You must know the whole Bible!

   If we have accepted God’s offer of deliverance and forgiveness of our sins, we have been forgiven and adopted as sons and daughters of God. It does not mean, however, that we have got wisdom and spiritual sensibility (discernment) as well. Besides spiritual gifts (e.g. the gift of prophecy, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, speaking languages and interpretation of these), the main thing available to us is the word written up for us under God’s supervision – the Bible. The Bible contains answers for most of the principal questions that can come to our minds. There you can find explanations of God’s plans, intentions, acts, spiritual rules and principles as well as guidance for a good life etc. On the other hand, if we do not know the Bible, we remain as blind as before our conversion, easily fooled by anybody and by any teaching that reaches our ears.

   When tried by Satan (Mathew, chapter 4), Jesus always answered to his provocations by what the Scripture says (the Old Testament at that time, of course). When he later explained the principles to his disciples, he referred to the holy scriptures. When challenged by Pharisees and Sadducees, he reminded them of what is written in the Scripture.

   It is because people do not read God’s word – the Bible, that teachings of some denominations have diverted so much from the message of the Bible. It is the only viable explanation of why people embrace a teaching that obviously and undoubtedly contradicts to what the Bible says. The apostle Paul understood fully how important the knowledge of the Scripture and the purity of faith really is, making it clear in his letter to Galatians:

Galatians 1, 6-9 (VW): I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you into the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you, even determined to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

   We take a big risk if we do not know the Bible, relying on what we can hear from the parson (pastor, rector) on Sundays or what we can hear in a sermon or perhaps what we can read in a book. Nobody knows it all. We do not have a full and complete knowledge and God’s wisdom, each of us is fallible.

   People usually believe something contrary to the Bible because they do not know the Bible themselves or because they have been influenced by a teaching that has turned their minds in a specific direction (usually in accordance with the teachings of a certain denomination). And this is all about an unintentional influence, though there is also an intentional manipulation (perhaps not so common). The Bible says that people will find teachers that will tell them what they like (2Ti 4, 3-4).

   How easy it is for demons and people to influence us in any way, if we do not know the Scripture! I believe they must be amused by our foolishness. God has had His word written up for us to find Him and to understand various spiritual rules and principles, but we ignore it. Jesus knew the Torah (Old Testament) very well, which was enough for defence against Satan.

   You know how easy it is to fool young children. And it is the same with us if we do not know God’s Word, the Bible. But it is not supposed to be so! Our goal should be what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to Ephesians:

Ephesians 4, 14-15 (VW): that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ,

   If we do not know the whole Bible, it could easily happen that we concentrate on a single verse to ground our faith on. We need to know the whole Bible to put mentally all aspects of a relevant issue side by side. Every promise has its conditions, every crossing of the line has its consequences.

   I believe there is nothing better than concrete examples. I often receive e-mail messages asking various questions; one of the recent ones is related to the topic of this article. The author of the question has come to believe in God, has given up the use of the occult (which he used often for his benefit before) and it was obvious from some of his comments that he had already known quite a lot about the new covenant (The New Testament). His question related primarily to the issue of certainty and “irrevocability” of deliverance (salvation) and automatical forgiveness of sins. He had read that whoever believes will be redeemed (saved). Therefore, he came to the conclusion that he was allowed to do similar things as before because he had believed in God and it is enough. And this is the result of removing a verse from its context or knowing only a single aspect of an issue. Let’s look closer at this issue.

John 3, 16-18 (VW): For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The one believing into Him is not judged; but the one not believing is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

   If you fix your attention on these well-known verses, on this single point of view, you can come to the same conclusion as the author of the above-mentioned question, i.e. that as soon as you believe, everything is sorted out. It’s a fairly pleasant image – to live the old way, to sin as you wish and have ‘heaven guaranteed’ just because I have believed that God exists and that Jesus is God’s Son. All my sins are automatically forgiven because I have believed...

   The Bible often gives us additional information peace by piece. Like Jesus who gave several parables relating to one topic to demonstrate several principles, the Bible does not have a comprehensive analysis of an issue in a single verse or chapter.

   It is as if I take a child in a car and it asks me when it will be able to drive a car by itself. I can answer (according to its age) something like “When you grow up” or “When you are big”. While it is true, it is not all there is. In fact, it is not a matter of height, rather, a matter of age. So, another explanation could follow: “When you are 18 (21).” However, even this is not the full truth. Later it is possible to give more precise answer, perhaps that it is necessary to have a driving licence. But still, it is not exactly true. There are other conditions – good sight, no epileptic fits, no influence of substances etc. Also it is necessary to have one’s driving licence and the vehicle identification card on oneself, the compulsory Road Traffic Act Insurance paid, valid vehicle inspection, fuel in the tank etc. However, there are some exceptions – in lifesaving circumstances (carrying a patient to hospital) it is allowed to drive, for instance, under influence. Do you understand? Not even in our daily lives we get answers in the form of a comprehensive list of principles, conditions and exceptions...

   Whoever believes in Jesus as God’s Son will not be judged. It is true, but only a small part of it. It is similar to my answer to a child that it will be able to drive a car when it grows up. Let’s look further to see whether some additional information is available:

Romans 10, 9-11 (VW): 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. For the Scripture says, Everyone believing on Him will not be put to shame.

   Here we can see that if we want to be saved, we must really believe in our hearts that God brought Jesus back from the dead. Apart from that, we must confess Lord Jesus with our mouth. Let’s look at other places in the Scripture related to the topic of salvation.

Mark 16, 16 (VW): He who believes and is immersed will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

   Here we can see that if we want to be saved, we must not only believe, but also get baptized (submerged). However, this also is not the whole truth. Indeed, the criminal on the cross beside Jesus was not baptized, yet Jesus told him that the same day he would be in Paradise with him (Luke 23, 43). So, here we have some detailed information about deliverance (salvation) in case a believer had no opportunity to get baptized.

   What next? Is it true that if we believe and call Jesus our Lord, we have “heaven in the bag”? Is it all there is? In no case.

Matthew 7, 19-23 (VW): Every tree that does not produce excellent fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore from their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many works of power in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who work out lawlessness!

   In the verses above Jesus specified the conditions of deliverance (salvation) more precisely. It is not enough to believe (the demons also believe and shudder – James 2, 19) - it is necessary to seek God’s will for ones life and comply with it. And if I momentarily do not know what to do, then I must obey God’s commandments and follow the example of Jesus Christ. And it certainly does not mean that we can live the same life as before our conversion. Even people who did miracles in Jesus’ name can hear in the end – depart from me, workers of lawlessness! I never knew you.

   Deliverance (salvation) is in fact God’s forgiveness of our sins. And this happens by virtue of the sacrifice of Lord Jesus Christ. However, it is not a matter of course, it also has its conditions:

Matthew 6, 14-15 (VW): For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

   As you can see, God’s forgiveness of our sins is dependent on our forgiving those who hurt us. And what does the Bible say further about the automatical forgiveness of sins?

1 John 1, 9 (VW): If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

   Here we can see that a precondition of the forgiveness of our sins is the confession of them. Is it a sufficient example to understand that you cannot single out a verse from the Bible to base your faith and beliefs on it?

   Let’s look at another example to be sure. What about hearing prayers, for instance. You can find in the Scripture the following wonderful words of Jesus’:

Matthew 7, 7-11 (VW): Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

   What do you make of it? It’s simply marvellous. You need to do nothing more than ask our heavenly Father and He will give it to you. Why go on reading? The apostle Luke remembered the same scene a bit differently:

Luke 11, 9-13 (VW): So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, he will not give him a stone, will he? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a serpent instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

   Let’s look at other verses that offer more details on the issue of hearing prayers:

Mark 11, 22-24 (VW): And Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God. For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will be done, it will be to him, whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, Everything whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive, and it will be to you.

   As to the issue of the prayer, Jesus adds that for our prayers to be heard it is necessary to have faith. James confirms the same:

James 1, 5-8 (VW): If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

   Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to God (Hebrews 11, 6), without faith we will not see our prayers answered. Still, it is not all what has been said about the hearing of prayers. Jesus makes his words more precise:

John 15, 7 (VW): If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall happen unto you.

   And additional information comes from James:

James 4, 2-3: You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your lusts.

   It is obvious that it also matters for what reason and for what we ask God.

   This article is neither a comprehensive analysis of the issue of forgiveness and salvation nor an exhaustive treatise on prayers heard and unheard, rather, it is just an illustration of why we really need to know the whole Bible and why it does not suffice just to read an interesting verse and stick to it. I believe that these examples will help you to realize how serious the situation is. Thus, I wish, along with the apostle Paul, that we all would finally use the gift we have got from God, the Bible, to get matured, not to be tossed and carried about by every wind of a new teaching, to be able to recognize teachings contrary to the Bible and to have enough courage to do something about it, to raise our voice against it, to blow the whistle.