January 5, 2025

Misunderstanding and Misapplying God's Word

There’s a picture that demonstrates the importance of context. The picture seems to present two men kissing one another, but when we look at the surrounding content in the photo, we realize that the two men are linemen working on power lines. One has been electrocuted, and the other is trying to save his coworker’s life through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Context is important. When we fail to consider the context, we often miss the meaning.

In written documents, context refers to “the parts that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning,” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary). Context is king in understanding the Bible. We often get a Bible verse's meaning wrong if we don’t consider its surrounding context. When we don’t understand a chapter of Scripture in its context, we can get the meaning of the entire chapter wrong.

For example, 1 Corinthians 13 is often called The Love Chapter because Paul discusses love throughout that chapter. This chapter is sometimes read at weddings because it focuses on love. But in that chapter, is Paul talking about the romantic love between a husband and wife? In short, no. Let’s consider its context…

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul addresses the use of spiritual gifts. In chapter 14, he addresses prophecy (the declaring of God’s Word) as an essential spiritual gift. In the context of spiritual gifts, then, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write about love in 1 Corinthians 13, not romantic love, but love in the church, which is a gift of God. We can have all the spiritual gifts, but we have nothing if we don’t have love for one another in the church. Even when all the spiritual gifts have passed away, the gift of love will still be supremely important among God’s people. Even in eternity to come, when faith has been made sight and hope has been realized, love will remain! The context of 1 Corinthians 13 reveals that it is not about romantic love but love in the church. Many of us miss this because we do not consider the context.

Two more examples are Matthew 18:20 and Philippians 4:13. Sometimes, we quote these verses out of context, which means we misunderstand them and apply them to situations they were never meant to address. Here are those two verses out of context…

Matthew 18:20,

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name,

I am there in their midst.”

Philippians 4:13,

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

We often quote Matthew 18:20 when we gather for worship. But does that fit the context in which we find Matthew 18:20? Is Jesus saying he is only with us when we gather for worship? Isn’t he always with us? He is. He promised never to leave us. When we are alone, he is with us just the same as when we are gathered together. But Matthew 18:20 is not about Jesus’ presence among us when we gather together. Look at what comes before in Matthew 18:15-19…

Matthew 18:15–20 (NASB95)

[15] “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. [16] “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact may be confirmed. [17] “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. [18] “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. [19] “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. [20] “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

In context, Matthew 18:20 is about the authority of the church to discipline a sinning brother or sister in Christ who persists in unrepentance. Jesus says that when we judge according to his word, following the process that he laid out in Matthew 18:15-17, we act with his authority. That is what Jesus meant when he said, “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). And we know that from its context.

We often quote Philippians 4:13 when we doubt that we can accomplish something. We say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Or we might encourage someone who doubts themselves by saying, “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!” But is Philippians 4:13 trying to inspire us as we pursue various accomplishments in life? Look at what comes before and after this verse…

Philippians 4:10–14 (NASB95)[10] But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. [11] Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. [12] I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. [13] I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. [14] Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

In its context, Philippians 4:13 is about contentment in all circumstances, not accomplishment in all our endeavors. Christ strengthened Paul so he would be content in Christ no matter his situation. Jesus strengthens us so that we honor him in our circumstances. He doesn’t strengthen us so we can accomplish our self-centered agendas. Philippians 4:13 is about contentment rather than accomplishment. And we know that from its context.

Let us be sure that we take the time to read and understand the context of the verses we are quoting. When we quote a verse divorced from its context, we miss the meaning and apply the word of God in error. Who wants to be guilty of that?

We Must Turn, Face God's Word, & Pay the Price

There was no place to hide. My high school friends and I were playing laser tag in our church's fellowship hall, but I made a fatal error. Instead of ducking into one of the classrooms for protection, I ran into the wide-open expanse of the fellowship hall. Typically, it was filled with tables and chairs, but on this night, they were all put away. There was no concealment or cover. All I could do was turn, face the enemy, and pay the price.

Some of us are playing a similar game with the Bible. God’s Word aims to correct our beliefs and behaviors. It ruthlessly blasts away whatever is not aligned with its truth. But many of us run, looking for concealment, cover, somewhere to hide because we don’t want our beliefs or behaviors challenged.

Some of us hide from God’s truth by giving up attendance. Despite what Hebrews 10:25 says about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, some of us have stopped gathering to hear God’s Word taught so that our beliefs and behaviors won’t be challenged. Of course, we mask this with excuses like, “No one can answer my questions,” or “It’s better if it's just me and God,” but most of us know we are trying to hide from God’s Word.

Some of us hide from God’s truth by giving up attention. We still attend worship services where the Bible is taught, but we mentally check out when the sermon begins. We, too, are trying to hide from God’s Word and mask it with excuses. We say, “I just get more out of the music,” or “I just can’t pay attention that long.” But whether we’re giving up attendance or attention, we’re just putting on pride. We’re looking for fine-sounding reasons to hide ourselves from the truth of the Bible because we’re pridefully convinced that our beliefs and behaviors don’t need to be challenged. We’re pridefully confident that our beliefs and behaviors are already perfect.

This is why we must study God’s Word “precept upon precept, line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10). We must not shrink back from hearing the preaching of “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). We must listen to teachers who taught as Jesus taught, who “beginning with Moses and the Prophets interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 27:27). This is essential because “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

We have no place to hide when we hear God’s Word taught like this. We can’t hide from the difficult things in the Bible by continuously hearing about our favorite subjects. When we hear the Bible taught line by line, we are forced to prayerfully consider the difficult things as they come to us in the text. We don’t jump from phrase to phrase or verse to verse, making up a “truth” to suit our itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3). When we hear the Bible taught verse by verse from beginning to end in its historical and grammatical context, we hear everything in it studied, interpreted, and applied to our lives faithfully. This is what it means to divide the Word of God rightly (2 Timothy 2:15). This means we will hear God’s Word faithfully taught on comforting subjects like love and forgiveness and uncomfortable subjects like divorce and predestination. It means we will study, understand, and apply God’s Word on charity and evangelism as well as homosexuality and gender.

We must talk about and understand everything as we find it in Scripture because when we teach the whole counsel of God’s Word precept upon precept, line upon line, centered on Christ, we have no place to hide. We must turn, face God’s Word, and pay the price. When we do, our beliefs and behaviors become increasingly aligned with God’s Word. When we do, we become more and more like Christ, who paid the price for us. And isn’t that what we’re striving for?