These are some tips to help you along as you study the bible. They've helped me tremendously.
Ultimately only the Holy Spirit can convict you of doctrinal truths but the Spirit doesn't force any of us to accept truth. He guides and we have to be willing to receive the truth He teaches. With that in mind here are some tips to keep in mind.
- Isaiah 28:10 gives solid advice; follow it.
- Let the bible define its prophetic symbols for you.
- Verify the things you are told.
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Follow Isaiah 28:10's instructions.
There's something I call The Isaiah 28:10 Principle which basically tells you doctrine must be consistent but also tells you to gather up as much information as you can find on a subject. Sometimes truth is revealed "here a little, and there a little" so it's important to thoroughly search the bible and put the pieces together. Even though I call it the Isaiah 28:10 principle I'm showing verse 9 below too because it is quite relevant as well.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
In 1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12 the apostle Paul talks about milky and meaty doctrine. The meatier doctrines are things that are more difficult to grasp, especially if one is a newcomer to Christianity. Isaiah 28:9 is saying the people who will understand meaty doctrine are those "that are weaned from the milk." In other words they understand the basics, the milk, and are ready to digest solid meat. Unfortunately there are Christians who aren't even digesting the milk after being a professed follower of Christ for years.
As for the meatier doctrines, you can't always look at one verse by itself and get the whole truth. Precepts are rules or guidelines and they only work if they are consistent. Precept upon precept means the doctrines cannot contradict each other. You cannot reconcile a doctrine if it doesn't harmonize with the rest of scripture. Also sometimes what you see in one small section of scripture doesn't tell the full story, so you need to look up everything you can find in the bible on a subject. Bits and pieces of relevant information are scattered throughout the bible which is why you need to go "line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little."
In my estimation following Isaiah 28:10 is vital to gaining the best understanding possible. Many people have been deceived into accepting false doctrines because they read the scriptures selectively. Look what happened to the Jews. Daniel 2:44 says God will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed but will instead destroy all other kingdoms on the earth. With that the Jews expected a conquering warrior who would destroy their enemies and rule over them for all time. But because they didn't study scripture precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, they ignored Isaiah chapter 53 which is all about the suffering and death the Messiah would endure in order to save them from their sins...
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Then in chapter 54 it's revealed the One who died for their sins, their Redeemer is "the Holy One of Israel" and "The God of the whole earth" (Isaiah 54:5).
That's why Isaiah 28:10 is so important. Please never forget to apply it as it help keep you from being deceived by Satan so easily. If the Jews had applied it more of them would known the Messiah was going to die for them and would have recognized Jesus as their King and Saviour. Instead Jews and Christians alike continue to be victimized by the devil's twisting's of scripture.
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Let the bible defines its prophetic symbols for you.
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
In other words, since the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to write what they wrote, we must let the Spirit explain the prophetic symbols to us in their words. Deciding for yourself what a prophetic term means in contradiction to the written word is a "private interpretation."
For example I once heard someone say the beast of Revelation, whose mark we are required to reject, is "mankind in general." But if you do as Isaiah 28:10 says studying scripture precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little you can find that the bible defines a symbolic beast as a king or a kingdom.
Daniel 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
It's easy to get fooled by someone who claims a symbol means this or that as long as they make it sound logical. The key to truth is verifying if what the bible says a symbol really means matches the interpretation you've been told. Nowhere does the bible define a beast as "mankind in general." I get where someone could think that. After all people act like animals sometimes. But that doesn't make "mankind" the beast of Revelation.
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Verify the things you are told.
Acts 17:11 These [The Jews in nearby Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Self-explanatory isn't it? As simple as it is too many people merely read the verses that they saw highlighted in a sermon, video or book and just agree with the interpretation that was given them, regardless if it makes sense in context. I don't expect you to just agree with the things I say without further investigation. If I share something on my blog or in a video I'm confident it's solid but it's still on you to do your own research. Just remember to check if what you were told makes sense in context, is consistent with other scripture and is consistent with the character of Jesus. Do as the apostle John said:
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
One way to test the spirits is to think "does what I'm being told sound more like God would say it, or does it sound like something Satan would say?" If you're not sure then err on the side of caution. For instance there are Christians who think the 10 Commandments only applied to the Jews. Would God say that... or Satan? I think it's crazy to believe God doesn't expect Christians to obey the 10 Commandments. But even if you disagree, do you think you would you lose your salvation because you tried your best to obey them anyway? Certainly not, so why not do so.
I'm not saying you or I can't still misinterpret things from time to time if you follow these 3 tips, but you'll be a whole lot less likely to do so.
As you read this study did you notice the 2nd and 3rd tips were actually the same as the 1st one? Letting the bible define its own symbols is following The Isaiah 28:10 Principle, is it not? And so is searching the scriptures to verify the things you've been told. That is how God works. He tells you something then He repeats it again and again. He uses different terminology sometimes, but nonetheless He repeats Himself often.
I pray your own personal bible studies prove to be a blessing for you and the people around you as well. As Paul said "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16).
Amen.
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(UPDATE 5/24/16)
I want to show you a warning God had Isaiah give His people if you don't follow this principle. The warning comes right after Isaiah 28:10 and here is it in context starting at verse 9.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isaiah 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Isaiah 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: [Here is where the warning starts] yet they would not hear.
Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
** What this is saying is people are going to be without excuse because the precepts are in place, the scriptures are written, and because you've been warned to study all throughout the books of the bible... when it comes time for you to give an account you will be found broken, snared and taken by taken by the adversary if all you ever did was let other people tell what to believe. God commands His people to confirm these things for themselves. I don't expect anybody who reads my blog to just believe my take on scripture. No, but I do hope you will keep the things I write in mind so when you are reading the bible you can verify whether the things I said are true. I try to give you multiple scriptural references to watch for, not just one verse, and I do the best I can to make sure I'm quoting verses in context. For example in my series about going to heaven or hell I gave tons of proof that when we don't have disembodied spirits when we die, we won't go to heaven or face our final damnation in the lake of fire until either the first or second resurrection, the damned will NOT burn in hell for all future time, and that the popular concept of hell is actually quite unbiblical. I can't force you to believe me but I did my part to show you the truth. Anyway the warning in Isaiah continues...
Isaiah 28:14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Thanks for reading. I hope and pray this inspires you to diligently study the word of God daily. God Bless!
