As all are aware, there is much false teaching in the world today. It is not found only in the "Left-field, whacky" world of false teachers most are aware of, it is also found in what is considered conservative, bible-believing churches. While some deliberately spout out false teaching, there is also false teaching that is not deliberate, meaning that the preacher is not aware that he is teaching false doctrine. These preachers are simply following the denominational slant or following the herd. But a preacher who doesn't learn the truth of Scripture is just as guilty as any known false teacher. A preacher's number one priority, duty, and responsibility are to study Scripture, learn what Scripture means, learn what Scripture teaches, and pass on that information to those he teaches. By this, those who trust him to teach Scripture truth can know what to believe, obey God and how to live their lives in a righteous way.
In order to study and learn Scripture, one must spend many hours a day reading, researching, and looking up as much information as one can. It is a full-time job, which can take up to 10+ hours a day, a true labor of love. A sign that a preacher doesn't study is when they resort to what is known as the "proof text" method of teaching. For those of you not familiar with this phrase or method, it is the practice of quoting a single verse or passage by itself and after reading the words, teaching a doctrine based solely on the one verse or passage read. Not only is this wrong, but it also presents false teaching. There is no one doctrine or teaching in Scripture that can be presented or validated by this method.
Verses that teach and collaborate a doctrine are scattered throughout Scripture. It is a preacher's job to study and locate any or many verses that firmly establish a doctrine. Putting a lesson together to teach others is like making a patchwork quilt. You get a little bit here and a little bit there and a little bit over there and you put them together to make a whole quilt.
One of the most popular and common teachings is that Jesus died for the sins of all people, believers or not. The proof text used to teach this is John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." You've all heard these taught numerous times. (I am going to do a study on misused words in Scripture. One of these is the word "world." There are different places in Scripture where the word "world" specifically means believers only, not all people.) But this is not the only verse that deals with who Jesus died for. You probably are familiar with some of the other verses I am about to show, but they are not pointed out as having a different meaning than John 1:29, or when read, nothing is pointed out. (You are going to have to look up the verses for yourself.) '
Isa 53:12. This verse states that "he bare the sins of many. "Many" does not mean all people.
Mat 1:21 This verse states Jesus shall save his people from their sins. All people are not Jesus's people.
Mat 26:28 "Shed for many for the remission of sins" Many does not include all people.
John 10:14-15 Jesus said, "I lay down my life for the sheep." We all know that all people are not included with those Jesus called "my sheep."
1Cor 15:3 When Paul uses the word "our" he is specifically referring to believers only, not all people.
Eph 5:25 Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. All people are not a part of the church.
Titus 2:14 When the word "us" is used in the New Testament, it only includes believers, not all people.
Heb 9:28 Christ was offered to bear the sins of many, not all people.
1Pet 2:24-25 "Bear our sins," meaning believers only.
1John 3:5
1John 3:16 "he laid down his life for us."
1John 4:10 "to be the propitiation, (reconciliation) for our sins."
Some will point to 1John 2:2 as teaching otherwise. But let me ask you a question, does Scripture contradict Scripture? Of course not. So what did John teach in this verse? In order to understand Scripture, you have to know the proper context. You have to also know the Jewish culture, the Jewish mindset and concerning this verse, the average Jewish person's attitude toward Gentiles. All Jews were taught from early childhood that all Gentiles were pagan dogs that had no chance of salvation, that only Jews were going to be saved. What the average Jew did not understand, because they hadn't been taught, is that the Old Testament does teach that Gentiles were to be included in God's plan to save all believers. It took the Apostles about 14 years to fully grasp this fact. Reading John 11:51-52 gives understanding to what John wrote in 1 John 2:2. John was writing to Jewish believers. Many of the Jews he wrote to didn't understand or refused to accept that some Gentiles would become true believers. Since the word "world" here means believers, not all people, John wrote that Jesus not only died for the Jewish believers, he also died for the Gentile believers scattered among the world.
I realize that for some, it doesn't matter what Scripture teaches or what Scripture says. Some will disagree with what I write because they will believe that I am giving a personal interpretation. There are those determined to believe what they want to believe or that whatever their preacher says is "gospel truth." I don't care if anybody believes me. I will never expect that I can personally convince anyone to believe anything. But, I don't ask or expect anyone to believe me, rather I point out Scripture, the same Scripture found in your bible and I connect the dots. Do you believe in Scripture? Any verse in Scripture has to align with the rest of Scripture, it is one book, not a book with two parts. It is one plan of salvation, not a salvation for the Jewish people in the O.T, and different salvation for the Gentiles thousands of years later. There is one faith, not a Jewish faith and a Gentile faith.
