1) Do not form conclusions from incomplete statements.
A look at the useage of the word
"days" from Romans 14:5-6a is an ideal illustration of how this rule should be applied. Notice, "One man esteemeth one
day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that re- gardeth
the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it..."
Many teachers have incorrectly used this little passage to claim the New Testament allows us to make any day sacred to God,
while claiming the seventh day Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians. To the unlearned it sounds like a believable supposition.
Yet, this passage is not a dis- cussion about the weekly Sabbath at all if one merely reads the words which have been supplied.
We should always look very closely at what the text actually says while asking ourselves
if it says exactly what the teacher is claiming. In this case we are not provided with what particular "days" are being discussed,
so we should not establish any fast or hard beliefs about the Sabbath from these words alone. To do so would be reckless,
and is a recipe which guarantees failure. Drawing conclusions from incomplete statements is one of the most commonly made
mistakes in studying the Bible.
2) Do not form conclusions from a lack of evidence.
Largely driven by vanity, many think
they must provide a quick and definitive answer to every question that arises when discussing the Bible. If the subject at
hand has never been studied the student should always be slow to draw conclusions. (It's often difficult to see hard truths
in the Bible without studying it.) On the other hand, if a balance of uncertainty exists after a topic has been closely scrutinized
it's always best to shelve whatever remains for reevaluation at a later date.
Some studies will prove to be short and easy while others will take a comparatively longer time to complete. When faced with
a lack of evidence it is always best to confess ignorance rather than force uncertain ideas. In the long run perseverance
will pay off if the student stays at it like a miner hunting for treasure (Prov. 2:1-5).
3) Always consider the context.
A careful consideration of the
context (or framework) of a given passage is one of the most important Bible study rules. Here, we will follow this rule to
build upon the first rule discussed from above concerning Romans 14:5-6a. As already stated, many teachers promote the idea
that this passage is justification for making certain days sacred on our own. It's a favorite amongst those who try to ignore
the 4th Commandment in favor of Sunday observance as an alternative. Is this interpretation correct? A simple consideration
of the context will clear up any question about what "days" are intended in this passage.
Determining the context of a particular passage is most easily accomplished by simply framing it with the surrounding verses
(and/or chapters) which are part of a main topic of discussion. We should always closely inspect the statements immediately
before and after any passage being studied, while looking for a common theme being discussed throughout.
What is the main topic of discussion surrounding the "days" of Romans 14:5-6a? A close reading of the previous chapter (Romans
13) leading up to our passage reveals a theme centered on a believer's conduct in relation to the state/government, to one's
neighbors, and as the return of Jesus Christ nears. Up to this point we do not see the subject referring to any special days,
or of the weekly Sabbath. To the contrary, it speaks of how believers should conduct their lives in relation to several situations
that the author of the book of Romans (the apostle Paul) thought important to address at that time.
A close inspection of the next verses (Romans 14:1-4) reveals a continuation of the same "proper conduct" theme in chapter
13, except for here a slight transition is made regarding how brethren should treat each other; especially when differing
in minor doctrinal matters. Paul now draws from several dietary themes when describing how brethren should exhibit acceptance
and fair judgement towards each other. He was addressing brethren who did not always agree on these dietary issues while showing
how some (whom he apparently considered weaker) might think vegetarianism is better than following a diet which included meat.
Even though he appears to offer his opinions in favor of including meats in one's diet, he also taught that brethren both
sides of the debate should not harshly judge, or condemn, one another. (Strong's Concordance #2919-judge=condemn.)
Further consideration of the context of the passages leading up to Romans 14:5-6a proves that no language regarding the seventh
day Sabbath can be found. If any connection to the seventh day Sabbath in Romans 14:5-6a exists, then the language must follow
since it clearly does not precede it. Notice the last half of Romans 14:6 which immediately follows our passage: "He that
eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."
Isn't it abunduntly clear from this language that Paul continues speaking of dietary isssues which he began at the start of
this chapter? Certainly. Common sense says the "days" he mentions in v.6 must be related to the dietary issues he has raised
immediately before and after!
What did he intend to say then? Simply put, Paul is
using the dietary related example of which days brethren chose to fast to help build the case of his position that brethren
should not condemn the vegetarian believer. He is showing that not everyone agreed to fast on the same days (as was a regular
Jewish custom), and they all got along without condemning each other; and God was still honored throughout. So why should
anyone condemn the vegetarian believer, or other of the faithful who might choose to fast on different days since other issues
were far more important. That was Paul's point for speaking about brethren esteeming one day above another. The "days" in
question at Romans 14:5-6 were related directly to fasting. Nothing is ever stated regarding the seventh day Sabbath.
Paul continues to discourage brethren from harshly judging each other throughout the rest of Romans 14 by a redundant discussion
of dietary themes. Even though this apostle would have surely followed the dietary laws of clean and unclean meats from the
OT (Lev. 11), he also thought it best to try and avoid making dietary issues a major point of contention like the jews had
done. The "days" spoken of at Romans 14:5-6a clearly show them to be exclusively "fasting" related as no other days are ever
mentioned. It is extremely reckless to assume that this passage somehow justifies ignoring the seventh day Sabbath when the
context clearly shows otherwise.
4) Always begin with the plainest and simplest
Scriptures.
Following the manufacturer's instructions
on how best to begin a jigsaw puzzle is an ideal model for explaining this rule. Instructions generally direct the participants
to begin by gathering and joining the four corners to all of the outer framework pieces. After this outer framework has been
estab- lished, the remaining pieces can then be more easily placed into their proper positions. Simple reasoning demands that
all of the remaining puzzle pieces must somehow fit within that initial frame- work.
Following
this model with every new Bible study will provide greater success for the student. Once all of the related Scriptures have
been gathered, the student will have the greatest success by first forming an outer framework from those passages which are
the clearest and easiest to under- stand. The Bible student's framework should always be initially shaped from these most
easily understood Scriptures.
One should never attempt to form a framework of belief by
starting from a complicated or ambiguous starting point. Once a framework from the most clearly seen verses has been develop-
ed, the more difficult passages will then become easier to understand. Just as with the jigsaw puzzle, simple reasoning demands
that all other less clear Scripture passages must fit within the framework of those that are plain and easy to understand.
5) The mountain versus the mole hill.
After building a strong framework
from the easiest to understand verses (as in Rule 4), the student will likely find himself/herself with a smaller number of
leftover passages which require greater scrutiny. It will be discovered through extra study and effort that most of these
remaining verses can also be placed inside the initial framework. By now a mountain of Scriptural evidence has formed and
whatever remains is almost always a very small molehill by comparison.
What then? Very
simply, the student must always remember to tell himself: "The little molehill that remains CANNOT
undo the mountain of evidence already built!" It's that simple. The mountain will stand against the molehill every time.
As odd as it sounds, entire religious movements have been built on nothing more than little molehills from here and there.
If the student discovers that he/she cannot understand a remaining molehill at the end of a study, then the problem is with
his/her understanding and not the Bible. God's written word is not contradictory double-talk, and the student should always
follow this rule in all Bible studies.
6) Become familiar with, and value the Old
Testament writings.
Many students wrongly overlook the
Old Testament when trying to understand the later writings of the New Testament. It's too bad the former is not called something
like the "earlier" or "first" writings instead. When many hear the term "old" they quickly lose interest. As a result, they
often end up too narrowly focused on a very limited amount of Scriptural evidence which can lead to many false reasonings
and assumptions.
When writing to Timothy, Paul said, "All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (1Tim. 3:16). It
should be well known that he was talking about the OT writings when he made this state- ment because they were the only
official Scriptures in existence at that time. Many are unaware of the reality that grace (Gen. 6:8), mercy (Ps. 23:6),
loving God with all of one's being (Deut. 6:5), loving neighbor as one's self (Lev. 19:18), circumcision of the heart (Deut.
10:16), and etc., are all concepts originating from the Old Testament.
Many overlook the
fact that the OT contained the sole writings from which Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and many others taught truth from
during the 1st century of the Christian era. In other words, the early NT church of God was founded on following the OT writings
and teachings. Paul said the OT writings contain examples for us to learn from (Ro. 15:4; 1Cor. 10:11). To overlook them in
Bible study is a grave mistake, and a practice which has proven to be the root from which many false teachers have led sheep
astray.
When applying this rule to our initial "days" example from Romans 14, students
well-grounded in the OT would have quickly understood that the Sabbath was not meant to be the subject. They would have immediately
started to look for other "days" that could have been intended, knowing that these passages from the OT clearly state that
the Sabbath was to be kept forever. They would have concluded that nobody in the NT could have ever taught against keeping
the Sabbath. This is a certainty, because had they done so, the NT would include many passages clearly discussing and explaining
the change to some other day. If properly studied, it becomes clear there are no passages in the NT which ever discuss any
such change.
7) Look for consistency throughout the whole
Bible.
In the last rule we discussed how
one should always try to consider OT writings throughout any given study. In this rule we will continue to build on that concept
by stressing the need to look for repetitious consistencies throughout the entire Holy Bible on a given subject. Again, we
will use the subject of the "days" from Romans 14 to help explain the importance of this rule.
Many have taught that the "days" from Romans 14:5-6a can apply to any particular day one chooses to apply them to, especially
so when trying to dissuade others from following the seventh day Sabbath. Is there any consistency to this position from a
Biblical perspective? Are there any repeated patterns in the Holy Bible showing that we can choose to make any day holy to
the Lord? Is there consistency in the Scriptures depicting the seventh day as the day which is most important to
God?
Hebrews 13: 5 says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
That sounds consistent enough to start off with. So if Jesus Christ existed before the Creation (John 1:1-3, 14; John 17:5),
and is credited with making all things in that Creation (Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:10, Ps. 33:6), then He is the same Lord who created
the Ten Commandments which includes the Sabbath (Col. 1:17-18). The Sabbath is a memorial to His creation as it is spoken
of from the very beginning (Gen. 2:1-3), which helps to explain why He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mk. 2:28). It seems highly
unlikely that a memorial to the Creation would ever be done away with while that same creation still exists.
Jesus consistently kept the Sabbath. When He was God he certainly promoted it (Gen. 2:1-3), and the case was the same when
He came in the flesh (Luke 4:16). He obeyed His own laws (Heb. 4:15) and expected mortal man to follow them as well (1Pet.
2:21-22; 1John 2:6). Undoubtedly, it is a certainty that Jesus Christ expected His followers to be found keeping the Sabbath
at His return (Matt. 24:20).
The apostle Paul did not follow the Sabbath merely because
he was jewish as many teachers and commentaries falsely assert. No, after having been taught directly by the resurrected Jesus
Christ (Gal. 1:11-16) he continued following the Sabbath through his conversion from Judaism into Christianity (Acts 13:14-16,
42-46; 17:2; 18:4). It is clear from the Biblical record that Paul continued keeping the Sabbath throughout all his Christian
life. He was not confused about living his life in obedience to the laws of God (Rom. 7:12, 22) as he taught others to follow
in like manner (1Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17). Paul followed and taught God's law from the only Bible he had at the time, which
we refer to modernly as the Old Testament (Acts 28:23).
Will Jesus Christ enforce Sabbath
keeping when He returns to set up His kingdom? The prophet Isaiah was certain that Sabbath keeping will continue in the kingdom
to come (Isa. 66:23). The case is the same with the prophet Ezekiel when he spoke of the laws to be observed when the Lord
returns (Ezek. 44:24; 45:17; 46:3). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Think not that I come to destroy the law,
or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matt. 5:17-18). According to Jesus, then,
if the Earth is still here we should be obeying God's laws!
There is an overwhelming
consistency throughout the Holy Bible that promotes Sabbath keeping. If we are to follow the example of Jesus Christ and the
other leaders in the NT, then common sense would have told the student early on that the "days" of Romans 14 could not be
discussing the seventh day Sabbath. Looking for, and following the clearly seen consistencies throughout the Holy Bible will
greatly help the student when proving truth. The teacher who stands against the consistent patterns of how the faithful brethren
lived throughout Bible times should be avoided.
8) Consider who is being addressed.
It can often prove to be vitally important
to investigate who is being addressed in any given verse/passage being studied. In trying to explain the importance of this
rule we will draw from 1John 2:27. From this passage many have wrongly used certain words to claim that modern NT believers
don't need human teachers.
Notice, "But the annointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth,
and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (1John 2:27).
If one of the special gifts given to particular true believers is the ability to teach (1Cor. 12:28, Eph. 4:11), then it seems
rather odd that anyone would claim teachers are not needed. Why give a special gift of teaching if it isn't needed?
Jesus was a teacher (Matt. 26:55; Luke 4:15; John 7:14), and He also commanded others to go and teach (Matt. 26:28). Peter
and the other apostles before Paul's conversion were teachers (Acts 5:41-41). After his conversion Paul also became a great
teacher in the NT church (1Cor. 4:17; 1Tim. 2:7), and he also instructed Timothy to teach (1Tim. 4:11; 6:2-3; 2Tim. 2:2, 24).
It is totally without merit to think that believers do not need good teachers when studying the Bible. What, then, did John
mean at 1John 2:27 when he wrote, "ye need not that any man teach you"?
An examination
into John's intended audience from long ago will help clear up any seeming contradiction if we will merely inspect the text
as it is provided. From the first chapter we see that his epistle/letter is not addressed to a specific person or congregation,
as were many of Paul's throughout the NT; cf. the letters to the church at Corinth, or the churches of Galatia, or those addressed
to Timothy, for example.
In this epistle/letter of 1John we are never given the specific
name of a particular church or person being addressed. However, it is undeniably apparent from the language throughout that
John is very familiar with his intended audience. Notice how he refers to them as: "My little children" (2:1); "Brethren...the
word which ye have heard from the beginning" (2:7); "little children" (2:12); "fathers, because ye have
known...young men, because you have overcome...little children, because you have known" (2:13); "fathers, because
you have known...young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you" (2:14); "little children...as
ye have heard that antichrist shall come" (2:18); "They went out from us; for if they had been of us, they would
no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (2:19);
"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (2:20); "I have not written unto you because
ye know not the truth, but because ye know it" (2:21); "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from
the beginning" (2:24); "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you" (2:26); "But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you" (2:27).
It's unavoidably
certain from the second chapter alone that John had been very intimately familiar with his original audience since he lovingly
refers to them as little children, and brethren, throughout. He knew of their genuine conversion and depth of knowledge when
he spoke of their faithfulness during a conflict when a schism had caused the departure of some in their ranks who had previously
been looked upon as fellow brethren. He marked the departed ones as having never been truly converted as they followed a "spirit
of antichrist".
Isn't it clear what John must have meant by saying his targeted audience
didn't need a teacher at 1John 2:27? He wasn't speaking about anyone and everyone throughout all time. To the contrary, he
was speaking of a specific audience he knew had been faithfully coping through a very trying ordeal. His words seem to intone
an intimate awareness of their level of knowledge, just as a good teacher knows their students or a minister knows his flock.
He knew well their depth of understanding when telling them that they didn't need a teacher in these matters. They had previously
been instructed in how to deal with whatever issues the controversy had been about, and didn't need to be re-taught something
which had already been passed along. He was confident that since they had the Holy Spirit to help guide them, they would remain
faithful as they followed its lead. (It is also very unlikely that John could have meant his audience was so advanced in all
areas of Scriptural knowledge that they wouldn't ever need a good teacher again--Proverbs 11:14.)
It's nearly certain that John had never thought his letter would continue to be read and debated by anyone in our 21st century.
It would have surely bothered him to know some would wrongly use a very small statement from his ancient letter to discourage
others from following good teachers in God's church today.
Routinely asking who a passage
of Scripture was originally intended for will greatly enhance one's ability to discover truth when studying God's written
word.
9) Prove all things.
The apostle Paul said, "Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good" (1Thes. 5:21). It makes really good sense
to check the facts before believing in any teaching. One of the greatest mistakes many believers make is to repeat a false
teaching when they've never actually studied the subject for themselves.
A classic example
is the claim that the 7th day Sabbath is Jewish. Is the Sabbath really Jewish? The term "Jew" stems from a man named Judah,
who wasn't born until well over 2,000 years after God made Adam. How could the Sabbath be Jewish when it was in the Creation
week that God first speaks of the 7th day being special? (Gen. 2:1-3) When Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27),
he never stated it was made exclusively for the Jews.
If everyone followed this rule of
proving all things, then the Sabbath wouldn't ever have been wrongly called "Jewish".
10) Become familiar with Bible chronology.
The chart below is an example
which shows how one's familiarity with Bible chronology can be of great assistance. The numbers to the left represent scholarly
estimates for when Jesus died. The numbers on the right represent the same scholars' estimates for when Paul wrote First Corinth-
ians.
The contrasting dates will help
shed light on certain facts which many believers are unaware of. They clearly reveal that some 20 to 25+ years had elapsed
from the time of Jesus' death to when Paul wrote a letter we generally refer to as First Corinthians. This is extremely significant
since Paul's letter includes instruction for believers to continue keeping the feast of Passover (along with the days
of unleavened bread which followed), while Easter is never mentioned! Notice, "Purge out therefore the old lump, as ye
are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven
of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1Cor. 5:7-8)
Besides teaching brethren to continue keeping the feast of Passover (1Cor. 5:7-8), Paul also explained the vital
importance for New Testament believers to understand about the feast. Con- sider the words he got directly from Jesus
Christ, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night
in which he was betrayed took bread. [Luke 22:15 confirms this night was the Passover according
to Jesus' own words.] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat: this is my body,
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he supped saying,
This cup is the new testament in my blood..." (1Cor. 11:23-25). Had anyone question- ed Paul's words in the matter
one can easily hear him calling out, "You can't get any closer to being a New Testament believer than keeping the Passover
of Jesus Christ!
For Paul, nothing else represented the new covenant more than taking
in the symbols of Christ's broken body and shed blood at the Passover service. He went on to say we should keep it as an annual
memorial until Jesus returns. Notice, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death
till he come." (1Cor. 11:26). Interestingly, the "commun- ion service" which many denominations promote as a supposed
alternative to keeping the New Testament Passover service actually comes from this same area of Scripture. The word
"commun- ion" is introduced by Paul here (1Cor. 10:15-16), and he never mentions taking in those
symbols at any other time than at the Passover service!
It needs to be clearly stated
that Paul never kept Easter as he only knew it to be a pagan fer- tility cult that was condemned in his Bible (1Kings
11:33; Ashtoreth = Easter). He instead faithfully followed the direct teachings of Jesus Christ in keeping the Christian Passover
and taught others (some 20-25 years after the Crucifixion) to continue doing so as well (1Cor. 11:1).
Becoming familiar with Bible chronology can greatly enhance one's ability to correctly under- stand events and circumstances
in God's written word.
