"Beware the teacher bearing verses!"
Traditional Protestant views do not come to us so much from Yahweh's Word itself but from the way we approach Yahweh's Word. Practically everything we are taught as being "scriptural" comes from our use of Yahweh's Word, rather than from Yahweh's Word. This methodology is referred to as teaching by means of proof text. This approach proves very little, yet can "prove" anything!
Here's how it works: First you select your topic. Then you pick out a series of verses from all over Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Then you take these random, isolated verses you have selected by ripping them out of their immediate context and arrange them in some sort of order . . . probably one that reinforces your view and interpretation on your chosen topic. Voila! A doctrine that is "absolutely the Word of God."
Imagine I were a marriage counselor. Throughout my career, I had written many letters to both groups of people and particular individuals. After I had died, only 9 letters written to groups could be found, and 4 letters written to individuals. Some time later, someone had the idea to add chapters to my letters and turn each sentence into verses. If you were to take one sentence from one of my letters and try to tie it together with another sentence from another one of my letters, unless the context surrounding the one agrees with the context surrounding the other, you have just made me say and teach something that I never said or taught. The two sentences are in no way, shape, or form related or complementary.
Our entire Protestant mind-set has as its underpinnings the proof text approach to Scripture. This is dangerous. Very dangerous. Once a man embraces a certain teaching arrived at by the proof texting method, it is extremely difficult for him to ever let go of it. Fifteen centuries of this approach have convinced him that this method is "biblical." Once a man completes his "tapestry in verse," you would be wise not to disagree with him because he may react rather poorly: "You don't believe the clear teaching of the Word of God?!?" Who wants to have the noose of such a fallacious accusation tied around their neck? Because of this, most people tend to acquiesce against their better judgment.
Not only does this approach prevent us from truly seeing the first century Christians, but it also prevents us from seeing the first century. The Bible is not a pile of puzzle pieces waiting for us to discover their place. All this approach does is provide opinion. There is extremely little in the proof text approach to Yahweh's Word. This method is open to wholesale abuse of Yahweh's Word, the end result of which is dear brothers and sisters of the faith who are hurt by these teachings.
Even our cross reference systems are based on the proof text methodology. Depending who does the cross references, they will attempt to "prove" their doctrines. Imagine if the Jehovah's Witnesses provided the cross reference system!
The proof text approach has its origins in paganism—not Christianity! Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, began dividing their favourite books into chapters and giving each sentence a number so that they could quickly find the page of a book they were arguing from. This gave birth to the proof text methodology, which the Greek philophers raised to an art form. Just as the pagans isolated quotations and thoughts in their favourite books by taking them out of context, so too has the Christian "church" done since the 6th century. Remember this the next time you attempt to argue chapter and verse!
When you see a dozen random, isolated verses of Scripture strung together to support some doctrine, you need to stop and think. Read each of these verses in its immediate surrounding context. You notice how the verse takes on an entirely different meaning? That is because the proof text approach is unbiblical and only leads to further confusion, on top of the confusion raised by not having the books of the Bible in the correct historical-chronological order.
Proof texting is a formula for disaster, which consists of numbered verses, numbered chapters, taken from chaotically arranged books, with little knowledge of the first century, blended liberally with philosophical logic. Let's take back the Bible!