What Does The Bible Actually Teach?

There are a lot of different biblical doctrines and teachings in the Christian sphere of influence. It is also true to say that the Bible is often cited when many different theologies are being discussed both in the Church and outside of it. However, It is not unusual to hear knowledgeable people say that a given teaching is not what you might arrive at if you simply read the Bible. It is not what the Bible has to say.

This is the case for elements of the Pentecostal, the Calvinist and the Adventist belief systems to name a few. For instance, in the Pentecostal faith there is a strong contention that receiving the Holy Spirit is always evidenced by speaking in tongues. The problem here is that there is not enough scripture to support that contention. 

The number of scriptures relating to speaking in tongues are relatively few and it is not completely clear what the phrase ‘speaking in tongues,’ actually means. Is it speaking in unknown languages, angelic or human? Is it for worship and the glory of God or is it to convey meaning and assist the dissemination of the gospel or both? There are many arguments either way and the Bible is not clear on which is the absolute truth of the matter. Thus, it is hard to make a categorical statement of fact either way but to do so puts one in the situation previously eluded too where you are saying something that the Bible does not actually say what is being stated.

In Calvinist faith it is contended that a person is elected to salvation on the sovereign will of God alone and contributes nothing to their salvation. In fact, even the choice to believe on Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross is said to be bestowed by God’s grace as an artifact of God’s sovereign will. Such that, the freedom to choose salvation for ones’s self is removed from the equation. 

The question here is if you simply read the Bible for your self is this the conclusion that you will arrive at? Personally, I would point to many scriptures that tend to indicate that when you are speaking of the doctrine of election the answer is yes God has exercised His sovereign grace and will. However, the answer is also yes the Christian has exercised his, or her, free and personal choice in this matter of salvation as per John chapter three verse sixteen.

Adventism is another example of how different faiths interpret the bible. For the most part Adventist’s preach a gospel based on understanding the gospel as it is laid out in the book of John chapter three. However, they have some notable additions to their faith in that they include the writings of Ellen White and have a group of doctrines based on the Millerite Great Disappointment of 1844. 

Notably, that Jesus Christ didn’t return to the Earth in 1844 but instead went into the inner sanctuary in Heaven and has been interceding for the saints, on a case by case basis ever since, to see who has sufficient good works to make it into the Kingdom in the resurrection. Evidently, Jesus wasn’t able to pay the sins of the whole world on the cross. This doctrine is called the Investigative Judgement.

I know that I have mentioned my three favorite religious entities in this piece and that I tend to go on about them in some detail and also fairly regularly. What I am trying to get at here though is that it is important to search the scriptures and to find out for yourself what they say about the different doctrines. Is what scripture says actually what different faiths claim that it says.

It is amazing how the leaders of those faiths claim that they teach what the Bible says and even seem to teach against some of the beliefs of their group but in the end manage to add what amounts to false teaching into their preaching while scarcely batting an eye lid. They also tend to incorporate the same church traditions that they might rail against other Christian groups for adhering too in their beliefs. 

This can be the case with congregants as well. They rail against others for taking verses out of context while happily picking a verse here and a verse there and then pick one or two verses while ignoring the rest of the chapter and taking the whole issue out of context at the same time. 

My counsel, for what it is worth is to select a topic that is relevant to your walk or your Church. Then study what the Bible says about it. Search all of the relevant scriptures and make notes about what the Bible seems to be saying about this issue. Then, read some commentaries and try to get a sound perspective on what the scripture really says. Just because a group teaches a certain doctrine does not mean that, that is what the Bible says and yes sometimes the Bible has very little to say on an issue. Which tends to allow some creativity on behalf of the various religious organisations as they compound doctrine and tradition.

So, take some time to really check out what the bible does say about the various theological issues. What it does teach and what you can preach with confidence. Use it to compare and contrast what your denomination teaches and believes. The question is always what does the bible actually teach? 

Acts chapter seventeen verses ten to eleven, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” NASB