Hi, I’m Christina!
I’m an attorney, writer, and believer.
This is where I post my thoughts and findings on various biblical and self-development topics.
How Do I Go About My Research?
How do I choose which scripture to use when given a topic to research? As a lawyer, the proof (evidence) is the most important.
When writing to a Court, you have to first cite to the law you’re basing your argument on. The law you choose to cite carries different weight. If the law you’re relying on is made by a Supreme Court, then that carries a lot of weight and the Court you’re writing to will most likely side with you. If the law you choose to cite is from a lower court such as a District Court, well, that is still a very “high up” court so it does carry a lot of weight but not as much as that Supreme Court support. Say you reference law that came from a different state than the Court you are writing to but that different state court is at the same “level” of authority as the Court you are trying to persuade…Well, that law may help you, but the Court you are writing to is not likely to agree with you because it is from a different state, not their state rules.
So how does all that apply to my research? Well, I look at Jesus as basically the Supreme Court. The ultimate authority. The red-letter scriptures. Since he was God in the flesh, his testimony is controlling authority. Whenever I get a topic to research, I first go straight to the Gospels to see what Jesus said about it. Who is next? The Apostles appointed by Jesus who learned from his teaching directly. Some of them have letters preserved in the Bible. Next, the Prophets (especially the ones Jesus acknowledges). Lastly, just human testimony stated in the Bible such as the books of Jude and James.
So, the order of authority is….
1. Jesus;
2. The 12 Apostles who learned directly from Jesus;
3. Prophets who interpreted God’s messages (like Isaiah, Jeramiah, Jonah, and John the Baptist); then
4. Other humans.
I believe all text in the Bible is there for a reason. However, the text should be given different weight depending on the author and speaker. I put all scripture through the Gospel filter. If the scripture doesn’t line up with Jesus’ teachings, then I do not give it much weight. Even Jesus acknowledged that Moses gave commandments that God did not intend [Jesus speaking about Moses creating divorce, not God. See Deuteronomy 24:1, Matthew 19:8, and Mark 10:5. See also Matthew 15:3-9]. And in Matthew 5:38-39 Jesus says not to follow the law in Exodus 21:23-25 about an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth...” That we should not pay back wrong for wrong but rather turn your cheek.
The Bible is the most fascinating book I’ve ever read! I look at it as more of a library rather a book in the traditional sense because the authors had no idea that one day their writings would end up in a single book for all believers to follow. It was originally written in two languages, Hebrew and Greek (some Aramaic). There are approximately 40 different authors (all different educational, status, and social backgrounds). The library of letters and books included in the Bible were written over a course of approximately 1,500 years!! These authors wrote in areas of Asia, Europe, and Africa. I believe that these selected writings, put together in a single book, was inspired by God.
