There is a good rule
to follow for finding out what a text or a section or a chapter or a
book means. It is attributed to both Miles Coverdale and John
Wycliffe. It is worth knowing and should be copied into one's copy of
the Bible for constant reference and for constant application to all
studies made of the Sacred Scriptures. Here it is:
THE GOLDEN RULE OF SCRIPTURE INTERPRETATION
"It shall greatly helpe ye to understand Scripture,
if thou mark not only what is spoken or wrytten,
but of whom, and to whom, with what words,
at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances,
considering what goeth before and what followeth after."
|
| spoudason |
seauton
dokimon parasthsai tw yew |
ergathn
anepaiscunton |
oryotomounta |
ton logon
thv alhyeiav |
Greek |
| Study |
to shew thyself approved unto God, |
a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, |
rightly dividing |
the word of truth. |
K.J.V. |
| Do your best |
to present yourself to God as one
approved, |
a workman who has no need to be
ashamed, |
rightly handling |
the word of truth. |
R.S.V. |
| Give diligence |
to present thyself approved unto God, |
a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, |
handling aright |
the word of truth. |
A.S.V. |
| Be diligent |
to present thyself approved to God-- |
a workman irreproachable, |
rightly dividing |
the word of the truth; |
Young's Literal |
| Endeavor |
to present yourself to God qualified, |
an unashamed worker, |
correctly cutting |
the word of truth. |
Concordant Literal |
| Earnestly seek |
to commend yourself to God |
as a servant who, . . . has no reason
to feel any shame. |
because of his straight-forward
dealing with |
the word of truth, |
Weymouth |
| Do your best |
to present yourself to God as one approved, |
a workman who does not need to be ashamed |
and who correctly handles |
the word of truth. |
N.I.V. |
Circumcision
Scriptures
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Concerning the
Kingdom of God, in Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures
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MATTHEW
PRESENTS THE KING
Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo! Your
King..."
- Matthew 21:5
SENT TO ISRAEL
"I was not commissioned except for the lost
sheep of the house of Israel."
- Matthew 15:24 |
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MARK PRESENTS THE
SERVANT
"The Son of Mankind came, not to be served,
but to serve..."
- Mark 10:45
WHO SERVED
ISRAEL
"Hear, Israel! the Lord our God is
one Lord."
- Mark 12:29 |
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LUKE PRESENTS THE
PERFECT MAN
"Really, this Man was just."
- Luke 23:47
THE GLORY OF ISRAEL
"The Glory of Thy people Israel."
- Luke 2:32 |
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JOHN PRESENTS THE
SON OF GOD
"He came out from God, and is going
away to God."
- John 13:3
MANIFESTED TO ISRAEL
"that He may be manifested to Israel..."
- John 1:31 |
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ACTS PRESENTS THE
TRANSITION
"To you (the Jews) first was it
necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet since ... you
are thrusting it away ... lo! we are turning to the
nations."
-Acts 13:46 |
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| HEBREWS
- A NEW COVENANT WITH
ISRAEL
"Lo! the days are coming," the Lord is
saying, "And I shall be concluding with the house of Israel
and with the house
of Judah a new covenant."
- Hebrews 8:8 |
| JAMES -
SALVATION BY WORKS
The faith cannot save him.
- James 2:14
APPLICABLE TO
THE TWELVE TRIBES
James ... to the twelve tribes in
the dispersion.
- James 1:1 |
| PETER'S
PROMISES TO THE CHOSEN
RACE
Yet you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood,
a holy nation...
- 1 Peter 2:9 |
| JOHN
STRESSES THE LAW
And in this we know that we know Him, if we
should be keeping His precepts.
- 1 John 2:3
TO THOSE WHO
CAME OUT
they came out for the sake of the Name,
getting nothing from those of the nations.
- 3 John 7 |
| JUDE -
A REMINDER TO THOSE ONCE
AWARE
to remind you, you who once are
aware of all, that the Lord, when saving the people out of the
land of Egypt, secondly destroys those who believe not.
- Jude 5 |
| REVELATION
- JEWISH PROMISES
FULFILLED
"I have granted to those... (who are
saying that they themselves are Jews, and are
not, but are lying) Lo! I shall be making them that
they will be arriving and worshipping before your feet, and
they may know that I love you."
- Revelation 3:9 |
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Uncircumcision
Scriptures
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Concerning the Body
of Christ, The Mystery Hidden in Past Ages
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Paul Presents Christ to the
Nations
"But, on the contrary, perceiving that I have been
entrusted with the evangel of the Uncircumcision, according
as Peter of the Circumcision ... James and Cephas
and John ... give to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship,
that we, indeed, are to be for the nations, yet
they for the Circumcision."
- Galatians 2:7-9 -
The Evangel for Today
"To me, less than the least of all saints, was
granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable
riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all
as to what is the administration of the secret, which has
been concealed from the eons in God."
- Ephesians 3:8-9 - |
| ROMANS-JUSTIFICATION,
CONCILIATION
through Whom we obtained grace and
apostleship for faith-obedience among all the nations...-
Romans 1:5
But now, apart from law, a righteousness of
God is manifest...- Romans 3:21
Being justified gratuitously in His grace...-
Romans 3:24
seeing that out of him, and through Him and
for Him is all...- Romans 11:36
their (Israel's) casting away is the
conciliation of the world...- Romans 11:15
God locks up all together all in
stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all.
- Romans 11:32
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| 1 CORINTHIANS
- THE BODY OF CHRIST
but we are speaking God's wisdom in a secret,
which has been concealed, which God designates before the
eons for our glory ...
- 1 Corinthians 2:7
Now you are the body of Christ, and members
of a part, whom also God, indeed, placed in the ecclesia,
- 1 Corinthians 12:27
For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus
also, in Christ, shall all be vivified. ... that God may be
All in all.- 1 Corinthians 15:22,28
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| 2 CORINTHIANS
- A NEW CREATION
So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a
new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has become
new!- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to
Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of
the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the
world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and
placing in us the word of the conciliation.
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 |
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| GALATIANS
- FAITH, NOT WORKS
OF LAW
I am marvelling that thus, swiftly, you are
transferred, from that which calls you in the grace of Christ,
to a different evangel, which is not another, except it be
that some who are disturbing you, want to distort the evangel
of Christ.- Galatians 1:6-7
we also believe in Christ Jesus that we may
be justified by the faith of Christ; and not by works of law;
seeing that by works of law shall no flesh at all be
justified.
- Galatians 2:16
did you get the spirit by works of law or by
the hearing of faith...?
- Galatians 3:5
For whoever are of works of law are under a
curse,
- Galatians 3:10
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| EPHESIANS
- SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing
among the celestials...
- Ephesians 1:3
Wherefore, remember that once you, the
nations in flesh ... were, in that era, apart from Christ,
being alienated from the citizen- ship of Israel, and guests
of the promise covenants, having no expectation, and without
God in the world.
- Ephesians 2:11-12
Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you, who once are
far off, are become near by the blood of Christ.
- Ephesians 2:13
On this behalf I, Paul, the prisoner of
Christ Jesus for you, the nations -- since you surely hear of
the administration of the grace of God that is given to me for
you, for by revelation the secret is made known to me: in
spirit the nations are to be joint enjoyers of an allotment,
and joint partakers of the promise
- Ephesians 3:1-6 |
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| PHILIPPIANS
- OUR REALM IN THE
HEAVENS
For our realm is inherent in the heavens, -
Philippians 3:20
that in the name of Jesus every knee should
be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and
every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord,
for the glory of God, the Father.
- Philippians 2:10-11
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| COLOSSIANS
- CHRIST THE HEAD
And He is the Head of the body, the
ecclesia, ... and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making
peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether
those on the earth or those in the heavens.
- Colossians 1:18-20
which is granted to me for you, to complete
the word of God--
- Colossians 1:25
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| 1 THESSALONIANS
- MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR
for the Lord Himself will be descending from
heaven with a shout of command ... and the dead in Christ
shall be rising first. Thereupon we, the living ... shall at
the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be
together with the Lord.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16
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| 2 THESSALONIANS
- BE NOT QUICKLY SHAKEN
be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet
be alarmed, either through spirit, or through word, or through
an epistle as through us, as that the day of the Lord is
present. ... should not the apostasy be coming first ...?
- 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 |
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| 1 TIMOTHY
- SAVIOUR OF ALL
For there is one God, and one Mediator of God
and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a
correspondent Ransom for all ... for which I was appointed a
herald and an apostle ... a teacher of the nations in
knowledge and truth.
- 1 Timothy 2:5-7
Faithful is the saying and worthy of all
welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached),
that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all
mankind, especially of believers. These things be charging and
teaching.
- 1 Timothy 4:9-11
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| 2 TIMOTHY
- WHO SAVES US AND CALLS
US
in accord with the power of God, Who saves us
and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts,
but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is
given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian, 10 yet now is
being manifested through ... the evangel of which I was
appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the
nations.
- 2 Timothy 1:8-11
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| TITUS-
SAVED ACCORDING TO HIS
MERCY
Yet when the kindness and fondness for
humanity of our Saviour, God, made its advent, not for works
which are wrought in righteous- ness which we do, but
according to His mercy, He saves us ...- Titus 3:4-5
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| PHILEMON
- THE CONDUCT OF GRACE
I am thanking my God always, ... that the
fellow- ship of your faith may be- come operative in the reali-
zation of every good thing which is in us for Christ Jesus ...
seeing that the compassions of the saints are soothed through
you, brother. - Philemon 6
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