Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  II Timothy 2:15.

It is possible to defend just about anything you want with Scripture by pulling individual verses or passages out of context.  That is why Part I of this series is so important.  It deals with Scripture intake and familiarization.  By studying the whole of Scripture systematically one is able to compare Scripture with Scripture.  One passage sheds light on another passage.  One part explains another part.  Often the answer to a problem passage is just around the corner.  Keep on reading!

One example of such a passage is in John 6.  Here Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and His disciples after the feeding of the five thousand and walking upon the sea.

Jesus began His discourse on the Bread of Life by saying; the Father giveth the true bread which is come down from heaven.  The hearers said give us this bread.  Jesus answered, I am the bread which came down from heaven.  They countered, Is not this Jesus….whose mother and father we know?  Jesus continued, ….the bread that I will give is my flesh...  This started an argument among the Jews.  They argued, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?  Jesus pushed it farther by saying, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  The Law forbade the consumption of any kind of blood.

By this time His disciples were looking at each other and murmuring, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?  Jesus knew they murmured at His teaching and asked, Doth this offend you?

There are many that stop here and try to make sense of what Christ has said thus far, but this is the wrong place to stop.  Just around the corner, in verse 63 of John chapter 6, the Lord explains to His disciples what He was concealing from the Pharisees who would not believe.  Now He reveals the truth of His teaching to His disciples as He often did when He taught them in parables.  Jesus explained, It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

Peter further explains Christ’s teaching when he states, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever (I Peter 1:23).

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

 Note:  

• When studying the Word always consider context.  Check the immediate context, the book context and the overall context of Scripture.  Study context, context, context!
• Read John chapter one and consider who is the Living Word.
• Study Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and count how many times the Lord Jesus quotes the Old Testament.  What does that tell you about His view of Scripture?