Kong Hee Podcast

There is a need to understand verses and passages of the Bible contextually. A verse taken out of context can be distorted until it means something completely different from its original meaning. You can make the Bible say anything you want if you ignore the context, and that is certainly wrong. Context is very important but it is not always king. If we rigidly insist that context is king, then the apostles, and even Jesus Himself, had wrongfully misquoted Scriptures too.

For example, did the apostle Matthew misquote Hos 11:1 and taken it out of context?

Did Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers in the 19th century, regularly take Scriptures out of context?

What do you do when someone you know (and maybe even respect) quotes a verse out of context, and it disturbs you?

Understanding the context of a Scripture is the most basic rule of biblical hermeneutics (or Bible interpretation). Before we quote a verse, we must study the verses and chapters immediately before and after that verse. We must understand the context or we can end up with very wrong ideas and messages about our Christian faith. We must, however, not be bound so rigidly to every contextual detail that it makes any relevant interpretation and application of that text impossible.

What about Mt 18:18, 20?

Did Jesus himself misquote Scripture by taking Deut 15:11 out of context?

What happens when preachers and Christians quote Scriptures out of context? Can Bible promises be personalised?

One of the most basic rules of biblical hermeneutics (or Bible interpretation) is to understand a Scripture contextually. This is important because using a Bible passage out of context can lead to error and misunderstanding.

However, did the apostles and Jesus Himself quote verses out of context?

Can we personalise Rom 8:28 or Phil 4:13 for ourselves, if we are not suffering hardships in prison like Paul?

Can we personalise the following Bible passages as promises for our lives?
Jer 29:11? 
Jer 33:3? 
Josh 1:9?
Psalm 23?
Num 6:22-2?

For those who want to understand or teach the Bible well, we need to learn how to be skilful in biblical hermeneutics, or the art of Bible interpretation. The three basic laws of hermeneutics are:

Law #1: As much as possible, Scriptures should be interpreted literally.

Law #2: Scriptures must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually.

Law #3: Scripture is always the best interpreter of Scripture.

Some Christians avoid good hermeneutics because they mistakenly believe that it will prevent them from receiving fresh illumination or prophetic insight from the Holy Spirit. This cannot be so, because the source of every revelation, illumination, and prophecy is the same Spirit of God, and He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33). The purpose of hermeneutics is to protect us from misapplying or distorting Scripture. Because God is truth and His Word is truth (Deut 32:4; Jn 17:17), we want to know the truth and live in the truth, to the best that we can. This is why biblical hermeneutics is vital.

In the study of God (theology), what is the difference between a contradiction, a paradox, and a mystery? Why is the Trinity a mystery and not a contradiction?

The doctrine of the Trinity is a crucial ingredient in our Christian faith because it explains who God is, what He is like, how He works, and how He is to be approached. Its truth has profound practical implications for the Christian life:

(1) In the completion of our salvation.
(2) In our worship.
(3) In our prayer.
(4) In our understanding of love and unity.

We must guard against four wrong concepts concerning the Trinity:

(1) Jesus only became divine at His baptism or resurrection.
(2) God only exists as one person at any given time – water analogy.
(3) The Trinity is really three different Gods – egg analogy.
(4) The Holy Spirit is inferior in essence to Jesus, who in turn is inferior in essence to the Father.

Our Christian faith is the belief in the Triune God. In Latin, we say, “one ousia, three hupostaseis” – one “ousia” (essence or substance), yet three “hupostaseis” (persons).

The Father is totally God, the Son is totally God, and the Holy Spirit is totally God. All three are exactly identical in being, but they are separate and distinct persons. This is the glorious mystery of our God Almighty.

The victory of Jesus Christ was total and complete on the cross. Satan is a defeated foe, although he has yet to concede defeat. How do we overcome the devil in our daily lives?

This is how we do it …

Does faith always guarantee a miracle? Is our faith faulty when we believe in God, confess His Word, and yet there are no results? Should we still continue to exercise faith? If we persevere in prayer for a miracle, are we coming against the sovereignty of God?

A short while back, a Christian leader said to me, “I have stopped teaching faith because if the healing, blessing, and deliverance doesn’t come, then people may start doubting God. So it’s better if they don’t believe in miracles in the first place, then there is no danger that they will ever experience doubt. I just don’t want to set them up for disappointments.” Is this person’s reasoning biblically correct?

Here is my reply …

When it comes to the penal substitution of Christ, are Jesus’ six hours on the cross commensurate with the eternal punishment of a sinner? Is it enough? Isn’t it way too short? How can it be fair when Jesus only needed to be punished for six hours, while a sinner must be punished for eternity?

This is my answer …