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The Text in its Context

The Text in its Context. 2 Timothy 2:15. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The word translated “rightly dividing” or “handling aright” is defined as follows:

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The Text in its Context

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  1. The Text in its Context

  2. 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The word translated “rightly dividing” or “handling aright” is defined as follows: • Thayer’s Definition: 1) to cut straight, to cut straight ways 1a) to proceed on straight paths, hold a straight course, equiv. to doing right 2) to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly • Strong’s Definition: to make a straightcut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message): - rightly divide

  3. To “Rightly Divide” we must Consider the Context • Truth can and should be proven by Scripture!(Acts 18:28) • But beware of Contextomy! • “A means of twisting the Scripture by removing a passage from its context in a way that distorts its intended meaning.” • A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text • Taking verses out of context, one can prove anything! • Satan can quote passages and misuse them! (Matt.4:6)

  4. What we learn from the Scriptures about Context • We MAY USE partial passages as PROOF (Acts 13:33-41; Romans 10) • We may apply general principles (Deuteronomy 19:14-15; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Matthew 18:16) • Some scriptures were intended to have multiple applications (Matthew 13:35; Psalms 78:2; 69:25; 109:9; Acts 1:20) • Scripture may imply truth unrelated to the context (Matthew 22:31-32; Exodus 3:6)

  5. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? • The claim is made that pattern seekers and legalists are guilty of using passages out of context to prove their positions. “Legalism hides in Scriptures used out of context.”(Legalism--Frustrating The Grace Of God, Fred Handschumacher) • Legalism is defined as "strict, literal or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code" (Webster's Dictionary). • Let’s examine a few examples and see who is really misusing Scripture.

  6. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? Neil Anderson • “Stringently striving to obey Christian rules and regulations doesn't enable the Spirit-filled walk; it often kills it (II Corinthians 3:6).” [Neil Anderson, Freed from Legalism]. • BUT NOTICE that the context is referring to the Law of Moses (2 Corinthians 3:7)

  7. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? James A. Fowler • “Legalism - social or self-acceptance of the observance of law, and conformity to the requirements thereof, as the basis of... religious control of human behavior.”  • “Legalism is sin. (Gal. 3:3; 5:4)” (James A. Fowler, Legalism) • Notice the context of Galatians 5:4. Paul is referring the Law of Moses!

  8. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? Matt Slick • “…there are strict warnings about attempting to keep the law in order to maintain salvation:  Gal. 3:10, ‘For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.’  So, if a person is seeking to be either saved by his works (Law) or maintain his salvation by his works (Law), then he is under obligation to keep all of it, and if he does not then he is guilty before God.” (Matt Slick, What is Legalism?) • Notice the context of Galatians 3:10. Paul is referring to the Law of Moses.

  9. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? Edward Fudge “But pattern-seekers are very serious about serving God, which causes them to be both creative and persistent. ‘Surely a pattern is in there somewhere,’ they reasoned, ‘even if it is not immediately obvious. Perhaps it is fragmentary and under the surface.’ And with that, they began to scour the New Testament Scriptures for scattered bits and pieces of any pattern that might be hidden there. They gathered a verse here and a phrase there. Occasionally, they picked up an entire paragraph. Then, when they believed they had found all the parts, they carefully assembled the pieces -- like some giant jigsaw puzzle -- to create their divine blueprint for the New Testament church.” (ThePlague of Patternism, Edward Fudge)

  10. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? Edward Fudge “As I was reading Psalm 115, my eyes came upon verse three. Suddenly it was as if the words jumped off the page and hit me squarely between the eyes. I did not hear any audible voice, but the confidence that God spoke to me could not have been more certain if I had. The words crashed into my consciousness like a thunderbolt: ‘Our God is in the heavens, and he does whatever he pleases.’” Immediately I knew that this was God’s answer to both my struggles. Who is saved? Whomever God wishes to save! What about spiritual gifts? God does whatever he pleases” (Beyond the Sacred Page, p. 96)

  11. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? Carl Ketcherside On 2 John 10-11 Ketcherside says, “No other passage so well illustrates the danger of ignoring the context.” • John’s epistles counter the Gnostic teaching that Christ did not come in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3; 2:22, 26) • Ketcherside asserts that, “The doctrine of Christ in this case, does not consist of the things Jesus taught, but of the thing taught about Jesus” • “In the face of what has already been said, I would not presume upon the intelligence of the reader to further identify ‘the doctrine.’ Only those who ignore background, setting contemporary issues and context could ever mistake it.” (The Twisted Scriptures, 147-9)

  12. Who is really taking things OUT OF CONTEXT? • Note some other things IN THE CONTEXT of 1 John that these false teachers taught: • They taught that one could know God without keeping commandments (1 John 2:4-6) • They taught that one did not have to practice righteousness to be righteous (1 John 3:7) • They did not listen to the words of the apostles (1 John 4:6) • The context of 1 John shows that the doctrine of Christ is more than the doctrine about Him.

  13. “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” - Psalm 119:160 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little." - Isaiah 28:10

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