The word of God is the final authority for our spiritual lives. It is an amazing and perfect book written by God through people by the Holy Spirit. Although it was written over a period of approximately 4,000 years by many different people, it all ties together and connects in a powerful way. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible and connect all the parts together, so that we can understand it properly and “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
A message from Bobby:
How do we study the Bible? We must understand it so that we can apply it. The Bible is a spiritual Book, so we need the help from the Spirit of God to lead us into its truth. But we ought to approach the Bible as the Word of God, as the ultimate authority for all spiritual truth and knowledge. That’s why, if there is anything, any thought or assumption that contradicts the Bible, we must discard it and throw it away.
Ok, then, how do we study the Bible? How do we show critical thinking when we study the Bible? It helps having good teachers and it also helps having good fellowship, where everyone can bring a teaching from the Word. In fact, discussion often is the best way to learn the Word and discussion is highly encouraged in the Word. But, even if we have the best teachers, we must be able to check and verify that everything they say about the Word is true. Most importantly, the Bible commends those who do that – see Acts 17:10-11:
Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded (noble) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness (of mind), and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
The believers in Berea were commended for being more noble (that’s a better translation) because they searched the Scriptures daily to find out if what Paul and Silas were speaking to them was true indeed. They searched, they examined the Scriptures thoroughly so that they could discern if what they were being told was true. Even Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus and twisted it so he can try to tempt him to sin, but Jesus knew his Bible well and was able to discern Satan’s lies and ultimately, did not succumb to the temptation.
So, we would like to be like the believers in Berea, and like Jesus when tempted by Satan, and know how to study and examine the Bible, so we may be sure that what we believe is true and we may stand on this truth in the time of temptation or testing.
I’d like to offer an example of how we can critically study the Word and how we can avoid inserting our own assumptions into the text. Let’s look at Mark 16:15-18
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
First, we want to study what is the context of this Biblical passage. The context is Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection and commissioning them before he ascended into heaven. In fact, this passage is also referred as the Great Commission and it is believed to be applicable for every disciple of Jesus. These are some of the last words which Jesus spoke before he left, so it appears to be a very important passage. Let’s assume for a moment that the gospel according to Mark is the only book we have read in the Bible and let’s see what conclusions we may reach based solely on this passage. Let’s read verse 15 again:
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
If we take this verse literally and take it out of the context of the rest of the Bible, we may come to think that we should go and preach the gospel to the birds, to the cattle, to the animals, to the insects, etc. But, we know from other passages of the Bible (and common sense) that this is not what Jesus meant here. The other gospels clearly show that Jesus meant not every creature literally, but meant every living human being, who can respond in repentance and in faith to the words of the gospel. In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 28:19 (16-20), we can see the Great Commission again, and there Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations… In other words, they are called not simply to preach the gospel but to make disciples. Fortunately, we haven’t heard of people baptizing animals in the name of Jesus, but who knows, we may see it one day. (But we can see people baptizing babies, even though we don’t see this anywhere in the Biblical text and even though babies cannot be disciples, followers of Jesus, because they cannot respond in repentance and in faith; but people do it anyway, simply based on their assumptions and traditions.)
Ok, I know this verse about preaching to every living creature may not relate as much, but let’s look at the next verse – Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
First, let me state that what this verse states is true: people who believe in Jesus and are water baptized in His name will be saved, and those who do not believe will be condemned. However, this verse does not state explicitly what happens with people, who believe in Jesus, but are not water baptized in His name. It would be our own assumption to declare that water baptism is essential to a believer’s salvation. Based on this verse, however, over the centuries, many people assumed this to be true – this is called the doctrine of Baptismal regeneration (and please feel free to Google it). Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, Anglicans and even Mormons adhere to this belief. Perhaps, that’s why, they insist on baptizing babies, because they are afraid people will not be saved if they don’t get water baptized. Anyway, we want to know the truth of the Word and not insert our own assumptions into the text. So, what is the necessary requirement for salvation? Let’s look at Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And verse 13: For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
I think it’s quite clear from these verses what is the necessary requirement for salvation: confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart. If we assume that water baptism is required for salvation, then there will be an obvious contradiction with the rest of the Bible. Moreover, how could the thief on the cross be saved, to whom Jesus promised to be in Paradise the day he was crucified? The thief was never water baptized, and yet, Jesus promised him salvation. Also, was Jesus “not saved” before he was water baptized? It’s clearly a huge contradiction to believe that water baptism is required for salvation. However, if we are only saved by faith in the name of Jesus, then this will be consistent with the truth expressed in Mark 16:16, without contradicting any of the other parts of Scripture. The rest of the Scripture clarifies the meaning of this verse, similar to the way the meaning of the preceding verse 15 about preaching to every living creature needed to be clarified further.
Just to add that water baptism and baptism in the HS are part of discipleship, but they are not a requirement for salvation. We can see this from the Great Commission as presented in the other gospels. We just read In Matthew 28, “making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
By now, you should be realizing that when we read the Bible we should not be simply taking verses out of their context, but we should check and examine how the different passages of the Bible fit together to depict the whole picture, to convey the complete meaning of what the authors are trying to tell us. That’s what critical thinking in the Spirit should lead us to do.
For example, if we focus on one Biblical passage, but our interpretation ignores the rest of the Bible and in fact contradicts other passages, then we are exposing ourselves to the danger of elevating our own assumptions over the truth of the Word of God, and that’s not a good position for one to be in. Instead, we should conclude that our interpretation must be wrong, and we should reexamine the passage in light of the entirety of the Bible.
Let’s proceed with the next verse, Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
Again, if we take this verse literally, we may assume that every believer should be speaking in tongues. In fact, many Pentecostal denominations today believe that every believer should be able to speak in tongues. They say that they believe in “baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.” However, what does the Bible say? Let’s read 1 Cor. 12:27-30 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
I think from the text it’s quite clear that Paul asks rhetorical questions. Are all believers called to be apostles? The obvious answer is: No, they are not. Are all called to be prophets, or teachers, or workers of miracles? Again, the obvious answer is: No, they are not. So, when he asks, do all believers speak in tongues, or do all have the gifts of healing, the obvious answer would again be a resounding NO. And that’s the point of the entire message – different believers will have different gifts in the body: some will speak in tongues, but not all of them. Therefore, we can conclude that in Mark 16:17, “they will speak in tongues” refers to some believers will speak in tongues, and the word “they” does not necessarily imply “all believers”. To say that it means “all believers” would be our own assumption, which will be in direct contradiction with 1 Cor 12:30, which we just read.
Let’s continue with the next verse, Mark 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Again, if we interpret this verse literally, it would mean that believers should start picking up snakes as a sign of their salvation. In fact, there are snake-handling believers today who believer exactly that. They are found today in the Appalachian region of the United States and they regularly practice snake handling as a regular, intentional practice (and in some cases as evidence of salvation). They also believe taking up snakes is something God commands them to do. However, does this interpretation of the verse hold up to the rest of the Biblical text? Nowhere do we see in the Book of Acts or the rest of the Bible “taking up serpents” as something practiced by believers. It’s not even mentioned anywhere else. There is one episode in Acts 23 when Paul is bitten by a snake and nothing happened to him, but he did not pick up the snake intentionally; he threw it away immediately and was not harmed by it.
So, what does then this verse mean? Well, let’s first examine how the word “serpent” is being used in the Bible. Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees, “Serpents, brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33). Satan is called a serpent throughout the entire Bible, Old and New Testament. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his disciples to “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Furthermore, in Luke 10:18-20, Jesus clearly associates scorpions and serpents with evil or demonic spirits: And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Judging by these verses, we can safely conclude that “taking up serpents” should not be interpreted literally, but rather, symbolically, as engaging with and overcoming a demonic force. It could be referring to casting out of demons, or to engaging with evil people, who are in opposition to the gospel and believers, similar to the way the scribes and Pharisees hated and opposed Jesus.
Finally, let’s look at “lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Again, if we take this literally, we may assume that when believers lay hands on others, the sick will 100% of the time recover. But what does the Bible actually say about laying on hands and healing? First, if you recall in 1 Corinthians 12, some believers will have the gift of healing, but not all believers. That is, again, similar to the gift of tongues, it is quite obvious that this verse in Mark does not refer to all believers, but it points to the fact that some believers will have the gift of healing, and when they lay hands on the sick and pray, the sick will get healed. When we interpret “they” as “not all of them” but “some of them”, then this makes sense and is consistent with the rest of the Bible. If this were to be interpreted as “all believers” will have the power to heal, then why was Timothy advised to use a little wine for his infirmities (1 Tim 5: 23), or why was Trophimus left sick by Paul (2 Tim 4: 20 – Paul who had healed many people and clearly had the gift of healing), or why was Epaphroditus sick “almost unto death” that made Paul extremely sorrowful (Philippians 2:25-27). These verses clearly show that even though miraculous healings were part of the early church, there were definitely not assumed as a given for every believer and for every sickness.
The Bible does not promise 100% healing for every sickness and disease in this world, but it promises 100% forgiveness of sins and 100% salvation for those, who believe and put their trust in the name of Jesus. And one day believers are promised an eternity with God, where there’s no longer pain, sickness, disease, sorrow, or death (Rev 21:4).
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