Wednesday, 30 July 2008
-
Do We Manipulate The Bible?
from leadworshipper82
We love verses that pertain to us, don't we?We focus on verses that inspire, encourage, strengthen, build up and edify...but my question is, for what? So we get a good tingly feeling then go about our merry "Jesus loving" way?
Could it be that our Bible reading is off in our culture? Take the quote, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." That's not in the Bible at all. That was a quote given to us by Gandhi.
Do we desire relevance so much that our precedence on Scripture takes a backseat in the name of being PC and relevant? Are we putting truth in the backseat and putting feeling and tolerance up front? Are people taking precedence over God?
I've come to embrace 5 principles for CORRECT Bible interpretation:
1. Context
2. Context
3. Context
4. The Scripture will never mean what it was never meant to mean.
5. A narrative is not normative (As in, did the transfiguration on the mount happen? Yes. Will it happen to me? No.)I think if we apply these rules to our daily Bible reading and devotionals, we won't be so fickle and dumbstruck when things God allows for things we dislike happening.
Take Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
We all love that verse right? We've isolated it so far from its context that we've lost sight of its original meaning in order for it to serve our materialistic, narcissistic ideals. We should understand that that verse cannot be understood apart from another plan that God set up, which is the plan of Pro-Creation... read the few verses prior to verse 11 to get an idea and understanding of this verse's context (Israel was held captive and exiled in Babylon by God's punishing hand.)Here's what I concluded from my readings: God put Israel in exile because of their disobedience. Therefore, this Jer 29:11 verse pertains to the Jews as they were the ones being disciplined as His children; yet, this promise wasn't even fulfilled to the the generation it was made to. The people had to wait 70 years to see it come to pass, which means that the promise requires a multi-generational vision.
As far as God's prospering plan of procreation goes, the earlier verses cover the priority of marriage God placed upon His people living in Babylon, a pagan nation. There's this importance and priority of family, of having lots and lots of kids. Wanna know how to not have your beliefs and your faith disappear inside a people of a pagan nation? OUTBREED THEM!!! Therefore, He knows the plans He has for you... plans to prosper, give hope and a future etc etc etc etc etc....I think if we read Scripture with its context in mind, with understanding prevalent, and with open hearts, aware of concepts God prioritizes, rather than embracing what culture (both secular and church culture) prioritizes, I think our readings and studies would be far more enriching.
Jeremiah 29:11 is just ONE verse out of many that we remove from its context.
Do we have a tendency to take verses out of context?
-
recommend
- recs 1
-
share
-
email
- sent 1
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (31)
Crazy, I was going to mention this very verse! Only I never looked at it so much for the scripture prior to it; thank you for bringing that to my attention and I certainly will go study it again.
When people bring this up to me, meaning that God has this perfect future planned out for them, I would always mention verses 12 and 13, where God says, "when you turn to me and search for me with all your heart, then I will be found by you..." But, a lot of people don't really want to hear that to get God's plan means we have to work at it with our whole heart.
I don't want to hear that most days...
Thank you so much for this timely post. --Miss Goldenrod
I try not to. That is why I go through Chapter by chapter verse by verse.
R. A. Torrey has a good list of "Principles of Biblical Interpretation" here, for those interested.
We do often, that is why we need to pray first, ask for direction guidance...Not demand and tell.
Pro 9:8
Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
It's true. Too many people since the Bible as we know it now has been around. The Bible has been through many changes itself that it's hard to know what the right translation is...unless there is a prophet of God and ordained Apostles.
But, can we really say that God does NOT love the sinner or that He does NOT know the great plans He has for us? Provided we are walking in His Light, these are still true statements about God.
Why do you say that it is narcissistic as though it is a totally bad thing? I mean, isn't the Bible a rule book on how we should live our lives? Therefore, why would we not apply scripture to ourselves? I mean, who else is it intended for if not for us? Fish?
On the other hand, here's one to consider:
“Whoever, then, appears in his opinion to have understood the Sacred Scriptures, or even some part of them, yet does not build up with knowledge the twofold love of God and neighbor, ‘has not yet known as he ought to know.’ Yet, if anyone has derived from them an idea that may be useful in building up this love, but has not expressed by it what the author whom he is reading truly intended in that passage, he is not erring dangerously nor lying at all.”
—Augustine, On Christian Teaching, 1.36.40
Another popular one is Psalm 23... ("The Lord is my shepherd... etc")
"Your rod and staff comforts me..."
Most people have no idea what this means. But back in those days, whenever a disobedient sheep kept on running away from the flock, the shepherd would literally break one of its legs with the rod. There were lots of danger out there (wolves, cliffs, drowning in river, etc). Better a limping sheep than a dead sheep.
As for the staff, they're hooked shaped to pull in a sheep that had strayed away a bit from the main flock. Less severe than the rod.
Most people have the image of cuddly and cute sheep being taken care of by a loving shepherd. But does anyone know the ultimate purpose of keeping a sheep flock?
For its meat and wool...
@Red_Apocalypse_Horse@xanga - The definition of shepherd is one who herds, tends, and guards sheep; one who protects, guides, or watches over a person or a group of people. Shepherds would do anything in their power to bring a lost sheep safely back to the herd. God used the image of a shepherd and his sheep to show how God protects us, not to show that he wants us to be handed over to be slaughtered (which I'm sure you know, I see that you were just trying to make a point).
While the point you make is valid and I understand what you're saying, there is a difference between misunderstanding a word and manipulating a verse to serve your own purpose.
Oh wow, I liked this post a ton!
@ohmylittlesoldierboy@xanga -
Lol, yes thanks for clarifying that for others. Yes, the picture of God in Psalm 23 is a loving shepherd.
This post does make a valid point about taking scripture out of context, but I don't see the harm in using the particular scripture mentioned when talking about God's plan for us. Just because that particular verse was meant for Israel, does that mean that God does not have those same plans for us today? I'd like to think not.
Even though it took 70 years for this promise to come to pass, it still came to pass. Just like today when we pray and ask God for something, we may have to wait a long time to get it, and it may not come like we think it should (I'm sure the generation God was talking to in the scripture would have loved to have seen that promise happen), but I think we can hold to the fact that it did happen and God means what He says.
Just because God had plans for the children of Israel doesn't mean He doesn't have plans for us.
Do we have a tendency to take verses out of context?
Yes - II Peter 3:16 - Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Another famous verse that's taken out of context is - Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
If you read verses 11 & 12, the all things includes being abased, being hungry, and to suffer need.
yes we tend to put it to our own interpretation... i've wrote a xanga post few weeks back on a song "blessed be the name of the Lord" it was a part where i think it was derived from Job... the song's bridge goes soemthing like "you give and take away" people singing and not actually think... putting to their own whatever
Or a favorite Christmas verse.....
"peace on earth, goodwill toward men....(with whom God is pleased)" You sure don't hear the last part of that verse.
I had a prof in seminary who always said "A text without a context is just a pretext for making it mean whatever you want it to mean."
Some things to consider as we read God's Word.
1. God wants to communicate to men: That is why He sent His only begotten Son into the world and has given us His Word.
2. The whole Bible is useful for us, even passages from the Old Testament that we may not think are applicable to us. The whole of God's Word is God's gift to us and is timeless because God is the same yesterday, today and forever and man's nature is the same: we are sinners born of Adam's race. There is nothing new under the sun. We can't ignore any of the Bible (and it is true that we must rightly interpret it in context) because in it all there is always something we can learn about the character of God, the character of man, God's plan of salvation and the person of Christ as we read it.
3. Because the Bible is God-breathed, we can only interpret and
understand it through the Spirit of God. This is why even the wisest men sometimes cannot truly hear and understand the Gospel. It is no ordinary book. I Cor. 1:18-31; 2:14-16. II Peter 1:20.
Heb. 4:12. We must continue to pray for the Spirit to open our eyes and give us understanding, to lead us into all truth.
4. Satan masquerades as an angel of light and therefore will take
Scripture and twist it in an attempt to cause us to sin (e.g.-Gen. 3, Matt. 4:1-11). He is the father of lies. He was so brazen he even tried to deceive the very Son of God with Scripture. We
must be on guard against his devices especially as we read God's Word
since God's Word is true sustenance for our souls and Satan doesn't want us being filled with God's true manna to us.
THANK YOU! Seriously, I thought I was the only person who thought this. People quote scriptures at me all the time, but when I go back and read what is before and after, it can sometimes entirely change the meaning.
Furthermore, I don't think every verse, or every part of the Bible means the same thing for every person. I don't even think that every time a person reads it, it means the same thing for them. The Bible can be vague- so that you get out of the Bible what you need. Not what you want, at least, not all the time. But what God knows that you need to know. You and I can read the same chapter and have a vastly different experience.
I agree! We do try to manipulate the Bible to make it work for our failures and shortcomings. We can almost make anything work if we twist enough.
Great reminder!
Another thing about biblical interpretation is that just because a coined phrase doesn't appear in scripture does not mean that the concept in fact exists.
Jesus said "Love your enemies, pray for those who spitefully use you."
He told us to always treat with kindness, bless and curse not.
What we get from this is "Hate the sin, love the sinner."
Of course Jesus never coined that phrase, but that doesn't mean the concept is not presented to us in scripture. It is presented to us and very vividly.
Even in the old testament God stated that he takes no delight in the death of the wicked. His intention is for people to repent and have life, not for people to be punished. Thus it is clear that God's plans for everyone, though stated to Israel first, are that we should have hope and a future in Christ. He doesn't want us to be condemned, He wants people to be free. He doesn't want the wicked to be punished nearly so much as the wicked to turn away from their wickedness.
Something to remember about the old testament is that it applies to us and speaks to us. It is not an isolated story. Because of Christ, many more people than just physical Israel have access to the grace and promises of God presented to us by the prophets.
The gospel branched out from among the circle of the jews and as a result, hope for all the world resulted.
I don't know anyone could look at this and not know that God in fact does love the sinner even though He hates the sin.
John 3:16 states that God so loved the world. Collective. No specifics.
Peter states that God is not willing that any should perish. Of course mostly what Peter was talking about was the future remnant of the church...but something to remember is that God chooses this remnant out of anyone. His love for people isn't reserved to certain category of idiosyncrasies or behavior tendancies of people.
I think it is very dangerous to assert that the concept of "love the sinner hate the sin" is invalid simply because the mere phrase didn't appear in scripture. The concept unfolds a thousand times over as God continues His story in the new testament.
It's quite clear, really.
Although I do agree that many times people coin scriptures out of wrong context merely because they wish to support their point rather than seek the truth. Scripture is an entire complete message. To use it as a means to support our social worldview is at best, dangerous. At worst, heretical.
thank you for what you have brought to light.
I think a lot of people use scriptures out of context to make people feel bad for something. In my experience, it has been used to try and smash into pieces those people who do not agree with this particular religion/religion at all.
I dislike people using the bible to be condescending and invoking some sort of superiority complex for themselves. If the quote is inspirational, motivational, or can provide clarity to a similar situation, I welcome it, as any scripture or passage from any book.
It's all about context.
Very well done.
loved this post. as a Biblical scholar in training, i've learned that the only factual way to read the Bible is by understanding the history behind it.
if you want a REAL kicker, reread the story of King David. most people skim over the part where he's a mercenary for the Philistines.