The Restoration Safe House

01/20/2026

When I was younger and more immature, I used to ask this question whenever something came up: Is it biblical?

At the time, I meant, Can it be found in Scripture?
But I eventually realized that Scripture contains many things that are biblical and yet not healthy.
Many things that are biblical and yet do not testify to Christ.

Scripture records r**e, murder, genocide, religious hierarchy, abuse of power, and the list goes on.
Being recorded in the Bible does not automatically mean it reflects the heart of God revealed in Jesus.

Through wise fathers in my life, trusted counsel from those who have walked this road longer than I have, and most importantly the Holy Spirit, I’ve learned not just how to read the Bible, but how to rightly apply it.

Here is what changed everything for me.

The ultimate aim of our faith was never to be like a book, because there was a time when the book did not exist.
Rather, the ultimate aim of our faith, the pinnacle of participating in the divine life, is what the early Church called theosis.

The real goal was never to be Bible-like.
The real goal has always been to be Christ-like.

So the question I ask now is no longer, Is it biblical?
The question I ask is this:

Is it faithful to the revelation of God our Father revealed through Jesus Christ The Living Word?

Because Jesus is the full revelation of God.
He is not a footnote in Scripture.
He is the lens through which Scripture is rightly seen.

If it does not look like Him, sound like Him, or flow from His self-giving love, then it must be held up to the light of Christ.

Truth is not merely written.
Truth is revealed in a Person.

- Joshua Jones

01/20/2026

No man is greater than his prayer life.

The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying.

We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.

Leonard Ravenhill

01/18/2026

Context, Culture, and Original Intent.

Because here's the thing: You can make the Bible say ANYTHING if you ignore who wrote it, who they wrote it to, and what was actually happening.

Watch how this works:

SAME VERSE, DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MEANINGS:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Without context: "Jesus will help me achieve my goals! I can win the game, pass the test, start the business!"

With context: Paul's in prison, facing possible ex*****on, talking about enduring both poverty and plenty. He's saying, "I can handle ANY circumstance, good or bad, through Christ's strength."

See the difference?

One makes it about YOUR success.

The other makes it about enduring ANYTHING with Christ's sufficiency.

Those aren't even close to the same message.

HERE'S WHY ORIGINAL INTENT MATTERS:

The Bible wasn't written TO you. It was written FOR you.

It was written TO:

Corinthians dealing with divisions and sexual immorality
Galatians being pressured to get circumcised
Thessalonians worried about dead believers and Jesus' return
Ephesians learning to live as a unified multi-ethnic church

Paul wasn't writing to give YOU life advice in 2025.

He was addressing THEIR specific situations in THEIR cultural moment.

And when you understand what he meant for THEM, you can faithfully apply the principles for US.

But if you skip that step? You end up making the Bible say whatever you want it to say.

THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO ASK:
1. Who wrote this?
A prophet? An apostle? A poet? A historian? Each has different goals and methods.

2. Who was the audience?
Jews? Gentiles? Mixed? Rich? Poor? Persecuted? Comfortable? That changes EVERYTHING.

3. What was happening?
What problem was being addressed? What crisis? What false teaching? What cultural pressure?

4. How would they have understood this?
What did these words mean in THEIR language, THEIR culture, THEIR time?

5. What's the timeless principle?
Once you know what it meant for them, THEN you can ask what it means for us.

WITHOUT CONTEXT, YOU GET:

"Wives submit" without understanding honor/shame culture (turns it into oppression)

"Touch not the Lord's anointed" without understanding it's about assassination (turns it into spiritual abuse)

"Turn the other cheek" without understanding backhanded slaps (turns it into being a doormat)

"Spare the rod" without understanding shepherd imagery (turns it into child abuse)

"Judge not" without reading the full passage (turns it into moral relativism)

Every single one of those gets weaponized when you ignore context.

If your interpretation would have confused the original audience, it's probably wrong.

If Paul wrote to the Corinthians and they would have had NO IDEA what you're saying he meant, you've misunderstood Paul.

The goal isn't: "What can I make this verse say?"

The goal is: "What did the author ACTUALLY mean when they wrote this to these specific people in this specific situation?"

And THEN: "How does that principle apply to my life today?"

And why this is SOO IMPORTANT!

This is about not putting words in God's mouth.
This is about not twisting Scripture to fit your preferences.
This is about being a good steward of truth instead of proof-texting your way through life.

Every time you skip context, you risk:

Teaching something God never said
Weaponizing Scripture to harm people
Missing what God actually wants you to understand
Building your life on sand instead of rock

The Bible is inspired. It's true. It's trustworthy.

But it wasn't written in a vacuum.

It was written by real people, to real people, in real situations, using real cultural language.

And if you want to understand what GOD is saying, you have to understand what the WRITER was saying to the AUDIENCE in their CONTEXT.

That's not making the Bible less authoritative.

That's taking it seriously enough to actually understand it.

So next time someone says, "The Bible clearly says..." ask them:

"Who was it written to? What were they dealing with? How would they have understood it?"
Because if you can't answer those questions, you don't actually know what the Bible "clearly says."

You just know what you THINK it says.

And there's a massive difference.

Who's ready to stop proof-texting and start actually studying?

01/01/2026

11/07/2025

Is our highest ethic, as followers of Christ, to be right from our own perspectives about the Bible…
or to see and apply the Scriptures the same way Christ did?

Know this — there’s a difference.

Jesus never read the Scriptures to prove He was right.
He read them to reveal the Father’s heart.
Every page, every prophecy, every shadow pointed back to mercy, love, and reconciliation.

The Pharisees could quote the verses.
They knew the text… but they missed the Person the text revealed.
They used Scripture to separate,
but Jesus used Scripture to heal.

Being “biblically right” without being “Christ-like” is still wrong.
Because truth isn’t just a principle — it’s a Person.

So may we handle the Word the way Jesus did:
Not as a sword to cut people down,
but as a light that reveals the Father’s love.

Our goal isn’t to win arguments. It’s to reveal Jesus.

~ Josh Jones

10/06/2025

Rather than attributing your struggles to spiritual warfare, recognize that they may be a result of choices that have led you astray (Disobedience) . By committing to Obedience, you can break free from these challenges and discover a more fulfilling path.