Understanding the difference between what Scripture describes and what God commands.
Issue 26 | November 14, 2026
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Romans 15:4, NKJV
Have you ever heard someone defend a belief or practice by saying, “Well, it’s in the Bible”? Perhaps you’ve said it yourself. Someone questions a belief we’ve held or a practice we’ve followed for years, and we respond by pointing to a passage where someone did something similar. Because it’s in the Bible, we assume it must be something God expects us to do. But is that necessarily true?
The Bible records people’s faith, obedience, mistakes, poor decisions, and sometimes outright disobedience. These accounts are part of God’s inspired Word, but that doesn’t mean every action recorded in Scripture is something we’re supposed to repeat. There’s a difference between Scripture telling us what someone did and telling us what God expects us to do. When we overlook that distinction, we can build beliefs and even church practices around things God never required.
It’s in the Bible, but What Is It Teaching?
In biblical interpretation, we sometimes use the terms descriptive and prescriptive. Descriptive passages tell us what happened; prescriptive passages communicate what God commands or expects. Understanding the difference requires us to consider the context, purpose, and broader teaching of Scripture rather than assuming every biblical example is an instruction.
Consider Gideon in Judges 6. When God called him to deliver Israel, Gideon asked for confirmation through a fleece. He wanted dew on the fleece while the ground remained dry, then asked God to reverse the conditions. God responded to both requests. But does that mean we should put out a fleece, or devise a similar test, whenever we’re trying to determine God’s will?
The passage tells us what Gideon did and how God responded. It doesn’t establish his method as the prescribed way for believers to seek direction. We can learn about God’s patience with Gideon without assuming we must reproduce his experience. Sometimes we turn what God did in a particular situation into a spiritual formula, expecting the same result if we repeat the same actions. Scripture has not necessarily given us that instruction.
When Biblical Examples Become Requirements
This matters even more when we move from personal interpretation to teaching others what God requires. Churches establish practices, traditions, and procedures for legitimate reasons. Some are directly commanded in Scripture; others are practical ways of applying biblical principles. Healthy churches need structure, accountability, and order. The concern arises when we present our particular practices as universal biblical requirements without sufficient support from Scripture.
Consider the early church in Acts 2 and Acts 4. Believers shared possessions, sold property, and distributed resources to meet the needs of others. Their generosity reflected the unity and care of the church. These accounts teach important principles about stewardship and caring for one another, but they do not command every Christian to sell personal property or surrender all possessions to church leadership.
In Acts 5:4, Peter makes clear that Ananias retained authority over his property and the proceeds from its sale. His sin was deception, not a failure to give something he was required to surrender. When we overlook that context, we can turn voluntary generosity into an obligation Scripture never imposed.
The principle extends beyond giving. A church may establish expectations for leadership development, ministry participation, or financial accountability. Those expectations may be wise and necessary. But there’s a difference between saying, “This is how we’ve chosen to operate responsibly as a ministry,” and saying, “God requires every believer or church to do it this way.” People trust spiritual leaders to represent God’s Word faithfully. We must not give our preferences, traditions, or organizational decisions the same authority as God’s commands.
Learning From Scripture Without Misusing It
None of this means biblical accounts are merely historical records with no application to our lives. Romans 15:4 reminds us that what was written before was written for our learning. God teaches us through people’s obedience, failures, and the consequences of their decisions. Sometimes Scripture also makes clear that an action is intended as an example for us.
In John 13, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and explained what they were to learn from His actions. He called them to follow His example of humble service. The account describes what Jesus did, and His words help us understand how His disciples should respond. That is why we must read carefully rather than treating every biblical account the same way.
Who is speaking, and who is being addressed? What is happening in the passage? Is God commanding something, approving an action, correcting behavior, or allowing us to see what happened? How does it fit within the broader teaching of Scripture? Those questions matter before we build beliefs or practices around a particular account.
Before the Wind Settles
I wonder how many things we’ve accepted as biblical requirements because someone showed us where something similar happened in Scripture. Perhaps we learned it growing up in church, heard it from someone we respect, or followed the practice for so long that we never examined its foundation. And if we’re honest, some of us may have taught things that way ourselves.
This isn’t about becoming suspicious of everything we’ve learned or dismissing practices that have served the church well. It’s about being responsible with God’s Word. We don’t have to question the authority of Scripture to question whether we’ve interpreted it correctly. Our respect for Scripture should make us more careful about what we claim it teaches, especially when we lead or teach others.
So the next time we say, “It’s in the Bible,” perhaps we should ask one more question: Is this what Scripture is teaching us to do, or is it simply telling us what someone did? When we use Scripture to guide our lives and influence the lives of others, that distinction matters.
Until next time,
Dr. Netra Boykin
Clarity in the Wind
Unveiled | Living Letters
Clarity. Discernment. Faithfulness.
Go Deeper
This week, consider how you distinguish between what Scripture describes and what God commands. Think about a belief or practice you’ve accepted or taught, and examine the passages used to support it.
Interpretation: Have I accepted a belief or practice simply because it appears in Scripture without examining what the passage teaches?
Application: Am I treating someone’s biblical experience as a formula or requirement God never established?
Responsibility: If I teach or lead others, am I distinguishing between biblical commands, sound applications of biblical principles, and our own ministry practices?
As you reflect, consider whether you’ve read those passages in context and whether your understanding is consistent with the broader teaching of Scripture.
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