PRINCIPLES OF CITING SCRIPTURE

PSALM 119:148 – My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your word.

Christians frequently quote specific Bible verses. However, a significant issue arises when people cite Scripture to support their own personal views rather than to interpret God’s Word. These two approaches are fundamentally different. When Christians cite Scripture to explain the meaning of specific verses, we are acting under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). Because human thoughts and understanding are limited compared to God’s Word, the only way to truly grasp God’s ideas and teachings is to use Scripture to interpret Scripture—or, more precisely, to use the Word of the Holy Spirit (the One Who inspired the writing of the Bible) to interpret His own Word. To do this, Christians must rely on God’s grace to study every verse and word, enabling them to interpret related passages. Such an endeavor requires time, patience, and a heart that yearns to know more about God and His Word. In contrast, the second approach cites Scripture based on the literal, surface-level meaning of the words—interpreting and quoting them in whatever way suits one’s preferences.

Countless examples illustrate this practice. For instance, some Christians cite Romans 3:28—”For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law”—to justify avoiding a godly lifestyle or true piety. Such Christians often assume that simply believing in the Lord is enough, implying they need to live no differently from the world (Romans 12:1–2). Some ministers preach this same message, yet simultaneously remind God’s children to offer tithes. If one claims there is no need to live according to the law, why insist on tithing? Is tithing not a matter of law? Why, then, discard the laws regarding regeneration and sanctification while upholding the law of tithing? Which requirements should we set aside, and which must we obey? Who decides which laws Christians must follow—the Word of God or the decisions of the church?

Another example involves citing John 17:3—”Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent”—to argue that worship in their specific church is correct, while attending another church is wrong. These Christians presume that only their church possesses a true understanding of the Lord, while all other churches are completely mistaken. Yet, when you ask them to explain the true meaning of the word “know,” they often tell a different story. Consider this: if Christians’ knowledge of the Lord remains at the level of a spiritual infant, are they truly saved (1 Peter 2:2)? After years of knowing the Lord, how much have the Christians actually grown, how well do they understand Him, and to what extent have their character and outlook on life been transformed? After years of church attendance, how much do they truly grasp of the Lord’s will and His eternal plan?

Is there ever a point where one can stop and rest in the journey of growing in faith? Or does one assume that attending church on Sundays, reading the Bible, praying, tithing, evangelizing, and serving in the church is enough? After all, do non-believers not also visit pagodas, worship, chant scriptures, fast, offer donations, perform acts of service and charity, and even proselytize? Are Christians the only ones who observe religious rituals? Is the mere performance of rituals sufficient? So, is “knowing” God a matter of outward form or a matter of the heart? If it is a matter of the heart, how is that knowledge demonstrated? How much do Christians truly understand about God? Is it enough to know a little more about Him than non-believers know about their idols? Is that enough to be satisfied and to secure entry into Heaven in the future? Is that all there is to “knowing” God? Should a Christian’s love and reverence for God grow over the years, or should one mark time and remain content with the status quo? Yet if that love for God continues to grow without ceasing, how much does the knowledge of God expand? And what about the concept of “One”? Does it mean prioritizing God only on Sundays, while prioritizing oneself on other days? And what does “Truth” entail? If the knowledge of God is “True,” do Christians fully believe the Bible—one hundred percent? If one truly *knows* God, does one believe that a liar—whether to a lesser or greater degree—cannot enter Heaven (Revelation 21:8)? Does merely *knowing* the Lord based on the surface meaning of the words lead to salvation? These are just a few examples and questions we present to show that Christians need to deepen their understanding of the Lord—for such is God’s will (Colossians 1:9–10)—to truly *know* Him and receive salvation (1 John 2:17); it is not enough to quote Scripture based on a personal understanding of the literal, surface meaning and regard that as knowing Him.