What is Inclusive Continuity in Bible study?

Inclusive Continuity is a method of testing all doctrines and truth-claims against the entire Bible to ensure they align with God’s Word.

Why is context and word meaning important in studying Scripture?

Because incorrect definitions or isolated verses can disguise false doctrines as truth, leading believers away from God’s message.

Inclusive Continuity: Our Firewall Against Error

5 minutes

The Meaning of "Inclusive Continuity"

Inclusive Continuity is a study paradigm that subjects all promoted biblical doctrines or truth-claims to scrutiny for authenticity. Are claims being made true or false when considering all of what the Bible teaches on any given topic? We have found many doctrines we once believed, upon inspection are false, even though they are “based” on Bible verses we would all agree are individually true. What cunning intellect can devise such a thing—how is this possible?

We know that “context” is important, but so is the labor-effort of looking up everything the Bible has to say on any given subject. This can be very time-consuming on some topics, and not everyone is up to the challenge it represents, so, it is much easier to trust someone else to do the research and simply trust their conclusions. Why else do we seek the guidance of Bible commentaries and books teaching us what to believe? But are we leaving the responsibility of “understanding” to others at a cost to our own detriment?

With eternity at stake and eternal union with Chirst in the balance, do we not owe it to ourselves to know the Bible personally? Solomon gave us some very sound advice in opposition to trusting human judgment:

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.

The Call to Study Scripture Personally

Only God should direct our paths. Nothing, and we do mean nothing, can be added to the Bible or our understanding of it beyond genuine Spirit-led pursuit of its truths, revealed to us personally from His Word. We believe each of us has the capacity to become a student of the Bible, and we are told to do just that:

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.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Veracity and the Importance of Words

On any given topic, all of what the Bible has to say must ring true in any truth-claim or doctrine. A truth-claim is proven false if any part of the Bible disagrees with it.

Veracity: power of conveying or perceiving truth (Merriam-Webster)

The Danger of False Doctrine in the Church

Consider the importance of “words” and the meaning we attach to them. Definitions are very important as there are people in the world whose purpose is to undermine the veracity of God’s Word. If you accept an incorrect meaning or application of a word, you may be accepting a false doctrine disguised as truth.

False doctrine began entering the church in the first century and continues today. The Bible teaches against false prophets who seek to deceive the faithful by perverting the truth thus leading God’s people astray:

Ephesians 4:13-16, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Pursuing Truth Together in Christ

Our pursuit of the truth is our mission, our passion. We join with fellow believers in the crusade to expose deception, and that is purpose enough. God’s peace to you all.