Within the pages of Holy Writ, God has given us clear directions as to how the Bible is to be interpreted. Because everyone who ignores those directions endangers his own soul and the souls of those he influences, we need to know what those directions are and how to apply them as we study God's Word (1 Timothy 4:16).

 Since God expects those who interpret His Word to believe what He has said about that Word, what the Bible says about itself is fundamental to sound Bible interpretation. Therefore, what the Bible says about its own inspiration, authority, truthfulness, purpose, sufficiency, and clarity  factors into how we approach Scripture and how we deal with what it says. Likewise, one cannot remain ignorant of the Gospel and expect to understand what the Bible is talking about. Therefore, we must approach God's Word as little children viewing all that it says through the eyes of personal faith in Christ (Luke 1:51, Matthew 11:25, Luke 10:21, 1 Corinthians 1:17-21).
 

 There are a number of passages in Scripture that clarify and explain the phrase, "continue in My Word". As I go through those passages you will notice that I do not explain them. I simply point out how they relate to the phrase "continue in My Word". For example: there is a relationship between the words, "Add thou not unto His words lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" and the phrase "continue in My Word" (Proverbs 30:6). The relationship lies in the fact that all additions to God's Word must come from outside that Word. Therefore, those who add to Christ's Word do not continue in His Word but instead go outside it.

 There is also a relationship between the words, "We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth, and the spirit of error", and the phrase, "continue in My Word" (1 John 4:6, John 8:31). In this case the relationship lies in the fact that those who refuse to hear God's Word depart from what it says. By rejecting and explaining away the words of Scripture they cease to continue in the Word of God, and reveal to all the fact that they are not really disciples of Christ.

 The relationship between the words, "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation", and the phrase, "continue in My Word," lies in the fact that private interpretation always involves a departure from God's Word (2 Peter 1:20). Those who refuse to accept what a particular passage says look for another interpretation and end up reading their own personal (private) opinions into the Word of God. They depart from the Word of God both by rejecting the intended meaning and by reading unscriptural ideas into the words of the passage.

 The relationship between the words, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me," and the phrase, "continue in My Word," lies in the fact that if we continue in His Word, what we teach will be His doctrine, not our doctrine (John 7:16-17). In other words, if we continue in His Word our doctrine will not consist of ideas that we, or others, have come up with but will consist of that teaching explicitly set forth in the words of Scripture "line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10, John 7:16-17).

 The relationship between the words, "In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," and the phrase, "continue in My Word," lies in the fact that those who teach "for doctrine the commandments of men" have departed from the Word of God (Mark 7:7). When they explain away passages that contradict their "tradition" they depart from the Word of God again, "Making the word of God of none effect" through their tradition (Mark 7:9&13). Their man-made commandments are an addition to God's Word, and they take from God's Word by explaining away what it actually says (Revelation 22:18-19).

 The relationship between the words, "Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God," and the phrase, "continue in My Word," lies in the fact that all who would explain away the words of Scripture or add their word to the Word of God are attempting to make themselves God (Isaiah 14:13).  This has been true of false prophets throughout history. When Ezekiel condemned the false prophets of his day for prophesying "out of their own heart" and following "their own spirit", their attempt to make their own word into the Word of God was nothing other than a Satanic attempt to be God (Ezekiel 13:2,3&17). Likewise, when Jeremiah accused the false prophets of speaking "a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD" or of prophesying "the deceit of their own heart", it was because they were attempting to make their own word into the Word of God (Jeremiah 23:16&26 and 14:14). By adding to God's Word they failed to "continue in" that Word (John 8:31).

 The relationship between the words, "We write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge," or the words, "We use great plainness of speech," and the phrase, "continue in My Word" lies in the fact those who truly "continue in" the Word of God will find in it no teaching other that what the words explicitly say (2 Corinthians 1:13 and 3:12). Those who reject the "plain" grammatical meaning of the words, those who deny commonly accepted figures of speech in order to change the meaning of the words, those who invent non-existent figures of speech in order to get around those words, and those who read other meanings into the text have departed from the Word of God. Therefore, when we refer to this meaning of the words as "the literal meaning", we mean the grammatical meaning rather than the surface meaning. [The clarity of Scripture Proverbs 8:9, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 19:7]

 The relationship between the words, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God," and the phrase, "continue in My Word" lies in the fact that because the Bible gives us everything we need to trust in Christ and know we have eternal life there is no need to supplement what it says (1 John 5:13). In fact,s unscriptural ideas can only obscure the truth (John 8:31). [The sufficiency of Scripture Matthew 4:4, Romans 10:17, John 20:31]

 Finally, the relationship of the statement, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they that testify of me" to the phrase "continue in My Word" lies in the fact that we must know God's Word and understand that it was written to testify of Christ if we are to continue in it (John 5:39). [The purpose of Scripture John 20:31, 1 John 5:13]

 Therefore, a true disciple of Christ will never add to the Bible, read unscriptural ideas into the Bible, or reject and explain away what the Bible says. On the contrary, instead of teaching man-made traditions and explanations, a true disciple of Christ will teach what the Bible clearly and explicitly says.
 

 There are a number of passages in Scripture that clarify and explain the phrase, "If they speak not according to this Word". As I go through those passages you will notice that I do not explain them. I simply point out how they relate to the phrase, "according to this Word". For example: there is a relationship between the words, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," and the phrase, "according to this Word" (Romans 12:2). The relationship lies in the fact that the renewing of our mind goes hand in hand with learning to think in accord with what the Bible explicitly says, or, as the Apostle Paul put it, with "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).

 The relationship of the words, "Let God be true, but every man a liar" to the phrase, "according to this Word" lies in the fact that we "let God be true" by accepting His Word while rejecting any opinions that are not in accord with that Word (Romans 3:4).

 The relationship of the words, "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation," to the phrase, "according to this Word" lies in the fact that any interpretation which contradicts what the Bible explicitly says, is a private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). For example: Because Christ said, "every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" any interpretation that contradicts those words must be rejected as false (John 6:40). If false prophets come up with 100 interpretations that contradict those words, their interpretations must still be rejected as false (Romans 3:4). We are to let the words of Scripture stand and reject all interpretations that contradict those words (Isaiah 8:20).

 The relationship of the words, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding," to the phrase, "according to this Word" lies in the fact those who will not correct their thinking "according to" the explicit statements of Scripture are not trusting in what God has said, but are instead leaning to their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). [See Proverbs 23:4]

 The relationship of the words, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death," to the phrase, "according to this Word" lies in the fact that the way that "seemeth right unto a man" must be rejected when it contradicts the Word of God (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25).

 The relationship of the words, "let every man prove his own work," to the phrase, "according to this Word" lies in the fact that we prove a particular teaching by first finding out if the Bible actually says it, and then by making certain that it is not being interpreted to contradict anything else that the Bible says. In order to do this we must clearly distinguish between what the Bible explicitly says and what it is interpreted to say. Since we are supposed to interpret unclear passages in the light of what the Bible explicitly says, interpretations are only valid when we interpret unclear passages to teach the same doctrine that is taught in the clear passages (Isaiah 8:20). [See Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21]

 Because the Bible was written to testify of Christ, if our understanding is going to be in accord with that testimony we must interpret all else that the Bible says in the light of what it says about Christ and the righteousness that is ours through faith in His sacrifice (Isaiah 8:20, John 5:39 and 20:31, 1 John 5:13, Romans 9:30 – 10:4).

 Finally, because the Bible says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," we cannot truly speak "according to" that Word if we do not rightly divide "the Word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
 

 First of all there is no such thing as partial righteousness! A person is either totally righteous in the sight of God, or totally unrighteous. Either he has been cleansed of "all unrighteousness" by the blood of Christ, or even his "righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (1 John 1:7-9, Isaiah 64:6). With God there is no middle ground (James 2:10).

 Secondly, the law cannot make anyone righteous! As it is written, "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). Therefore, if we are to rightly divide the Word of truth, it is of key importance for us to understand that God does not want us trying to make people righteous by the law. Instead we are to use the law to make them aware of their sin. We are not to urge people to keep this or that law as if such partial obedience could make them righteous. Instead, we are to condemn all sin, calling on all to repent and look to Christ for forgiveness. The law was not given to make men righteous, but to make them sinners and to point them to Christ as the only source of true righteousness (Romans 3:19, Galatians 3:21-22). This is important because it is impossible to rightly understand the Gospel unless you first see yourself as totally sinful and can say with Paul, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18).

 Thirdly, true righteousness comes only through faith in Christ! As it is written, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes" (Romans 10:4). Through faith in Christ we are absolved of all guilt and have Christ's own righteousness given to us as a free gift (Romans 3:28, 5:16&19, 9:30-33). Therefore, if you are to rightly divide the Word of truth, you must understand that it is forgiveness, not works, that makes us obedient in the sight of God. Our obedience is not the obedience of effort, but the obedience of faith (Romans 16:26).  That being the case, whenever the Bible speaks of keeping the "commandments", you only divide the Word of God correctly if you understand that we keep those commandments through faith in Christ, not through trying to make ourselves righteous (John 14:21).

 Throughout history false prophets have strengthened the hands of evildoers by explaining away the words of God's law, rationalizing sin, and telling them that their own works make them righteous (Jeremiah 23:14, Galatians 1:6-9, Mark 7:9-13). At the same time false prophets have burdened and hindered those who are truly righteous (through faith in Christ) by telling them that faith is not enough, that one must also have works or obey to have God's favor. Remember: there is no such thing as partial obedience! We either do all the Law requires or we are guilty of all (James 2:10, Galatians 5:3, Romans 2:13, Luke 11:52, Ezekiel 13:22).