Page 39 - Foundations

reincarnation, or the pre-existence of the soul. If they look at no other Scriptures they could very well
build a case to suggest that this was in fact what Christ meant when He said His disciples had been
with Him “from the beginning.”

You may say, “Joseph, isn’t it obvious that Christ was speaking of His disciples being with Him
from the beginning of His earthly ministry? Surely no reasonable person would suggest otherwise.”
A search of the Internet reveals that some are misconstruing Christ’s words here, using them to build
a case for the pre-existence of the soul. Having failed to properly identify the “beginning” to which
the Son of God was referring, they are falling away into error.

My purpose in sharing these things is to demonstrate that there is a danger of misinterpreting the
meaning of the Scriptures if we fail to consider the entire counsel of the Bible. It requires patience,
an intimate acquaintance with the Bible, and a heart that yearns after truth, to rightly divide the word
of God. Any Scripture, or portion of it, can be wrested out of its context and used to assert a false
understanding. These wrong understandings in turn serve as the foundation for false doctrines.

In the ensuing chapters I am going to address some of the beginnings spoken of in the Bible. I will
seek to lay a solid foundation for accurately understanding the truths of God’s kingdom.