Saturday, May 11th, 2013.
An important part of rightly dividing the Bible is knowing the audience.
Before hastily applying doctrine to yourself ask, “Who is the audience?”, and follow it up with, “Am I in the audience?”
If you are not the audience, then the doctrine cannot be applied to you. You can learn from it, but should not live in it.
Many books of the Bible reveal the audience in the first few verses.
For example, Obadiah says, “The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom” (Oba 1:1).
Since the Lord is speaking to Edom we do not apply the doctrine of Obadiah to ourselves.
Malachi 1:1 says, “The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.”
Since the LORD is talking to Israel, we do not assume the doctrine of Malachi either.
These books are easily discerned and most would agree about their audience.
Here is another example for you to discern on your own as homework. Who is the audience of this book? Are you the audience? Does the doctrine apply to you?
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” – James 1:1
For His glory,
Justin “not Israel” Johnson