5 tells us that we have Righteousness as a free gift in and by Jesus Christ.
So what does Romans 3:23 means by all have sinned ?
Let’s look at few verses before and after verse 23. You can’t start a conversation with FOR in verse 23. Obviously, he must have been talking about something.
Romans 3
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
In Romans Chapter 3 from verse 1, Paul began an argument to prove that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners hence they both need to put faith on the work of Jesus for salvation from sin.
Verse 20 clearly states that by the actions of the law no man can be declared not guilty before God. The righteousness which comes by believing in Jesus has been revealed and it is available for everyone both Jews and Gentiles. This is because all have sinned. There is no difference. Sin is a common denominator for all humans. This is what Romans 3:23 means by all have sinned. Notice the next verse 24. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ. The same all that have sinned is the same all that have NOT been made GUILTY in Christ. This is because Jesus paid the full penalty for the sin of mankind. All you need is to believe and receive righteousness and justification in Christ. Therefore, those that believe in Jesus cannot be said to be sinners. They are righteous by faith in Christ . They live a righteous life because they are righteous.
So far, we have seen that Context is key. Don’t use a Bible verse to say what is in your mind. Rather, read the context and take the meaning of the Bible. If Romans 3:23 was saying that those in Christ are sinners, it will contradict many other verses that stated that we are righteous in Christ. Don’t forget, NO CONTRADICTIONS in the Bible. It is a book centered on revealing the truth in Christ. In the subsequent parts of this series, we will look at other seemingly contradictory verses in the epistles .
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BY EMEKE MODESTY OBIAZIKWOR
www.emekemodesty.com
GOSPEL AND MIRACLE CAMPAIGN (GAMC) : Bringing people to the knowledge of Christ via the Gospel of Christ with the supernatural .
Email: gospelandmiraclecampaign@gmail.com