People have been asking me all kinds of Biblical and theological questions lately, spurred on by the headlines, personal reading, popular teachers, and a host of conversations. People want to know what the Bible actually teaches. 

While I love these discussions, I cannot seem to teach fast enough to stay ahead of the poor interpretation, popular garbage, and jumbled ideas. The people who do see through all the junk are asking me for advice on how to teach their friends and family so they do not fall prey to some of this false teaching.

This is true today more than ever. In the history of humanity, there has never been more unbiblical and often ungodly teaching available. The internet allows people to share whatever they like, and I enjoy that, but we need a filter system to keep out the bad.

Here are a couple of quick questions you NEED to be asking.

1. Is this REALLY in the Bible? Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t give you a Biblical reference. Saying, “It says in the Bible” or “Like the Bible says,” can mean the statements are often far from any Bible passage. For example, “As the good book says, ‘The Lord helps those who help themselves.'” That is not the Bible; that is Ben Franklin. 

2. What is the context of that passage? Whenever you read a Bible verse or two, try to go back and read the whole paragraph, chapter, and book. The biggest mistake is taking passages out of context and making the Bible say anything people want. For example, Jeremiah 29:11 is spoken to people going into captivity for 70 plus years. It is not about a teenager graduating high school. 

3. What was the Author’s Intended Meaning? The person who wrote down that book of the Bible as God inspired them had a specific audience in mind. What did the passage mean to them? Proper interpretation is vital to understanding the Bible correctly. For example, if the Old Testament prophet talked to the people being taken captive by Babylon about one day returning to Israel, that is not about the end times. 

4. Where did my convictions come from? Don’t form beliefs until you have read the Bible (and done the last two things). I have started discussing topics with people and realized a few minutes later that they had never actually read their Bible. They heard a TV preacher and maybe read a book that formed their opinion and nothing more. For example, don’t talk to me about Revelation and the end times until you have read the first 65 books of the Bible.

Please start with these basics. I am trying to write and preach as fast as possible, along with pointing people to reliable resources. But if everyone read their Bible with an eye for context and the original meaning, it would benefit everyone.