“I need a light.”
What does that sentence mean? Obviously, most people who know English would also understand each word in that phrase. The words are not difficult, and the structure of the sentence is not difficult.
But, what does it mean?
We cannot decide what the sentence means until we know more about the context. Is the person trying to do something in a dark corner? Is she holding a cigarette? Did he just walk into a bar?
Of course, in this simple example, the ambiguity is caused by the range of meanings (and, in fact, different meanings) of the English word “light.” When you add even more words with even more possible meanings and even different possible grammatical and syntactical connections, ambiguity is increased when trying to determine what a particular sentence means.
So, how do we know what sentences and words mean? We can only determine the meaning of sentences and words by examining them in context.
The paragraph is the most basic level of context. (Obviously, groups of paragraphs also form context.) Thus, the paragraph is also the most basic level of meaning. Think about that for a moment. Meaning is not found at the sentence, clause, phrase, or word level. Meaning is found at the paragraph level. Sentences, clauses, phrases, and words help build, explain, illustrate, and argue for the meaning of the paragraph.
Now, how does this apply to biblical studies? Well, to start with, that verse (you know, your favorite verse or your life verse) may not mean what you think it means, especially if you do not know what the verse or sentence means within its paragraph (and broader context).
Here are two examples:
1) I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Within the context, Paul wrote this sentence to emphasize that he can live in poverty or in plenty because Christ enables him. Paul did not write this to encourage athletes to do more than they thought they could do, nor did he write it to help struggling businesses. Of course, there are many, many misues of this passage. Can it be applied in other contexts? Perhaps, and probably so. But, we must be very, very careful when pulling it out of its context.
2) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
In context, when John penned these words of Jesus, they were directed toward a church – the church in Laodicea. While this church had problems, they were still considered a church (i.e., they were God’s people, not unbelievers). If this verse is applied to unbelievers (i.e., in an evangelistic invitation), the verse would not be used in its context.
Of course, there are plenty of other examples. These are simply two that I’ve seen used out of context very often.
So, what do we do? Primarily, we should seek to understand Scripture, as we understand all writings, within the context of what was written. While we will probably have to start our analysis and study at the word, phrase, clause, and sentence level, remember that we will not be able to determine meaning until the paragraph level.
I have seen the “behold I stand at the door and knock” misused so many times. Can I offer one of my favorites? Psalms 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Those pretty greeting cards with these verses and a picture of majestic mountains in the background miss the point. It’s not from the mountains that his help comes. Those were where the false gods of the pagans dwelt. His help comes from the LORD who made the mountains and everything else.
Absolutely true. There are so many passages like this throughout the Bible that we completely miss the point of because we do not study it in context.
Most of the people in our churches don’t understand this and aren’t willing to take the time to understand it. If their favorite verse tells them their son won’t die or their business won’t fail, and the unimaginable happens, they’re done with God because God didn’t do what He promised.
Recently I was involved in a Bible discussion group. One person there, who had been a church elder for many years was literally yelling “God says it right here in the Bible. God says it and I believe it and if you don’t believe what God says you’re in serious trouble”. Unfortunately, he was basing “God says” on what he interprets his English translation to say, which is not in agreement with any exegetical commentary I could find. We all need to be careful not to make the Bible say what we want it to say.
“God says it. I believe it. That settles it.” Like you say, too bad in most such cases, God doesn’t actually say what the person claims. This is why I try to hold a lot of my beliefs rather loosely. It’s not because I don’t believe them, but that I am not fully confident in my own ability to have studied and understood absolutely everything there is to possibly know about a passage that might affect my understanding of the passage.
This is why I think “verse” memorization is a waste of time. Context is EVERYTHING. For example: James 2:14 and James 2:19 are two verses that seem to be used by people who have no idea what they are talking about to claim things like “Salvation is by works”.
Yes. I know so many people who can quote hundreds of verses…and most of them completely out of context. I believe that when you study a verse in context, it becomes way more helpful than if you just memorized it. James 2:14, 19 are perfect examples.
These are some great examples!
Of course, the question that we must ask ourselves now is this: How do we help people understand that they are using passages from Scripture out of context and why this is important (without sounding like a jerk)?
-Alan
As for myself, I usually just keep my mouth shut unless asked for my opinion (which never happens). But then, I really dislike confrontation and conflict, so this may not be the best approach.