I honestly believe that there is no
substitute for reading the Bible ourselves. The book of Joshua enjoins us at
Chapter 1, verse 8 that “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe
to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success”. The simple fact is that
if we want to ensure that the book does not depart out of our mouths or and that
we meditate on what is written in the word day and night and observe to do all
that’s in the word, there is no substitute for us to read the word and
understand it ourselves by the help of the Holy Spirit. While our pastors,
friends, colleagues and other Christians are there to help us with our
understanding of the Scriptures, it does not absolve us of the responsibility
to check if what they are saying is the truth.
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| The Sun Shining |
While I was in university, I
remember that when examinations came around we were urged to pray and declare
that our memories were blessed and that we would remember all that we had read.
I really didn’t think much of this and I happily and fervently prayed along
with the rest of the congregation that my memory was blessed and that I would
remember all that I had read. No matter how little I had read or understood.
However when I got round to reading the verse of scripture that gave rise to
the prayer point, I discovered that we had been applying the scripture in
error. Proverbs 10:7 says: “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of
the wicked shall rot”. Immediately I read it, it occurred to me that the verse
had nothing to do with my memory or examinations. It also occurred to me that
it had been taken out of context. I realised that what the verse was talking
about was about how men who were considered just or wicked would be remembered
when they’re dead. Case in point, Saint Francis of Assissi and Adolf Hitler.
While people are grateful for the life of the former, a lot of people probably
wish the latter had never been born.
Which then leads me to the verse of
scripture that I think has been quoted of context the most, probably because a
lot of Christians have not taken time to read it and understand it for
themselves. They’ve heard their pastor, parents, friends, colleagues and even
new converts to Christianity all quote it and so they’ve accepted it. Philippians
4:13. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. However,
when people misquote it, the “which” somehow changes to “who”. What they then
mean is that thanks to Christ who strengthens them, they could become a brain
surgeon, an architect, an intrepid explorer, you name it. For a while, I
accepted this misquote. But then, I began to wonder, why would Christ strengthen
you to be able to do all things if he has a specific purpose for your life? I
then went back to read the verse and I found out that people were quoting the
verse all on its own. The more I read it, the more I was convinced that verse
13 was linked to and could not be divorced from the verses above it, especially
verse 11 & 12. Verse 11 talks about how Apostle Paul has learnt to be
content in whatever situation he found himself. Verse 12 talks about how he has
learnt to abound or be abased, be full or be hungry. Verse 13 then talks about
how he is able to all those things he talks about in verses 11 and 12 through
Christ. The question then is, is it Christ that strengthens him to go through
those experiences? Probably. However, I believe that in using “which” instead
of “who”, I believe what he was saying was that the things he goes through strengthen
him for the other trials that are to come. In short, they build character in
him.
The Bible is full of rich texts
which if we faithfully apply and follow, our lives will be full of joy and
prosperous, just as God intended. However, we can’t continue to receive
revelation on a second hand basis. We need to dig into the word of God
ourselves and unearth it’s rich resources.
JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO, a thriller published by WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers. DECEPTIO is available here http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000194087/Deceptio.aspx. He is also the author of LOST, BUT FOUND, a story of love and redemption. LOST, BUT FOUND is available on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on @CruzJC_Real.
