Book, Chapter, and Verse
Very often practices are justified by “Scripture does not condemn it” or even “There is no book, chapter, and verse for having book, chapter, and verse.”
When we look at scripture we can see:
- Jesus used book, chapter and verse:
We see Jesus on several occasions saying to Satan, and others, “It is written”. In Matthew 22:23-33, Jesus again refers back to scripture when answering the Sadducees.
- The Apostles used book, chapter and verse:
We also know that Peter referenced several scriptures in Acts 2 and Paul in Acts 13, to prove that Jesus was the Christ.
- Christians used book, chapter and verse:
Apollos showed Jesus was the Christ from the Scriptures in Acts 18:24-28.
We can continue with more examples, but would like to hasten to add that it is easy to pull statements out of context. “A text without a context is a pretext.”
In Matthew 4:5-7, Satan cited book, chapter, and verse. We however know that he abused the meaning of the passage.
Here are some ways we can ensure that book, chapter, and verses are handled properly:
- Diligent study.
- Understand who is speaking, who is addressed, when a passage was written, where it was written, and why it was written.
- 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
- Always remember that the sum of God’s word is truth.
Psalm 119:160 “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”
- Stay within the word of God.
1 Corinthians 4:6 “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.”
Once again, we do not intend to ‘run’ your life for you. The choices are yours to make, but you need to know all of the facts to make a good decision. Do not just accept what has been written, read the scriptures for yourselves and see what God has said.
Article was condensed and derived from a sermon by Jeffrey W. Hamilton