The Netherlands Beat India. When you read that what comes to your mind? Don’t you ask automatically, “In what sport?” Don’t you automatically seek to find the context? Don’t you want to know the fullstory before you jump to conclusions? Today as I write these words – on 13 December 2018 as I write these words – the Netherlands, the World Number 4 team beat India in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, in the 2018 World Cup Hockey Tourney, the scoreline being 2-1, in the quarterfinals. Though disappointing it was not a shock because, the last time India reached a World Cup Hockey Semifinal was way back in 1975 (when they went on to eventually win the World Cup, incidentally their only Hockey World Cup win!). But if Netherlands were to beat India, say (God forbid) in the 2019 Cricket ODI World Cup, it will be a shock! Why? While India are former World Cup champs twice over in ODIs, Netherlands are minnows – chota bachas – when it comes to ODI World Cups! You see, the context determines the meaning! You see, the context is very important! When this is so, why don’t we read the Bible in context? Why doesn’t this come automatically to our minds, the way it comes when we read the head-line, “The Netherlands Beat India”.
Hyper-grace cult false teachers quote 2 Cor. 5:21 which teaches that believers are the righteousness of God to sort of say, “God winks at the stubborn sins you commit as a believer because, “no matter what you do”, you are the righteousness of God!” But the very next verse – which is incidentally is in the next chapter – 2 Cor. 6:1 clearly teaches that we must not use the grace of God in vain (i.e. we must use the grace of God to overcome sin – Rom. 6:15!). Hyper-grace Bible Twisters use Eph. 2:8-9 to teach we are saved by grace and not by works in a tone and manner which suggests that doing good works as a believer out of gratitude because we are saved by grace is NOT important. But is that what Paul means to teach there? Look at the context. Reading below and above a verse will often give us the context of a verse, typically. Look at the next verse – Eph. 2:10 which teaches that we are saved to do good works!!! So, do not allow anyone to pullout verses out of context from the Bible, to teach false teaching like hyper-grace and take you to hell along with them! Beware! “Rightly handle the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
(Rev. Dr. Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Gen from Gehenna Mission. This is a reader-supported Indian ministry to presentday people. Find out more at www.dukev.org).
