BEWARE OF ISOLATED TEXTS

MEMORY VERSE: And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in theirhands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Matthew 4:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Titus

READ: Matthew 4:5-7

The bible is a book of principles, and not a book of disjointed aphorisms (pithy observation which contains a general truth). It is not what a particular verse in the Bible teaches that we must focus on, but what the whole bible teaches. Isolated texts (bible verses) may often be made to sanction things to which the principles of Scriptures are totally opposed. One earnest sister who had the text “all things are yours" (1 Corinthians 3:21) so strongly impressed upon her mind in reference to some money belonging to a friend, that she felt it was a direct command to her to steal that money; and after a great struggle she obeyed this apparent guidance, with of course most grievous after-results. Had she submitted her “leading” to the plain teaching of scripture in reference to stealing, she would have been saved. An isolated text is so impressed upon the mind that it seems a necessity to obey it, no matter into what wrong thing it may lead; and thus the principles of Scriptures are violated, under the very plea of obedience to the Scriptures. In Matthew 4:5-7, the enemy is represented using isolated texts to endorse his temptations. Verse 6 says, “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in theirhands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Jesus repelled him by announcing the principles of the Scriptures.

Most false teachings are built on an isolated verse or verses of the Scripture, taken out of context, and blown up out of proportion. The better you know the whole Book, the better you will be able to deal with the person who uses isolated “proof texts”. For instance, the people who deny the threefold nature of God (the trinity) quote Jesus saying: “I and My Father are One! (John 10:30)” in an attempt to prove that Jesus and the Father are one person. Christians don’t believe in threefold nature of God because of proof texts, but because the Trinity is presented in the Bible from start to finish – even though the word “Trinity” is not used. The bible instead uses the word ‘Godhead’ when speaking of the threefold God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Genesis 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” According to John 1:1-4, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him (the Word) and without him was not any thing made that was made.... Who is the Word? The Word is Jesus (John 1:14). So the Word which was in the very beginning with the Father is none other than Jesus Christ – the “Word made flesh.” Thus, we see the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost at the creation. The concept of Trinity is everywhere in the bible
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NOTE: False prophets use isolated verses of the scriptures to perpetrate their evil work. As such, you need to study your bible regularly so as to familiarize yourself with biblical principles.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world