Private Interpretations

In geometry, two lines on the same plane that do not intersect are said to be parallel. When attempting to draw two parallel lines with a straightedge, the slightest amount of error will eventually see the two lines intersect, if extended far enough. The same is true of doctrine that is not backed by a 'living-loving' faith, i.e., hypocritical practice will collide with dead doctrine. 'Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ' (1 Corinthians 11:1). In truth, we must guard ourselves from receiving or introducing the slightest amount of error in the doctrine that we believe. 'Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ' (Colossians 2:8). Only [the Word of God and] the Spirit of Truth can preserve us from the leaven of error.¹⁴³

LITTLE LEAVEN

Over the years many scriptures have been "modified" through mispronunciation, colloquialism, paraphrasing, and poetic license (especially in musical lyrics). These frivolous actions have blinded the minds of many; even when reading, they see the modified text not actually what is written. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you" (Deuteronomy 4:2); for "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9). The more sinister reason for modifying God's Word is to have it fit our viewpoint—our lusts and our pride. The first occurrence of the Word of God being altered happened shortly after the beginning of time by Eve in the Garden of Eden; and we know what disastrous results ensued (see "Understanding Deliverance" for more on this).

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17)

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Genesis 3:2-3)

Eve's discontent with God's command—why can't Adam and I eat of that tree?—caused her to add to God's Word. Over the next few pages we will show the leaven in commonly used interpretations or paraphrases of certain scriptures. What's more, we will also look deeper into interpretations that are not inspired by the Holy Ghost: private interpretations that are simply wrong.

Revelations: Many erroneously call the book of The Revelation the book of Revelations or simply Revelations.

Helpmeet or Helpmate: In verse 18 of Genesis chapter 2, two words have been often merged or replaced. "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18). Scripture has two words "help" and "meet"; however, tradition has merged the two words together to form helpmeet or replaced the word meet with mate to form helpmate (unfortunately, even some publishers of the King James Version have erroneously put the two words together). The word meet means suitable or fitting; thus, if we replace the word with its meaning, the scripture reads: I will make him an help suitable for him.

Spare the Rod: Tradition states as scripture, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." This is a very weak interpretation of "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Proverbs 13:24). Spoil does not come close to hate nor does it sniff at the child going to hell. "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell" (Proverbs 23:14). See "Parenting—Nurture & Admonition" for more on this.

Small Beginnings: Tradition states as scripture, "Despise not the day of small beginnings" even though the scripture reads, "For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth" (Zechariah 4:10).

Decency: Tradition states as scripture, "Let all things be done in decency and in order," replacing "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Exceedingly: Tradition states as scripture, "able to do exceedingly abundantly." This is not even proper grammar—two adverbs? Scripture states, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

A spirit of Fear: Tradition states as scripture, "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear" instead of "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

I Must Decrease: Popular theology states as scripture "I must decrease so He can increase." Notice the focus on self first. This modified scripture is also used in public prayer, "Lord, help us to decrease that you might increase"; however, the scripture places emphasis on Christ first: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

God Hates You: Tradition states as scripture, "If the world loves you, God hates you." While this paraphrase is somewhat in line with scripture, it is not scripture, and should not be referred as such. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). What's more, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). Notice, these scriptures deal with our relation to God, not his relation to us. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:18-19). It would be better to state, "If the world loves you, you do not love God."

If the love of the Father is not in me, I subject myself to fear, unbelief, lust and pride. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18); "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). "And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:18-19). Loving the world or the things in the world leads to death "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:16).

God hates evil and those that knowingly—willingly—agree with evil. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate" (Proverbs 8:13). "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth" (Psalm 11:5). "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Bible Stories: Tradition calls the events in the Bible stories. While the word "story" is derived from the word "history," stories are generally considered fictional narratives; whereas, history is a record of past events. We train our people from childhood to refer to the events in the Bible as a story instead of history. Is there any wonder that Christians believe more about Columbus and his "discovery" of America than about David and his conquering of a giant?

The Bible is the written record of the Word of God—the truth. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17). The events in the Bible are, in a sense, more real than those in the many other history books in circulation. As time marches on, scientists (the world) are discovering more and more the validity of Biblical accounts.

Evolution: How say some that we have evolved from apes? "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:39-41). Mankind is one kind of flesh and apes are another kind of flesh, they are separate. If our mother was an ape, how then is Eve "the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20)? "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:24-26). Notice, beasts are created after their kind and mankind is created in the image of the godhead. Is the godhead an ape? Is an ape the image of God? God forbid! "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one" (1 John 5:7-8). See the upcoming section titled "We are spirits?" for more on our composition.

Jesting: Many use jokes (a.k.a., jesting) as a cover-up for judgment, however our charge is to walk in love: "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks" (Ephesians 5:1-4). In the old West, the expression "smile when you say that" was often used for the same purpose. By adding, "I was just joking," many feel that this excuses their vindictiveness: "As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport" (Proverbs 26:18-19)?

Set Free: Popular theology states as scripture, "the truth shall set you free." The Word of God, the truth, makes us free, not simply sets us free. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). Setting free is temporary, made free is permanent. Here is an example of being set free:

This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. (Jeremiah 34:8-11)

A prisoner set free can easily be recaptured; however, a prisoner made free has received a pardon from the highest authority. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).

PRIVATE INTERPRETATIONS

"Pilate saith unto him, What is truth" (John 18:38)? Truth in the world is defined as something the majority believes. The problem with this definition is that truth becomes fluid not constant because the majority changes over time. What is true today may not be true tomorrow or what is true in America may not be true in Europe. This definition is based on a false supposition that truth is relative, not absolute. "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1).

For example, what was once considered true since 1930—Pluto being a planet—was declared false in August 2006 [underlining added]:

"Pluto is not a planet," Brown said. "There are finally, officially, eight planets in the solar system."

The vote involved just 424 astronomers who remained for the last day of a meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Prague.

"I'm embarrassed for astronomy. Less than 5 percent of the world's astronomers voted," said Alan Stern, leader of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute. ¹⁴⁴

Do not be alarmed. There is a place of refuge from the chaos of the world. There is absolute truth: the Word of God. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17); "For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth" (Psalm 33:4). And, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Absolute truth, better known simply as truth, is defined as something that is always true, everywhere and that comes from a source that is also always true, everywhere. "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 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" (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Neither time nor place can change the truth; it stands constant through the fluctuations of the world—it is an independent reality. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35); "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalm 139:7-12)

Thus, the Word of God is the standard by which all other truths are measured. "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (2 Corinthians 13:8). The Word of God validates itself. "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). And "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1).

Through Christ

The English Word "Christ" is from the Greek word Christós, which means literally "Anointed One," a title. Replacing the word "Christ," however, with its Greek meaning in Philippians 4:13 produces an erroneous interpretation. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). I cannot, however, do all things through the anointed one, who strengthens me, unless the anointed one is Jesus Christ. After all, all born again believers are anointed because they have the Holy Ghost. "The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (1 John 2:27). Therefore, we must be specific which anointed one we are addressing: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power" (Acts 10:38).

Notice in Philippians 4:13 that the word after Christ is "which" not "who" suggesting that the aspect of Christ being referred to is Christ the anointed Word of God, not Christ the person. "Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more" (2 Corinthians 5:16); "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). The correct interpretation, therefore, reads: "I can do all things through the power and wisdom of God, which strengthens me." "All things" in this verse is not dealing with infinite possibilities: we do not need Christ to do unrighteousness; for "the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him" (Psalm 92:15). Rather, it is comprised of the things that are pleasing to God: the things according to his will. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him" (1 John 5:13-15). Thus, I can do all things according to the will of God through the power and wisdom of God, which strengthens me. As Adam had all things available to him within the boundaries of the garden in Eden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so too, do we have all things available to us within the boundary of God's anointed Word—through Christ. Jesus himself said, "without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5); which counteracts the old adage penned by Ben Franklin in 1757, "God helps those who help themselves." God, rather, helps those who rely on him. "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help" (Psalm 146:3). Our "help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). This, by combining some key scriptures we get a more robust affirmation of our abilities in Christ: I can of mine own self do nothing, but through Christ, I can do always those things that please the Father (John 5:30; Philippians 4:13; John 8:29).

Upon Peter?

Many have incorrectly interpreted "this rock" in verse 18 to be Peter. This is incorrect. The name Peter or Cephas means a stone; a stone is a part of a rock. "And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone" (John 1:42).

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. (Matthew 16:15-20)

"This rock" refers to the revelation spoken by Peter that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." That is, that Jesus Christ is Lord. The new church will be built on the foundation of the Word and Spirit of truth—Jesus Christ. "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation" (Psalm 95:1). "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 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" (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). So, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells his disciples that He, the rock of our salvation, would build himself a new church—the body of Christ—against which the gates of hell will not prevail. There are two meanings to be gleaned from the phrase: the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. First, the righteous that died before his resurrection and ascension that were being held captive in hell would be taken captive by him. "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)" (Ephesians 4:8-10). Secondly, the righteous that died in Christ would bypass hell: they would "be absent from the body, and ... be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). Jesus later declares to John, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).

Touch and Agree

Popular theology often misinterprets Matthew 18:19: "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." In this verse, "as touching" does not mean "with touching"; in other words, it does not mean: "if two of you shall touch and agree on earth." This scripture is more easily understood if we replace "as touching" with "as pertaining to." Thus, "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as pertaining to any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Here is a clear example from scripture: "And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever" (1 Samuel 20:23). Notwithstanding, since so many misinterpret this as "touch and agree," let us explore this further. This scripture is not comparing mental or verbal assent ("if two of you shall agree") to that which is confirmed with a handshake, hug or other cultural forms of expressing agreement physically ("as touching"). Nor is it requiring us to join hands—touch—to seal our agreement (surety): that would be redundant. Agreement is implicit when Christians join hands together; however, scripture cautions us to be careful about joining hands together: "A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend" (Proverbs 17:18).

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 1:18). The Lord requires us to discern both good and evil: to make sure we have counted the cost before we commit implicitly or explicitly to someone's request, suggestion or temptation. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it" (Luke 14:28)? Who or what you agree with is extremely important (see "Preach Another Gospel"). The fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden was precipitated on an ill-conceived agreement. Let us remember that "two of you ... on earth" does not specify two humans. One human and one devil on earth, for instance, fulfill the requirement. After all, "the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9).

Mature Christians are those who use wisdom and discernment based on the Word of God to make all decisions. Therefore, when in an assembly of the saints, listen and discern before you give your assent (joining hands or saying "Amen"). There is no need to join hands because we do not amplify the power of the Holy Ghost by doing so. The amplification of power is inherent in being children of God: "one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight" (Deuteronomy 32:30). What is required is "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Ephesians 4:13). Individually, we are required to study to show ourselves approved unto God and to have our "senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14). Thus, when a prayer is spoken or a suggestion is made, all that is needed is thoughtful consideration followed by mental or verbal agreement: Amen?! Now that you know joining hands is not only unnecessary but also spiritually dangerous; what should you do with your hands? In an assembly of the saints (church) "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens" (Lamentations 3:41). Through pride many Christians abstain from lifting their hands to the Lord during worship (for additional study see Psalm 28:2; Psalm 63:4; Psalm 134:2; Psalm 141:2; 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 12:12); however, many erroneously lift their hands to a person or object as if to cast a spell (see "God Needs You and Other Lies").

In the remaining sections of this chapter, we will examine more misinterpretations that are commonly accepted, and reveal by scriptures the correct interpretation. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). We will examine the following subjects: "Say Grace," "The Prayer of Jabez," "No Vision," "Meek is Weak?," "Be Ye Angry," "Nobody's Perfect," "Personal Savior," "Personal Savior," "Images of Jesus," "Sons of God," "We are spirits?," "Ye are gods?," and "Justified by the law?" The warning from Paul is clear: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Colossians 2:8).

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