The reason we have so many “church denominations” today is not the fault of God, it is man who has confused the truth of God. In order to be of one mind as Paul exhorts us many times; “let God be true and every man a liar”( Romans 3:4, Romans 15:6, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 1:27, 2:2). There is only one truth and that truth comes from God for he is true and right.

Deuteronomy 32:4,

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

If God is a God of truth and he cannot lie(Titus 1:2) then we must conclude that the words God has inspired for us to learn and know are indeed true and have an intended meaning. One reason for the confusion within the church today is that we have failed to acknowledge God’s progressive revelation. Progressive revelation should be considered when we sit down to read and study the Bible. It will help equip you to better understand God’s word.

What is Progressive Revelation?

The idea of progressive revelation is that God has progressively communicated or “revealed” the information about his purpose for both heaven and earth throughout the history of the Bible. The Bible in its entirety was not written in one day. God communicated and revealed his plan to different people, in different ways, at different times, and for different purposes. Hebrews 1:1 is an example of this concept,

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

Progressive revelation demands that we consider the context of the book, chapter, or verse we are reading in the Bible. In order to understand the context we should ask a few questions;

Who is speaking?

To Whom are they speaking?

When was it spoken?

What are they saying?

And for what Purpose?

When answering these questions we must take the words in our Bible literally. For example; God spoke to Noah and told him to build an ark because a flood was coming, he was speaking to Noah not to you.

The reason many fail to understand scripture in its context is because they want the words to feel more personal as if God is talking to them. One piece of advice I was given when I was younger was to read my Bible and ask myself, “what do I feel like God is trying to say to me today?” God speaks to us through the words that were inspired in the Bible for our learning and edification(2 Timothy 3:16) not through our feelings. If we take everything that is said in the Bible as if it is said directly to us we could become confused when we find instructions that are contrary to one another. For example, God tells people to obey the law of Moses or face a curse (Daniel 9:11)and yet in Paul’s epistles he communicates that we are not under a law and it has no dominion over us because Christ became a curse for us(Romans 6:14, Galatians 3:13). It is impossible to do two things that are contrary to one another at the same time.

Paul exhorts us to rightly divide the word of truth in 2 Timothy 2:15. When we do this, truth can work effectually in us who believe(1 Thessalonians 2:13). It is true that all scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness(2 Timothy 3:16). However, not all scripture is for your direct participation. God meant what he said, to whom he said it, when he said it, and for the purpose he said it. Our job then is to understand if we are in the context of what we have read. We do this not by our feelings but by the acknowledging of the literal words God has inspired.

Written by: Rebecca

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