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Context Matters!

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When we interpret Scripture the most important thing to remember is the context! Often times we pull verses of Scripture out of the Bible and use them apart from their intended meaning, this usually isn’t intentional, it’s just the way we've learned to read the Bible. Ignorance of this is no excuse for poor Biblical Exegesis, as students of the Word, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are handling the Scriptures correctly. One mistake we often make is thinking that the Scriptures are about us.   This sounds silly because it was written so long ago but how often have you seen someone insert themselves, their generation, or the current social climate back into the text as if it was written specifically for that reason? While there are certain things in Scripture that will help us address current issues we must remember that while the Bible was written FOR us, it was not written TO us. That is a big distinction! I’d like to give you a pretty important example of this approach.
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Acts 2:38 Isn't the Gospel

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 Acts 2:38 “And Peter said, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  I used to believe this verse was the plan of salvation. That one was not saved unless they repented, were baptized specifically in the name of Jesus, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit which was evidenced by speaking in other tongues. There are a couple of issues with this idea. First, that baptism is necessary to forgive sins and that it can only be effective if it is done in the name of Jesus. For those who held the same theology as I once did, this particular baptism formula is of utmost importance, your eternal salvation is tied to the exact right words spoken over you. To justify this position there are usually two passages pointed to, Acts 4:12 and Colossians 3:17. Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
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What Is The Gospel & How Do We Obey It?

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How do you define the gospel?  Seems like a trivial question but it plays a role in how you understand salvation. Most people would sum up the gospel as the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is correct, however, I don’t think that is all the gospel is.   Throughout the gospels, Jesus is preaching the gospel of the kingdom, was He preaching about his death, burial, and resurrection? He spoke about his death directly 3 times in the Scriptures, all 3 times were only with his disciples. Consider these passages, Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Matthew 17:22-23 “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:17-19 “And as Jesus was going up to
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Faith and Works

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Luke 7:31-35 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance, we sang a dirge, and you did not weep. For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, He has a demon. The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Look at Him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”   Why start here? What is going on in this passage? What is it about this conversation that we can draw from in our discussion of faith and works? Jesus is rebuking the unbelieving Pharisees and lawyers who rejected both John and Jesus. Like the children sitting in the marketplace, the unbelieving Jews refuse to sympathize with either of them (did not dance, did not weep), condemning John for his exaggerated strictness, and Jesus for his supposed in
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