Interpreting Scripture: Understand Purpose

When interpreting a passage of scripture its alway best to have some understanding about the purpose of what’s being written.

For instance in 1 John 5:1, “Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…”

OK, without giving some consideration to why the letter was written we might conclude that anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and the only thing we have to do is believe. Boom…. I believe therefore I am born of God and have a one way ticket to Heaven.

That would be a wrong conclusion for several reasons.

1 John was written was because there were Christians teaching that Jesus was not the Christ. They started with an incorrect premise. They reasoned that since all human flesh is sinful and deity cannot have anything to do with sin that deity could not dwell in a human body. Therefore Jesus had no deity in him… he was not the Christ.

OK so knowing that… let’s interpret the verse again. Whoever believes that deity indwells within Jesus is born of God. Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Christ are not born of God and are false teachers and false believers.

So the belief in this passage is used to contrast the belief of Christ-ians with the Anti-Christ-ians.

So you see the importance of understanding why a scripture was written and to not make some hasty application that might have disastrous consequences. After all Satan and his minions believed correctly that Jesus was the Christ but they were not “born of God” were they?