Bible Verses: From Clipped to Contextual

 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13, NKJ)

It's a verse we see everywhere - on T-shirts and mugs, wall hangings and bookmarks.  Sports teams use it to pump themselves up.  Students say it when taking a test.  Professionals think it when interviewing for a job.  Parents pray it when parenting gets tough.  Using scripture in our daily lives is certainly not a bad thing!  Colossians 3:16 tells us to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (ESV).  The problem is, verses like Philippians 4:13 are often singularly plucked from the Bible and stamped onto a product with little thought of the original meaning of the verse or how God intended for us to interpret it.

There are many Bible verses that sound amazing and ARE amazing - verses that give us hope and inspiration and remind us of the love of God.  For example, "'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 a hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

How many times have you heard Jeremiah 29:11?  But how many times have you heard ALL of the 29th chapter of Jeremiah - the circumstances leading up to verse 11 and the explanation following verse 11?  I bet not very often, if ever.  Jeremiah 29 is a letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent to the surviving exiles in Babylon, encouraging them to acclimate to their new city while still worshiping the Lord only.  In verse 10, the Lord tells the exiles that after seventy years he will bring them back to their homeland, thus the plans he has "to give [them] a hope and a future."  Verses 12 and 13 then remind the people to pray to God and to seek Him with all their hearts, no doubt the very meat of the chapter.  When you know the context of Jeremiah 29:11, it becomes rich with meaning.  The verse read in context goes from kitschy to historically and spiritually significant.

Unfortunately, society (Christians included), has a way of grabbing onto Bible verses that "sound good" and using them as mantras for life's difficulties and challenges.  We hear a verse, throw it on a bumper sticker and make it our pithy adage of the month, attributing to it whatever meaning suits our fancy and makes us feel good, often with the best of intentions.  Take Romans 8:28, for example: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).  I would be that anyone with a Romans 8:28 refrigerator magnet truly believes that God works for our good - which He does - but do we realize that "for the good" does not equate to "in order to make you endlessly happy in this present life"?  Reading just one verse past Romans 8:28 clarifies how God works for our good: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..." (italics added).  God's plan is that we become more and more like Jesus.  He calls us to a life of obedience, and sometimes that obedience is difficult, exhausting, or confusing.  Nevertheless, God's plan for His children is always for our good, just as verse 11 states.  But again, when read in context, you grasp the deeper meaning of the verse as opposed to hanging on to a single sentence that gives you the warm fuzzies.

Dr. Craig Keener, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, writes, "Context is the most important academic key to Bible interpretation."  I love how Dr. Keener puts it: "The Bible is not a collection of people's favorite verses with a lot of blank space in between."  On the contrary, the Bible is a book rich with history, narratives, poetry, wisdom and gospels, all of which coalesce into the beautiful story of the redemptive work of Christ Jesus.

Shane Pruitt, Director of Missions for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, says, "[The] Bible is not merely a collection of quotes or one-liners but is literally the Word of God.  When the Scriptures speak, God is speaking.  That is why we must approach the Bible with extreme care and intentionality.  How it is read, memorized and quoted is of utmost importance."  With this approach in mind, verses such as John 14:14 - "You may ask anything in my name, and I will do it" (NIV) - become more than just a secret code for getting whatever we want out of God.  Reading all of John 14 reveals that Jesus was speaking to his disciples, pointing to himself as the way to the Father (vs. 6), and inciting the disciples to "do what I have been doing" (vs. 12).  And what had Jesus been doing?  Obeying the Father, always.  In this context, it now makes sense that our asking for anything in Jesus' name will result in the glory of God (vs. 13), not our selfish good fortune.

In short, context matters.  In a society full of mottos and maxims, idioms and expressions, let's not disparage the Bible by relegating it into superficial quips.  The Bible is too weighty for that.  Instead, take the time to read and study and grasp the amazing truth of God's Word.  You'll find it impossible to shrink down to a bumper sticker.