Thought for Today
Isaiah 55:2 hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.(KJV)
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord
Ephesians 5:22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.
Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ;
“sola Scriptura (Lat. “Scripture alone”) A slogan of the Protestant Reformation indicating that the church’s authority is only the Holy Scriptures and not ecclesiastical tradition or human opinions. This was called the ‘formal principle of the Reformation” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms).
Humans being who and what we are, we often hear the Bible quoted (and misquoted) out of context and applied to inappropriate ideas and situations. Sometimes the cited passage offers insight into the idea or situation; sometimes the quotation (or misquotation) is ridiculous or silly.
For example, if my doctor tells me to lose 5 pounds, and I quote Isaiah 55:2 (KJJV) to the doctor, I am taking that verse totally out of context and misapplying it in a silly, ridiculous way. I’m also being foolish. God does not want me to have high blood pressure or cholesterol-clogged arteries.
However, we often hear 1 Corinthians 13 read at weddings, especially “13:13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Although Paul was not writing about marriages or weddings, there is truth in Paul’s words which applies to both marriages and weddings. Paul was writing about discord within a congregation and he used the Greek word ἡ ἀγάπη. (agape); but agape love should be a part of any marriage.
Paul also wrote “2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” I’m always reluctant to challenge the apostle Paul, but I wish those who quote those words would also include the next verse, “17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”
Sadly, sometimes folks quote and misquote scripture to justify ideas and movements that cannot by any means be considered “good work.” Both the civil rights movement and the feminist movement often found opposition from those quoting scriptures such as those above from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Taken out of context, they seem to justify gender inequality and even slavery.
Far too often, I hear people misquoting scriptures and taking them out of context to justify their prejudices. It is easy to take any public issue in controversy in the 21st century and misquote or misapply something written in the 1st century or even earlier. What did Moses or Jesus or Paul think about ordination of gays? What did Isaiah, Paul or Peter think about gender equality? What was Elijah’s, Timothy’s or Luke’s stance on abortion?
Christians should heed Paul’s words about scripture. All scripture is “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” But, scripture must never be used casually or carelessly. Careful consideration must be made of the context in which the passage was written. Careful consideration must be given to the issue to which the passage is being applied. Is this a “good work?” The example I mentioned above about Isaiah 55:2 may seem trivial and even silly . . . but we see similar examples all around us continuously.
The Bible “is inspired by God.” God did not give us the Bible as a ready-made source of justification for our prejudices and predilections. Understanding the Bible and applying the Bible to our daily lives requires diligent, deliberate study and it requires that we use the minds God also gave us. Our faith and our scriptures are not to be taken or treated lightly. Properly read and studied, they are our best tools to use in crafting our lives, our most valuable resources to help us know and understand our Creator God.
Stay safe, read, study, pray, trust God,
Pastor Ray