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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Proof
Texting Proof texting is the
process whereby we use one specific Bible verse to formulate a universal
Biblical doctrine. 1 Timothy
2:12 is one example. "I do not permit a
woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet,"
Over the years this
verse has been ripped out of its historic and cultural context to promote
a universal doctrine stating that women are not permitted to teach in
church. This proof texting
practice totally obscures Paul's point.
We must ask to whom was Paul writing and why might he have written
what he did? Paul's letters were
written to specific churches or people in specific geographical regions in
response to specific concerns. So,
to understand Paul correctly, we need to do some historical and cultural
digging. 1 Timothy 1:1 to 3 tells
us that Paul wrote this letter to Timothy who was instructing the church
at Ephesus. Understanding some history
and culture of First-century,
Greco/Roman people worshipped multiple gods and goddesses.
The goddess Cybele, known as "the Mother of gods" was a
prominent goddess in I believe, as others do,
that Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:12 was addressing this Cybele influence among
women in the Taking one Bible verse
out of its literary, historic, and cultural context and making a universal
doctrine that applies to us all is bad Biblical interpretation.
It leads to a misunderstanding and misapplication of the text.
I conclude that we must
never teach a Biblical doctrine based on one verse.
We must realize that the Bible was not originally written directly
to us, and so we must extract its original meaning and see how it can
apply to our specific situation. We
should avoid being overly dogmatic since most of us lack the needed
background information that provides a clear understanding of the text.
We should be willing to consider the literary, historic, cultural,
and linguistic context of any verse. So,
as good disciples, we learn from those more knowledgeable than us. The
church must produce credible teachers with doctrinal discernment.
We must be willing to move beyond our doctrinal traditions and
embrace what modern scholarship has unearthed for us.
Due to today's scholarly
advancements and technology at our finger tips we should be the most
Biblically literate Christians ever, but we're not.
May we allow the Holy Spirit to give us a love for His Word. Scriptural
Passages 1 Timothy 1:1 - 3 "Paul, an apostle
of Christ Jesus ... To Timothy ... As I urged you when I went into Romans 16:1 "I commend to you
our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae." Acts 16:3 "Greet Priscilla
and
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