Reading Scripture faithfully requires more than selecting helpful verses or reacting to cultural moments.
The Bible is not a collection of disconnected texts. It is a unified witness to God’s purposes, centered on Jesus Christ and God’s work of restoration.
This page explains how Scripture is read on LastDaysLiving and why that approach shapes everything taught here.
This is not offered as a debate position.
It is offered for clarity.
Scripture as One Unified Story
Scripture is received as a unified whole, not as isolated parts.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a single, coherent story of God creating humanity for fellowship, humanity’s fall into separation through sin, and God’s ongoing work of restoration culminating in Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27; Ephesians 1:9–10).
Individual passages are understood within that larger story. No verse stands alone. Meaning is shaped by context, placement, and purpose within the whole counsel of Scripture (Acts 20:27).
This protects Scripture from being reduced to slogans, predictions, or moral fragments.
Reading in Context
Scripture is read in context.
This includes:
- literary context
- historical setting
- audience
- genre
- and placement within the broader narrative of Scripture
Passages are not treated as free-standing instructions detached from their setting (2 Timothy 2:15). Meaning is drawn from what the text is actually saying, not from what readers wish it to say.
Context guards against fear-driven interpretation and prevents Scripture from being used to support urgency, speculation, or reactionary teaching.
Christ as the Center of Scripture
Jesus Christ is the interpretive center of Scripture.
All of Scripture finds its coherence and fulfillment in Him (John 5:39; Colossians 1:16–20). This does not mean every passage speaks about Christ in the same way, but it does mean that every passage belongs within the story that leads to Him and flows from Him.
Scripture is not read as a manual for prediction or control, but as God’s revelation of His purposes, character, and redemptive work revealed most fully in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1–3).
Scripture is also received as the primary means by which God reveals His character.
Through the whole of Scripture, believers come to know who God is, what He is like, and how He acts toward His creation. Jesus Christ reveals God most fully, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to that revelation, guiding believers into truth consistent with God’s character (John 14:9; John 16:13).
This guards against shaping our understanding of God through experience, culture, or fear. God’s character is known because He has made Himself known in His Word.
Whole-Bible Reading Before Application
Application follows understanding, not the other way around.
Scripture first forms how believers see God, themselves, and the world. Only then does it shape behavior (Romans 12:1–2).
Quick application without careful reading often leads to distortion. Reading the whole of Scripture patiently allows God’s Word to shape belief, identity, and hope before it shapes action.
Faithful living flows from Scripture received as formation, not extracted for effect.
Scripture Interprets Scripture
Scripture is interpreted with Scripture.
Difficult or unclear passages are understood in light of clearer teaching elsewhere (2 Peter 1:20–21). No single verse is used to overturn the broader witness of God’s Word.
This guards against speculative theology, isolated proof-texts, and teaching that relies on novelty rather than faithfulness.
Scripture’s authority rests in its unity, not in selective emphasis.
Scripture as God’s Living Word
Scripture is received as inspired, authoritative, and trustworthy (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
It is not treated as a weapon to win arguments or as a code to unlock hidden timelines. It is God’s living Word, given to form His people in truth, wisdom, endurance, and hope (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12).
Scripture is read with humility, patience, and reverence, trusting that God uses His Word to shape faithful lives over time.
Reading Scripture for Formation, Not Fear
Scripture is not read to generate anxiety, urgency, or panic.
Because Christ reigns now and God’s purposes are secure, Scripture is received as a source of confidence and clarity, not dread (Isaiah 40:8; Titus 2:11–13).
Passages concerning suffering, judgment, or the future are read within the larger story of God’s restoration, not isolated to provoke fear or speculation.
Scripture and the Life of the Church
Scripture is meant to be read within the life of the Church.
Believers are formed as they hear Scripture taught, discussed, lived, and practiced in community (Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:16). No individual is meant to interpret Scripture in isolation or without accountability.
This site exists to serve the Church, not to replace it.
Readers are encouraged to live out their reading of Scripture within a local congregation, where faith is shaped through shared life, teaching, correction, and encouragement.
A Closing Clarification
How Scripture is read determines how faith is lived.
Reading the Bible as one unified, Christ-centered story allows believers to live faithfully without fear, urgency, or speculation.
Scripture forms steady disciples, not reactive ones.
This approach governs everything taught on this site.
This way of reading Scripture shapes the convictions expressed throughout this site. You can read those convictions here: What We Believe.
Reading Scripture faithfully shapes how discernment is practiced. That posture is explained further in Truth & Discernment.
Scripture forms believers for daily faithfulness. That lived dimension of faith is explored in Christian Discipleship.