There are three witnesses of God’s Divine Nature; Creation, His Word, His Holy Spirit. All three are in agreement as to the truth of reconciliation, revelation and transformation.
Romans 1:20, John 1: 1-5,14, Mark 1: 10-11
All creation teaches of God’s existence and divine nature. His Word reveals His unconditional love and purpose to reconcile us to a Holy God and to transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 1:20,
The Holy Spirit is given to every person who repents of their sin and believes in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. His purpose is to reveal Him and do the work of sanctification and develop intimacy with the Son and the Father. Ephesians 1:13 , Luke 11:13
It is not imperative another one teaches the believer because the believer has the Holy Spirit who reveals all Truth. The attitude in approaching scripture is foremost to know Christ; drawing closer in intimacy by abiding in obedience to His commandments of love. 1 John 2:27, John 17:3, John 14:15, John 14:26
The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to equip the Body of Christ. The task of teaching scripture is to expound scripture exponentially and exegetically for the purpose of revealing Jesus Christ. The Word of God is taught to bring the unbeliever to salvation, and to encourage the believer to have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 12
There are teachers who teach the Word for gain and there are those who teach the Word to encourage, equip and educate the saints. If the knowledge taught does not result in a more sanctified lifestyle and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, it is fruitless and of no account.
Philippians 1:15, Matthew 15: 17-20, 2 Corinthians 2:17
When the believer places Christ foremost in his/her life, giving Him the first fruits of the day, through prayer and meditating on His Word, while yielding to the Holy Spirit through obedience, the Lord illuminates and opens up the Word for comprehension..
John 14:6, Matthew 12:48-50, Matthew 10:37, Mark 1:35, Matthew 16:13-17
Many search the scriptures to gain knowledge of many things other than to know God. But when a believer studies the scripture to know God and to develop a closer relationship, the believer receives Wisdom from above.
John 5:39, James 3:17, 1 Peter 2:2-3
Teaching which causes discord and confusion is not wisdom from above but is the mishandling of the Truth.
Teaching which encourages material prosperity in this world is contrary to the Truth. Christ promised an abundant life in God’s spiritual Kingdom which requires one to lose their life in surrender to the will of God.
Matthew 16:25
Teachings which encourage following signs is contrary to what Jesus Christ taught; the only sign He gave was the sign of His death and resurrection. Signs are what unbelievers seek in order to convince themselves that God exists and is involved in their life.
Matthew 16: 1-4
Teaching which expounds scripture will always encourage faith in Jesus Christ and eliminates doubt and fear. It will encourage trust in God and His Word.
1 Peter 2:2-3
There are two methods of teaching and studying the Word of God: exegesis and eisegesis.
Exegesis: extracting the true intent of scripture and meaning of scripture from within its context, allowing the Holy Spirit to give application to the believer’s circumstance and life. This is the approach which opens up and reveals the Holy Spirit’s interpretation.
Eisegesis: The opposite method which produces error and confusion is the approach forming an interpretation through experience, bias’ and through someone’s own personal doctrine, philosophy and/or opinion.
The Word tells us of two disciples who were discouraged and confused concerning Christ’s death and ignorant of His resurrection. On the day of the Lord’s resurrection they left Jerusalem and were on their way to Emmaus. On the way, the Lord appeared to them, but He was not recognized. While listening to their discussion, He expounded the scriptures revealing thru the prophets why the Messiah had to die and suffer and then rise from the grave. Suddenly, as He broke the bread, their eyes were opened to the Truth and they again recognized Him. Spiritually speaking, as He broke open the Word they were able to see the Truth.
Luke 24, Matthew 26:26, Matthew 27:51-52
The correct approach to scripture is without bias or prejudice; abandoning all doctrine, like a child opened to learn; waiting on God for the understanding.
2 Timothy 2:15
Scriptures reveal there will always be false teachers/prophets who will attract some in the faith with promises of prosperity or with the study of signs. And although the believer may follow for a time, the Holy Spirit will reveal the Truth. This is Christ’s gift and guarantee of His redemption.
Matthew 7:15, Ephesians 1: 13-14
It is not the responsibility of those who have come to faith through the gospel message to point out the false teachers. This causes discord and conflict in the Body of Christ. The Lord knows the heart of man and will bring judgment at the appropriate time. But rather encourage believers to find out for themselves what the Word says instead of total reliance on anyone’s teaching.
1 Corinthians 4:5
The believer who is earnestly seeking to enter into a closer relationship with God through Jesus Christ will have the Lord’s discernment and be restored. For nothing can separate the one who accepts Christ’s love and forgiveness from His unconditional love. He remains faithful even when we are not.
Romans 8:38:39, 2 Timothy 2:13
For all who are called, are also justified and predestined to conform to Christ’s image. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify the believer and to reveal the fullness of Christ through the believer’s prayer, meditation of scripture and obedience to His Word.
Romans 8:30, Philippians 1:6
The Lord promises to guide and teach every believer who surrenders their life (will) to His Will.
Psalm 32:8
There are tools for extracting the sincere Truth of the Word thru the sincere study of scripture.. There are a number of Study Bibles providing reputable commentary, concordance along with Greek/Hebrew translation of keywords.
Also, there are those who teach the Word Exegetically & Exponentially to reveal the true meaning of scripture within the historical context; teaching Book upon Book, chapter upon chapter, verse upon verse and/or by cross referencing scriptures relevant to a specific topic.
When the crowd was hungry, Jesus divided them in groups. He then blessed the bread and the fish offered, multiplying and distributing it to all the people. The crowd was hungry for Jesus, and He met all of their needs. Everyone was fed, although their ages and backgrounds were different. They all partook of the same food, and they were all nourished from the Hand of Jesus. And when they had tasted, His Truth was revealed, and they knew He was Good, indeed, very Good.
Mark 6: 31-44
God’s Promise: “Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21
Resources: Description of the Exegesis Approach: What is the Difference between Exegesis and Eisegesis?
Right on Mary!!