Before You Quote Your Favorite Bible Verse…
Certain Bible verses have become very popular in our modern-day culture. We find them on everything from coffee mugs and journals to apparel and jewelry to pillows and wall decor—even tattooed on people's skin!
Unfortunately, some of these "feel good" memory verses aren't understood properly in their scriptural context.
In case someone is wondering, the reason this is a big deal is because misapplying the Bible can, in fact, hurt our relationship with the Lord and others (ask me how I know).
For example, if I misinterpret a Bible verse, thinking God is making a personal promise to me, and then the promise doesn't come to pass, it can negatively affect my faith in God and my confidence in His Word.
Isn't it odd how quickly many of us latch on to a nice-sounding, inspirational Bible verse, paying little attention to the context?
Scripture is a compilation of historical accounts, letters, poetry, and prophetic narratives. With few exceptions, its books aren't made up of "standalone" sayings, quotes, or tidbits of information. Chapter and verse divisions didn't even exist in the original biblical text; they came much later!
The majority of Bible verses are not self-contained. They need a frame of reference for us to grasp their true and full meaning.
To correctly interpret the Scriptures, we must determine the writer's overall train of thought. We do this by reading each verse in the context of the immediately surrounding verses. If we really want to do our due diligence, we should examine the preceding and succeeding paragraphs as well, even chapters. Ultimately, everything in the Old and New Testaments must be interpreted in the context of the entirety of God's Word.
Next, let's look at a few examples. Below is a handful of popular Bible verses that are widely misused today. Let's read them in context and see if we can arrive at their true meaning.
1. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Common misinterpretation: Because God is the source of my strength, I, as a Christian, can accomplish anything in life (beat the cancer, get out of debt, save my marriage, get the promotion, lose the weight…you fill in the blank).
Correct interpretation: Whether I have little or a lot, materially speaking, I can experience contentment.
As Paul writes to the Philippian church, he's awaiting trial and potential execution for his faith. In this letter, he praises the Philippians for their financial generosity towards him and points out that he has faced tremendous hardship as a witness for the Gospel, poverty being one of them.
When Paul states that he "can do all things" through the Lord's strength, he intends to convey that through God's grace, he can be content in any physical circumstance, whether living in abundance or suffering need.
2. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1).
Common misinterpretation: You should never judge others. If you do, it'll come back to bite you.
Correct interpretation: We should not judge others in a prideful, self-serving, or superficial way. We should, however, make right and wise judgments.
That this is the true meaning of this often-misapplied Bible verse becomes crystal clear when we keep reading. Only a few verses later, in verse 5, Jesus says we must examine ourselves before attempting to "fix" someone else. Once there has been self-examination, it's entirely permissible to assess and correct our neighbor when necessary!
Also, look at what Jesus says in John 7:24: "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."
It doesn't get much clearer than that! Jesus tells us to judge, not abstain from judging, only to make sure we do it correctly.
(For a more in-depth discussion of Matthew 7:1, see my post, "To Judge or Not to Judge, That's the Question.")
3. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" (Matthew 18:19-20).
Common misinterpretation: Jesus' power is present in a special way when two or three Christians get together. When believers pray in agreement, God gives them what they ask for.
Correct interpretation: The context of these Bible verses is church discipline. In the directly preceding verse, verse 19, Jesus tells His disciples that when two or three of them join forces to declare a sinning believer either "bound by" or "freed from" their sin (meaning the person will either continue to be included in the church or be removed from it), they'll be acting in His authority: He is "in their midst."
In the same way, the guarantee of answered prayer in verse 18 is specifically for the two or three who act out Jesus' instructions regarding church discipline.
Think about it: If this was a promise from God to answer any joint prayer offered by two or three Christians, how do we explain all the times we prayed in agreement with a fellow believer but still didn't receive our request? Additionally, we would have to derive from these verses that when we pray alone, our prayers are somehow not as valuable or effective as when we participate in group prayer.
Does that sound like good theology to you?
4. "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Common misinterpretation: Our heavenly home is going to be beyond anything we can imagine.
Correct interpretation: Although it's certainly true that heaven will exceed our wildest expectations, as depicted in the biblical book of Revelation, the immediate context of this Bible verse is divine wisdom, not our eternal dwelling place.
It has always been God's intention, this verse tells us, to reveal His wisdom by His Spirit to His people. As Christians, you and I get to taste this wisdom, although not fully until we get to glory: only then will we experience and understand every aspect of God completely (1 Corinthians 13:12).
5. "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11).
Common misinterpretation: In this encouraging Bible verse, God promises prosperity and favor to the modern-day Christian reader, assuring them that their difficulties will soon end.
Correct interpretation: In context, we see that the promise contained in this scripture, a promise of physical freedom and material blessings, wasn't intended for every Christian in history but rather for the Hebrews living in captivity in Babylon at the time.
So, there we have it: the correct and incorrect interpretations of five popular Bible verses.
Did any of it catch you by surprise? It sure did me when I discovered that some of my favorite life verses didn't mean what I always thought they meant!
These days, I make it a point not to study Bible verses in isolation. And before I embark upon learning a new memory verse, I try to glean some information about the historical setting and the author's life situation while writing.
It's not that I'm against memorizing single Bible verses. In fact, I encourage it, just as long as the true meaning behind the verse is understood. We are going to have a hard time grasping that meaning, though, if we don't know much about the context!
Having free access to God's Word the way you and I do today is a big responsibility, and we should take it seriously. If we can make sure we apply the simple rule of always reading a Bible verse in context, it should go a long way in keeping us from unintentionally promoting error.
L.B.
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