How can we know if a Bible knowledge commentary online is valid and is following the Word of God? This is a very important topic, as truth concerning God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit matters greatly. Jesus said that when we know the truth, we shall be free. What did Jesus mean by this?
When we follow false beliefs, we cannot be free. Millions of people on earth practice things every day that God never asked of them, yet believe these practices bring them closer to God. Sadly, these religious practices have no power to cleanse the soul from sin.
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: Rightly Dividing the Word of God
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)
This verse tells us that some Jews did believe in Jesus. This must have brought Jesus great joy, that some of His own countrymen followed Him. The disciples, Jesus says, are those who continue in His word. What is the Word of God? The Word is truth.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)
If the Bible is truth — which we know it is — then how is it that many churches teach false doctrines? It is because pagan beliefs crept into the church as early as the first century, and modern Christianity still carries many beliefs rooted in paganism. Yet God has always preserved His true church, described in Revelation 12, led by God to remain grounded solely in the Bible. Some Bible knowledge commentaries online are not entirely biblical.
This is not to say we cannot gain truth and valuable insight from these commentaries. But a better way to study the Bible is through cross-referencing. This technique is very important. When studying a topic or verse, it is excellent practice to find cross-references showing how other Bible texts relate to that verse. This is what makes a Bible knowledge commentary online truly rich and engaging.
I believe many people do not study the Bible deeply enough, because simply reading a chapter occasionally, without digging further, is far less compelling than studying a topic through cross-references. Take, for example:
“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.” (Colossians 1:5)
In this verse alone, there are many topics worth studying — hope, heaven, the word of truth, the gospel. From here, the goal is to dig deeper into Scripture. The hardest part is finding a Bible or Bible app that allows you to study with cross-references. Take the topic of hope, for instance — there are hundreds of Bible verses on this subject you could study. You can see, my friend, how studying the Bible this way becomes deeply engaging.
It could take a few weeks just to study the topic of hope thoroughly. Then you could study the Greek and Hebrew behind each verse, followed by the context of the surrounding chapter. As you can see, you can conduct a meaningful Bible study yourself, without relying solely on a Bible knowledge commentary online. These commentaries can be helpful, but their authors were not divinely inspired.
They are people who have devoted long practice to reading and explaining the Bible, so that the Lord can work through them. And when they preach the Word faithfully, the Lord can indeed speak through them. But as we have studied before, most churches today exist in a Babylonian state and thus hold to false beliefs. Keep reading this blog, as correct Bible prophecy interpretation is revealed only by God — and Jesus said in Revelation 12 that He gave the spirit of prophecy, the gift of correctly explaining prophecy, to a specific group of people called the remnant, or the three angels’ messengers.
I have seen people who claim to preach and explain the Bible who do not even understand the basics of avoiding taking a verse out of context. It is a serious thing to speak in the name of God, and we cannot take this responsibility lightly. Taking a verse out of context is like taking a sentence out of a speech and making someone appear to say something they never said. This amounts to deception, to misrepresentation, and to giving an inaccurate picture of someone’s character.
We need to be honest students of the Bible. Your Bible knowledge commentary online needs to be examined carefully — do not accept what a writer says without first checking it against Scripture yourself, to see whether what he says is true. This matters greatly if truth is important to you, and if you do not want to believe a lie.
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: Afraid of False Beliefs
On the other hand, there is another pitfall we should avoid: becoming so fearful of false doctrine that we stop studying the Bible further and simply remain content with what we already believe. This is dangerous ground.
This is much of what Laodicea is doing — the very reason Jesus says He wants to spit it out of His mouth. Once we become satisfied with what we currently believe, we fall into a stagnant position and stop growing in grace and truth. We need to keep following Jesus, because God continually sends us new truth to study. If we resist and refuse the truth He sends, we fall into a Laodicean state.
“And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” (John 17:19)
In this verse, Jesus also speaks of being sanctified through the truth. Refusing the new light God sends makes us dishonest — even liars — since truth is the opposite of lies, and refusing truth makes us complicit in falsehood. When the Pharisees accepted truth up to a certain point but then said, “This man, Jesus — we do not want to believe in Him,” they fell back into darkness, and no further light was revealed to them.
In fact, God does not send new light to those who refuse the truth already given, until they first accept what has already been revealed to them. The question is: did the writers of your Bible knowledge commentary online accept the truth that was sent to them? One of the dangers of failing to study the Bible correctly is failing to continue seeking further light within it. This stagnant state suggests one does not truly love God — because when we maintain a real connection with Him, He will speak to us and reveal wonderful things from His Word.
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:18)
One reason Babylon exists as it does is the refusal of new light, and contentment with what has already been attained. The first angel’s message was rejected in 1844 — you can study our article on Daniel 8:14 for more on this. Jesus then says that the churches became Babylon.
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7)
The first angel’s message was given and rejected by most churches. Yet many people within these churches heard God’s call, recognized Bible prophecy being fulfilled, and came out of the fallen churches.
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Revelation 14:8)
This describes the state of the churches after the first angel’s message was given — they became Babylon, having refused new light. When Noah preached the warning of the flood, many people still believed in God, even if they were wicked — atheism was not common in that time. Yet when new light came, calling them to “come into the ark,” nearly everyone refused it.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:5–8)
We have the example of the Pharisees, who were originally called to teach the people the Word of God, yet whose ministry became corrupt. So why didn’t the Jews become Babylon? Because their beliefs remained rooted in the Word of God. They became lukewarm — but because their faith came through Moses and the prophets, Israel could not become Babylon, though they did grow lukewarm. Babylon, by contrast, is a mixture of biblical truth with other beliefs, such as paganism.
Your Bible knowledge commentary online likely contains much truth — many of these resources do. We should continue studying the Bible, but we must always compare these commentaries against Scripture itself. The Pharisees accepted Moses, yet rejected the new message given to them — that this humble, simple, and kind man was the Son of God.
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: Who Comments on the Bible?
Who is qualified to comment on the Bible? Scripture is rightly explained only by those led by God — not every pastor is divinely guided. Many people today believe their own reasoning is sufficient to explain the Bible, without understanding that spiritual things can only be discerned spiritually.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Trying to explain divine things through human reasoning alone reflects deep spiritual blindness. Only God can reveal the true meaning of Scripture. We must come to the Bible reverently to understand its content, and only God — when and to whom He chooses — reveals its wonderful truths. God has chosen certain individuals to explain the Bible, often the simplest of people. He has used fishermen and shepherds to teach His Word. How, then, can we recognize who is truly led by God?
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: False Beliefs
We have seen the proper way to study the Bible. Bible study should begin with prayer. Then we must consider context — the context of the chapter, and the context of the whole Bible. We should also study the Greek and Hebrew, since some words are not always translated with full accuracy.
Your Bible knowledge commentary online should follow these principles in pursuit of truth, and above all, should encourage us to ask God to lead us into all truth.
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)
This is not the whole picture, however. One can read the most truthful book in the world — the Bible — and still choose to believe it is false. This often comes down to dishonesty. Will man judge God? No — God judges man. All honest people will accept the truth; all dishonest people will reject it. It is fundamentally a matter of honesty. Some believe it is simply a matter of education, but being educated does not make someone honest. There are many highly educated, credentialed people who remain dishonest — even within the scientific community.
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: Will Pagans or Christians Be Saved?
So the question arises: will all Christians be saved? No — Jesus said that many will attempt to enter heaven and will not be able to. Rightly dividing Scripture is essential to choosing your Bible knowledge commentary online wisely.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21–23)
I believe that people who have never heard the truth, but who are honest, will ultimately be saved — because God judges us according to the light we have received. We can conclude, then, that salvation comes mostly to the honest, rather than to a single privileged group. It is true that those who hear the truth of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and reject it are knowingly rejecting light.
Yet, as we have seen, all honest people will be saved. This means that those who have not yet heard about Jesus, but who are honest, will be saved by God, since they never had the opportunity to hear the truth in a way that would convict their hearts. Does this mean that everyone in a false religion is automatically condemned —
people who are atheists, Buddhists, or simply follow whatever the majority in their country believes? Since they have genuinely never heard the truth, they cannot fairly be held accountable for rejecting light they never received. This is part of correctly choosing your Bible knowledge commentary online.
“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.” (Acts 18:9–10)
This city was filled with pagans, yet God said He had many people there — many who did not yet know the full truth, but who, in their conscience, followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Bible Knowledge Commentary Online: The Remnant’s Beliefs
The Bible — and Jesus, who authored the book of Revelation through John — tells us that He has given special insight to a particular group, enabling them to rightly divide Scripture.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
God calls us to rightly divide, or correctly explain, the Bible. Those who do not understand the importance of avoiding taking verses out of context can do serious damage to their own spiritual life, and to others’.
“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16)
This is a serious matter, which is why we speak so often about correctly understanding and reading the Bible — because many lack this foundation, yet still go on to teach others. Choose wisely when seeking a Bible knowledge commentary online. Here, Paul speaks of being “unstable” — unstable in the pursuit of truth. When we take things out of their proper place, distorting the Bible’s general meaning, we twist what God is actually saying.
Some people have arrived at conclusions such as denying that Jesus is God, denying creation altogether, or blending evolution with the Bible. Many other dangerous beliefs have crept into the Christian church as well — such as treating Sunday as the Sabbath, or believing people go straight to heaven when they die. Your Bible knowledge commentary online should explain Scripture using Scripture itself, supporting its points with multiple Bible texts.
Be cautious of any Bible knowledge commentary online that relies on only a single verse to make a point.
I hope, my friend, that you have benefited from this article. Do you know that Jesus is your best friend? Do you know that Jesus truly loves you? Do you know that Jesus thinks of you constantly? What would keep you from accepting Jesus into your heart right now? Repeat after me: Father God, forgive my sins. Give me Your righteousness. Help me to spend time with You every day. Bless and heal me, please, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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