Can we understand the Bible alike?
Posted on March 7, 2007
Filed Under Bible 'Quick Notes'
This is a question that comes to mind nearly every time two believers disagree on something the Bible teaches. How do we go about understanding what the Bible teaches on a particular subject? Do we read one passage and treat that as the final word? Or do we look at the whole, instead of only one part? I would like to suggest that in order to find Bible truth on a topic, we must understand what the scriptures as a whole say about that subject.
As an example of how to find the whole truth on a subject, let’s take the topic of “prayer.†In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says to “ask, and it shall be given to you…†If we were to take this passage in regard to prayer as our only information on the subject, we might be led to believe that we can ask God for anything at all, and receive it.
However, when we look further in the New Testament, we begin seeing other things about prayer we need to know for a complete understanding. In James 4:3, we read that we sometimes ask from wrong motives, and therefore we do not receive. So James teaches us that in regard to prayer, not only do we have to ask as Jesus has said, but we also have to ask with the proper motives.
Looking even deeper, we come to 1 John 5:14. This passage tells us that if we ask anything “according to His will,†He hears us. This further qualifies how we pray. Not only do we have to ask, we have to ask with the right motives, and our requests have to be according to His will.
As we go further, we may run across James 1:5-6. Here James tells us that if we lack wisdom, let us ask God. But we must ask in faith! So again we have a passage that further defines the topic of prayer.
On the subject of prayer, if we took Matthew 7:7 by itself, we might be tempted to ask for a lot of things, and feel like we can expect them. However, when we look at the rest of scripture, we find we must ask with the right motives, the things we ask for must be according to His will, and we must ask in faith.
Using this technique of Bible study, we can find the Bible truth on any subject we wish to study.
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