New Feature:

MARKING YOUR BIBLE

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."¹ Paul's admonition is as valid today as it was to the Christians in Thessalonica in the 1st century. Like the Bereans,² Christians must read the Bible in order to ensure that the doctrines to which they adhere are true.

Unfortunately, most cults and alternative religions that claim to be Christian do not follow such biblical examples. Instead, the members of these groups follow the teachings of their religions without objectively checking their beliefs against the truth of Scripture. Such individuals thus fall into the trap of "Scripture Twisting," interpreting the Bible through the distorted lens of their beliefs instead of reading the Bible in order to form their beliefs.

Equally egregious is the inability of many Christians to refute such Scripture Twisting. When confronted with the unique interpretations that false Christian groups force upon the Bible, many Christians are either unable to explain what the passage really says, or are unable to understand the way in which the group in question is misinterpreting the passage.

This need for guidance in using the Bible for refuting the claims of pseudo-Christian groups is the motivation for a new feature in The Watchman Expositor:

PROVING ALL THINGS

Proving All Things will assist readers in marking their Bible so that, when confronted with the interpretation of a passage by an alternative religion, the Christian will be able to accurately respond and explain the true meaning of the passage. Each article in this series will contain three main features:

1 A color-coded guide for highlighting the passage.
2 Notes to write in the Bible's margins for quick reference.
3 A detailed explanation of how alternative religions interpret the passage, and an explanation of what the passage really says.

Let's look at each of these features.

COLOR CODING

Highlighting biblical passages is an excellent way to make particularly significant verses stand out. By utilizing a color code, where each color represents a particular doctrinal point, Christians can quickly and easily use their Bibles in evangelical encounters.

The staff at Watchman Fellowship has devised the following color code for Proving All Things:

God the Father - The passage is misinterpreted by alternative religions to support their teachings about God the Father.

Jesus Christ - The passage is misinterpreted by alternative religions to support their teachings about Jesus Christ.

The Trinity - The passage is misinterpreted by alternative religions to disprove the Trinity, or to reinterpret the Godhead.

Salvation - The passage is misinterpreted by alternative religions to support the practices that they require for salvation.

Add / Subtract - Alternative religions either add words or meanings to the passage, or subtract words or meanings from the passage. This may be done through a mistranslation in their version of the Bible, or through an altered version of the passage in another scriptural or doctrinal work.

Context - Alternative religions ignore the context of the passage, either by emphasizing one element to the exclusion of the contextual meaning, or by misusing the passage within their particular worldview. Alternative religions may also apply a unique speculation to a prophetic passage.

Word Play - The meaning of the passage is distorted by alternative religions in one of two ways: 1) the group uses a word from a specific translation as if the revelation had originally been given in that language; or 2) the group interprets figurative passages literally, or literal passages figuratively.

MARGINAL NOTES

Marginal notes are an excellent way to remind readers of the meaning or significance of a particular biblical passage. The notes in Proving All Things will enable readers to quickly remind themselves of the meaning of a passage, and the way in which the passage is misused by alternative religions.

Each marginal note will be numbered. Readers should not write the numbers in their notes. Instead, the numbers correspond with the detailed explanations at the bottom of the article; this allows readers to understand exactly what the marginal notes mean. Readers will thus be able to effectively use the marginal notes when explaining the passage to others.

DETAILED EXPLANATIONS

The detailed explanations at the bottom of each article will clearly explain the meaning of each marginal note. Included in these explanations will be the accurate meaning of the passage, exact translations of specific Hebrew or Greek words, the significance of the passage in relation to other biblical passages, and ways in which the passage is misused by alternative religions.