Take, for instance, the first 4 chapters of 1 Corinthians. Paul gives an intro (1 Cor 1:1-9) and then launches into his first topic -- division in the church. Paul covers that topic for 4 chapters. The breaks at the beginnings of chapter 2 and chapter 3 and chapter 4 are artificial. If you read chapter 1 and stop, you're only at the beginning of Paul's address to the church at Corinth regarding divisions in the church at Corinth. "Hold that thought," you are saying in essence. "We can pick this up tomorrow." Who does that?
A similar situation occurs starting at chapter 8. Paul talks from chapter 8 and following on the topic of our freedom in Christ -- the doctrine we call "Christian Liberty." All well and good. But he doesn't stop at the chapter break at 9. In chapter 8 he says not to abuse your freedom because you may cause a weaker brother to stumble. In chapter 9 he uses himself as a prime example. "Am I not an apostle?" he asks (1 Cor 9:1), goes on to list all the things that apostles have the right to expect, and then explains that he hasn't claimed those rights. He surrendered his freedoms as an apostle to bring them the gospel without charge (1 Cor 9:18). Okay, then, we're done, right? No. In chapter 10 he does not change subjects. He uses the example of Israel in the desert to warn his readers about the other danger of Christian Liberty. Before, he warned that we could harm others by exercising our liberty. Now he warns that we could harm ourselves by exercising our liberty. It's too easy, walking too close to sin, to fall into it. "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry," he says (1 Cor 10:14). He ends the chapter with the round up, so to speak. On the topic of Christian Liberty, here's the fundamental guideline: "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31).
There. That's the end of that, right? If we're guided by chapter breaks, it would seem so. But, chapter 11 begins with "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). Chapter 11 verse 2 begins with "now," a word that seems to indicate "moving to the next topic." And that first verse seems most naturally and correctly associated with the last thoughts of chapter 10. Here, you read it.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Cor 10:31-33, 11:1)Is that not the most natural reading of the text? "In everything you do, glorify God. Don't offend anyone, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow Christ." That makes the most sense to me.
What's my point? I am urging you not to read a verse. I'm urging you to read a text. I'm urging you to read a verse, its subtext, its context, its entire surroundings. I'm encouraging you to be a rabid consumer of Scripture. A while back I taught on the Gospel of John. The group opted next to go on to 1 John. While we were there, we just went on to cover 2 John and 3 John. Now, I've read all of that more times than I can count, but never before had I recognized the continuity. John wrote the gospel and it spilled into his other writings over and over. Key things he picked up in his experiences with Jesus colored everything else and he repeated them often, sometimes word for word. My point is that if I simply did what I was used to -- read a bit and move on -- I would have missed the broader context ... which has a broader context in the rest of the New Testament ... which has a broader context in the Bible as a whole. That's what I'm hoping you'll see and try. Don't minimize your reading and studying. Broaden it. See how it all fits together. Let God's Word teach you God's Word. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. See it as a whole. I think it will be of great benefit to you and others.
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