All Scripture

             For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

             All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

                To be a Christian means to be a student of Christianity. To be a Muslim means to be a student of Islam. To be a scientist means to be a student of science. Whatever philosophy, religion, worldview, etc., you happen to claim, simply claiming to be one doesn’t make you one. They all require study, obedience, and the rejection of other, rival perspectives. The problem is that we don’t tend to study our chosen perspective well. Oh, we may hit the highlights, but we miss the details. Or we grab a couple of details to justify what we prefer and miss how they do, or do not, connect to the rest of what Scripture says.

                Everything in Scripture was written to teach us (which includes rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness). But unless we dig into it, we’re likely to miss the point being taught. Some people seem to think that if it’s in Scripture, God approves of it. “An eye for an eye” is taken to mean that we must inflict punishment that is equal to what was inflicted on us. But the cultures of the time tended to go far beyond an eye for an eye. They would slaughter whole cities in reprisal for an eye. Scripture doesn’t promote revenge. It limits it.

                One of the things that Scripture teaches is what Paul called “endurance.” It teaches us about God’s endurance and patience and teaches us to develop our own. For almost the whole of the Bible, which covers about 6000 years, God has been patiently working and waiting for the events described in prophecy to be completed so things could be set right. He waited thousands of years to make the sacrifice of His Son, in order to accomplish salvation for us. The Israelites waited for their kingdom and still wait for it. Individuals were given promises. In some cases, they waited a decade or more before they got what was promised. In some cases, they still haven’t gotten it.

                The detail that was specifically taught to one person, or to one group, may apply to everyone, or may not apply to another person or group. After all, what applies specifically to men, or to women, does not apply specifically to the other. Circumcision was not required of Gentile Christians in the book of Acts. Peter was specifically told to reject Jewish dietary restrictions and to ignore the teaching that he could not enter the home of a Gentile, which would have involved associating with them. While some might claim these things to be violations of what was taught earlier, it isn’t. But you need to dig deeper to understand. As some people explain it, “context is king.”