Introduction
Many scholars, preachers, and Bible teachers often attempt to read between the lines when interpreting Scripture, seeking to extrapolate and think outside the box. However, this approach can lead to the promotion of false teachings and even the formation of cults. For true believers, the ultimate truth resides solely in what is written in the Word of God and in the understanding of who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done for us. Therefore, we each have a responsibility to read, pray, and meditate on Scripture for ourselves, guided by the Holy Spirit, to understand the true meaning of God’s Word and avoid being misled by erroneous teachings. In this blog article, we will reference several passages of Scripture to emphasize the importance of strictly adhering to what is written in the Word of God. We believe that the Holy Bible is dictated in its original writings by the Holy Spirit and provides us with the absolute truth about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He came to redeem us and bring salvation to all. Therefore, we must verify everything against Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, to ensure that all teachings we receive align with the Holy Word of God. We present three principles of faith: do not believe beyond what the Word of God says, do believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Do Not Believe Beyond what the Word of God Says
Many of us are familiar with the Bible passage from John 21:20-25, often referred to as “the Lord Jesus and the beloved apostle.” We can begin with this passage to understand that when we read the Word of God, the Lord Jesus doesn’t want us to go beyond what is written.
John 21:20 Peter, turning about, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following; who also reclined on His bosom at the supper, and said, Lord, who is he that betrays Thee?
21 Peter, therefore, seeing him says to Jesus, Lord, and what about he?
It is not only Peter alone who wants to know the end of this disciple. However, about the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved, as mentioned in the Holy Bible, no one needs to know what will happen to him. Only remember that the beloved Son of God has loved this disciple, and also this disciple has dedicated his life to following the beloved Son of God, and also the beloved Son of God has given him the work to do as well.
22 Jesus says to him, If I desire that he remains until I come, what [is it] to you? You Follow Me!
The beloved Son of God also wants to remind Peter to do his own duty and not worry concerning someone else’s duty. This disciple will remain as long as the Lord wants him and do the work the Lord has for him; and whatever work the Lord gives him, nobody needs to be concerned, and Peter himself should not worry as well. All the apostles needed to be separated out for the work; if all were to stay in a group, the work would not be done. However, some may face difficult situations, while others may succeed and achieve great things, and still, some will work in unknown places. Therefore, for each, the Lord has a place to do work, and that disciple will be in the right place and spreading the Gospel among people.
23 This saying, therefore, went out among the brethren, that that disciple does not die, however, Jesus did not say to him, that he does not die; but, If I desire that he remains until I come, what [is it] to you?
Regardless of what others think, John has received this verse from the Lord. This verse itself is special on its own, and the Lord gave it to John specifically to put it down because the spirit of John was clean to accept the complex work before thinking and asking why the Lord gave it to him. This is shown as well throughout his Gospel; when John received the Word, John did not go out and search if it was true or not, but trusted the Lord that it was true and wrote it down as the Lord gave it to him.
24 This is the disciple bearing witness concerning these things, and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Notice that John accepts himself as a witness about the things regarding the Lord Jesus, and when the witness has testified, let the readers pay attention. If he did not see it as true, he would not put them down as well; what the beloved Son has said, and what the Holy Spirit dictated to him, he has put down, and not what others understood.
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they should be written every one, I suppose not even the world itself will have space for the books to be written.
As the verse itself has told all true believers, the beloved Son of God has spent many years on earth and has passed through all the sufferings of life as all humans do, but He never commits any sin, neither by speaking, thinking, nor by the heart. The beloved Son of God has taken all the challenges of life that all humans face, but He never sinned at all. Therefore, there is only one human on this earth that never sinned, and that human is the beloved Son of God; and now the beloved Son of God has taken His human form to heaven and is sitting at the right hand of the Father in human form; only one human body will be left, and that one is Him alone.
Verse 22 clearly instructs us to embrace our destiny and the call to serve the Lord, no matter what the outcome. Verse 23 highlights that people often do not accept the Word of the Lord as it is written; instead, they attempt to interpret its meaning before fully understanding it. The disciple also had the same problem as normal people. What the beloved Son has said, they also tried to interpret beyond what is written, and here it has been told clearly: do not take what you think, but only what has been told you and given by the Holy Spirit.
Additionally, regarding verse 25, we might consider why the Holy Spirit chose to use three Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—to describe many similar events. Meanwhile, the Gospel of John mentions that the Lord performed many other miracles as well. Think humanly as well: if the Lord gives only one writer for the Gospel, the people will come against the Holy Bible more because they will think that the Gospel story comes only from one opinion. However, when the Lord uses more than one writer to make the story match, it is because One Person, the Holy Spirit, tells the same story to more than one writer at different times and in different places.
Do Not Accept Beliefs Based on Hearsay
Many people form their beliefs about the Lord Jesus based on hearsay rather than seeking guidance through prayer and asking the Holy Spirit for understanding. They often rely on gossip and the opinions of others. For instance, before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus predicted His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His victory over evil. However, the crowds doubted His identity and questioned, “Who is this Son of Man?” Let us take a moment to examine the Lord Jesus’ response to this question in John 12:34-36.
John 12:34 The multitude therefore answered Him, We have heard from the law that the Christ abides forever; and how do Thou say, That the Son of Man it behooves to be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?
“The multitude therefore answered Him.” What the Lord said, the multitude also has heard and knew very well what the beloved Son of God was telling them, but within themselves, they have ignored His word; that is why when they talked with Him, the question they have is related to His humanity but not to His true identity as God.
“We have heard from the law …” As the verse has told, the Lord has already given them the details in the Law that the beloved Son of God will live for eternity. The Christ of God will never die, and their own Law has also told this.
“And how do Thou say, …” Humans did not understand the term “lifted up.” Therefore, when they crucified the beloved Son of God, the death that He faced showed to all humans that the Father had lifted Him up on high in that death.
“Who is this Son of Man?” Everyone has the same question: why does the beloved Son of God call Himself the Son of Man? First, everyone must remember that the beloved Son of God is one hundred percent human, so to be human, He is a Man. When the Son of Man has called Himself this way, He refers to His own human nature, which He has taken with Him back to heaven; the beloved Son of God has returned back to the Father in the human body, which makes Him become the Son of Man.
35 Jesus then said to them, Still a little time is the light among you. Walk in the manner of the light you have, so that darkness might not overtake you; but the one walking in the darkness does not know where he is going.
“Jesus then said to them …” When the beloved Son of God was on earth as a human, He had told all humans, then and now, that His teaching is the light for all people. Therefore, all humans should meditate and pray on His teachings. While He was among them, He Himself was the light, but soon He would leave them and also give all the true light, the Holy Bible. Now, the true light is in the Holy Bible because the beloved Son of God has returned back to heaven. Still, He never took His light from humans, which is why His teachings will remain and be the true light for everyone who comes and meditates on His teachings; follow what He has taught, and that is what the true believer in Him should do.
“Walk in the manner of the light you have …” As believers, when you continue your life, if you abide in the beloved Son of God’s teachings, you still have light with you, and you can continue to walk in your daily life with faith and trust in the true light of the beloved Son of God.
“But the one walking in the darkness …” Whoever does not follow the teachings that the beloved Son of God has given in the Holy Bible, that person walks in the dark and does not know that his soul has walked into the pit of hell, and the person does not even know, that they are walking to destruction.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light. These spoke Jesus, and having gone away He was hidden from them.
“While you have the light …” As the verse has told us, walk when you have the light. The light in this place is faith in the Trinity of God; if you are a true believer and accept the Trinity of God in your soul, you become a child of the light.
“Having gone away He was hidden from them.” The Lord Jesus still continues His journey because He never stops long in one place; people have taken that as an indication that He is running away from problems, but the beloved Son of God still has much work to do. He went away from them but did not hide; instead, He went out and worked for the light by telling them about the mercy of the Father. He Himself also taught them and told them what they should do to be saved; so, meditate and study and pray for mercy to understand, and the living word also will become the light for your soul.
Believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man
As we read and reflect on John 12, we notice that during the time of the Lord Jesus on earth, many people did not believe in Him, despite His performing many miraculous signs. This lack of faith fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. Today, many of us can behave similarly; out of fear of judgment or a desire to fit in with the world, we may hide our faith or outright reject the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. As a result, we may resemble some of the rulers from that time, as described in John 12:41-43.
John 12:41 These things said Isaiah, because he saw His glory, and spoke concerning Him.
Isaiah has seen the glory of the beloved Son of God, and that glory has impacted his heart, and the Father has used him to prophesy the word and write it down.
42 Nevertheless, even also out of the rulers, many believed in Him; but on account of the Pharisees, they were not confessing in order that they might not be put out of the synagogue:
From this verse, let all readers note those who believed in the beloved Son of God but were afraid of people, which made their hearts closed to receiving the word. This world has blinded many eyes; those who want to be accepted by people have forgotten that it is much better to be accepted by God than by people. Still, if you want to be someone of this world and ignore the voice of God in your heart, you will be like these people, be the rulers but afraid to be kicked from the worship place; think first, the worship place of this earth may accept you, but the place of worship in heaven has denied you because you have listened to humans before listening to God.
43 for they took pleasure in the opinion of people more than the opinion of God.
For the ones that take pleasure in the opinion of people, the opinion of God becomes nothing for them because by glory from people, they will be lifted up on this earth, and their eyes could see that glory now, but the glory of God is not of this earth, but the earth that will come later. And humans are not willing to wait to receive glory later, so they choose to receive glory from people now instead of waiting for God.
Conclusions
We must seek the glory that comes from God, rather than from man, meaning that we should strive to understand who the Lord Jesus is through the Spirit of God, not through the spirit of man. While the Lord Jesus is now with the Father, He sends us the Holy Spirit to be our Teacher and guide in this world. It is essential to recognize that the evil one may use anyone to undermine the Word of God and create confusion within the church. In Acts 20:28-30, the Apostle Paul warns the Ephesian elders about fierce wolves that will come among the flock of the Lord Jesus, seeking to deceive the faithful. He cautions that even from their own ranks, men will arise, speaking twisted truths in an attempt to gain disciples for themselves. Therefore, it is not only the responsibility of the elders but of all believers to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach us. We should seek His help in reading, meditating on, and understanding the Word of God. Ultimately, we are responsible for our own faith, especially since we have the true Teacher, the Holy Spirit, available to guide us.
As faithful followers of the Lord Jesus, we must never forget His teachings about the Holy Spirit. After His ascension to the Father, the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to Earth, referring to Him as the Spirit of truth. This is illustrated in John 14:15-17: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” It is our responsibility to ask the Holy Spirit to teach us the truth about the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit should be our true Teacher, and we must invite Him to guide us in our journey of faith on earth. We must also remain vigilant, being aware of false teachers and prophets who distort the Word of God for their own gain.
Meditation Tasks
- We encourage all readers to meditate and pray about which Bible to use, and we invite everyone to check out our article titled, “What Books of the Bible Should Form the Canon of Scripture and Why?”
- Meditate on the Holy Spirit as our true Teacher of the Word of God, and review our article titled “Holy Spirit Proceeding.”