“‘You surely will not die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” – Genesis 3:4-5
Sadly, there are a lot of “religious” folks out there who espouse what may actually sound reasonable, because they quote from the Bible. But the problem is, these false prophets will take a verse out of context and base their whole theology around it. While this is sometimes done unintentionally, there are some that will twist a few words on purpose, resulting in an interpretation bearing no resemblance to God’s actual message.
This is an effective technique that the devil has mastered well. Think about the consequences for mankind when the devil twisted God’s words in the Garden of Eden! And remember how Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the beginning of His ministry? He twisted the word of God just a little bit, making it seem that He was saying the exact opposite of the actual meaning. He uses just a smattering of truth to make what he says seem legit. What deception!
How can you defend against these ridiculous distortions of God’s Word? First, study the Scriptures – here are a few suggestions that might help:
1. Always study Scripture in light of Scripture.
2. Study the Old Testament in light of the New Testament.
3. Study the Gospels in light of the Epistles of Paul (beginning in Romans), so that you can have the theological and doctrinal understanding of the life of Christ, why He came, and what He’s all about. You want to study a verse in the context of the chapter, and in the context of the book.
The more you study the Bible, the easier it will be to defend yourself from false – or ignorant – prophets, and the more you will understand the truths that God wants to impart to us all.
