“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17)
For as long as God’s Word has been in existence there have been those who would twist it to suit their purposes. The serpent called into question the clear warning of God. “Yea, hath God said …” (Gen. 3:1) It will never be hard to find a so-called scholar who will back up whatever you’d like to believe.
Obedience always precedes revelation. Understanding correct hermeneutical principles is nowhere near as important as hungering after righteousness. Errors of interpretation inevitably spring from errors in living. Jesus spent little time arguing doctrine with the Pharisees. He boiled things down to one simple rule: Be willing to do God’s will, and you will have no problem knowing I am speaking for Him.
The secret of the Lord is with them who fear Him. (Ps. 25:14) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Ps. 111:10) When we fear the Lord, we hate evil. (Pr. 8:13) We make no excuses for it. We don’t look for places in scripture which will justify it. The holy heart of God informs our study of scripture. Anything less makes us blind leaders of the blind.