God gave a guaranteed litmus test for discerning biblical truth
John 2:18-22
Then answered the Jews and said to him, What sign do you show to us seeing that you do these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up[1]
Then said the Jews Forty and six years was this temple in building and will you raise it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body
When, because of this, he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them, and they believed the scripture Psalm 16:10, Hosea 6:2, Acts 13:37 and the word which Jesus had said
Comments:
[1] John 2:19 Jesus said that he would raise his own body up. Only God could do such a thing. Verse :21, clearly states that his resurrection would be a physical one, that it would be his actual body that would rise from the dead.
Claiming that he would raise himself from the dead, was the same as claiming Jahvistic identity. It was a clear reference to both his identity as the Almighty—YHWH—and to his physical resurrection.
Both of these facts are attested to in New Covenant scriptures, including 2 Timothy 3:16 (Received Text) and Acts 2:31. But, at this point, there were as yet no New Covenant sacred writings. So, how could the disciples know for sure that what Jesus claimed was true?
John 2:22 This passage also addresses how to discern true from false. His earliest followers had a standard by which to gauge the things he told them. And Jesus was careful to walk and talk according to that standard, according to what had already been written Isaiah 8:20.
Old Covenant sacred writings alluded to Messiah’s death and resurrection Psalm 16:10, Hosea 6:2, Acts 13:37. And after his resurrection, his disciples understood this, and John tells us that after he had risen, they understood and then believed the scriptures. They believed what had already been written.
Isaiah wrote that if anyone claims to bring light that cannot be confirmed by what has already been written, then the righteous are free to ignore them, because there is no light in them Isaiah 8:20.
In the disciple’s day, the Old Covenant sacred writings were what they had. That means that what Jesus taught, and all subsequent teaching—New Covenant teaching—must be confirmed by what had already been written in the Old Covenant scriptures, … we read in the Book of Acts, where the Bereans did just that.
And we should do just that.
Through Isaiah, God gave Believer’s a safety net, a litmus test, a sure-fire barometer and protection against false teachings. That’s why knowing and rightly discerning the Word of God is so important.
When the satan tried to get Jesus to sin by quoting scripture, what was our Savior’s response?
Jocelyn Andersen challenges the status quo with an often non-traditional and out-of-the-box approach to biblical understanding. She writes and speaks on a variety of subjects including Bible Prophecy, God and Women, and Christian response to domestic violence. Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television.
Note from the editor: I read my Bible every day, always picking up today where I left off yesterday. I call this my “on track” Bible reading. I have been doing this for over 44 years. It was the best advice I was ever given, and it changed my life. If you are not presently doing the same, I invite you to join me. How much you read on a daily basis isn’t important. It only matters that you read, feeding your spirit with a prayerful dose of the living and powerful Word of God.