Out of Context?

Many Christians take Scriptures out of context and attempt to build their faith around a false premise. Over the years I have seen so many verses and even sections of the Bible rearranged to build a faith predicated on humanism. When I hear people misquote or twist the intent of the Word, it saddens me. There has been a lot of damage done to the church by those failing to understand the setting of a specific verse or verses. I have found that the biggest violators of Scriptural integrity are those who are not affiliated with a church denomination. That is not to say that organizational churches are immune to “elasticizing” Scriptures.

How do people come to misinterpreting so many verses? Is it because of traditional teachings that were founded on emotional responses instead of factual truth? I could spend the whole article speculating on the causes of Scriptural violations, but will just acknowledge that Biblical misinformation plays a serious part in the church’s activities.

My snow blower was not performing as it should, and after reading and watching videos on what could be the causes of my problem; I was able to make some adjustments and restore its effectiveness. Churches today should be so finely tuned that darkness cannot find a place to hide! When looking at Scripture always take into consideration the context of the verses. What was the setting and who was involved in the discourse? To lift a verse out of context and to use it for one’s personal benefit is called “Biblical robbery.”

In Matthew 18 we see Jesus covering a number of subjects with His Disciples. One area that is stressed was the importance of reconciliation. Today people get excited about someone getting Saved, and rightly so, but Heaven rejoices even more when a “lost” sheep is found and brought back into the fold. I wonder how many people have fallen away and Christians have simply written them off? What has the church done to reach the wayward? In this section of Matthew, we see a conflict between two individuals. Have you ever been offended by someone? Have you ever had someone do or say something that caused you to be hurt, either spiritually or mentally? How did you cope in that situation? Jesus laid out a four-step procedure to deal with offenses within the church. First, go to the person that has “trespassed” against you and talk it out. If that doesn’t work take two or three people with you to make sure there are no misunderstandings. If that fails take it to the church. If the offender still does not make it right, the offended is to treat him like a “heathen.” What follows are three verses that are regularly removed from the story and scattered around the Christian’s playground. Binding and “losing” (verse 18). Asking and receiving (verse 19). Jesus’ presence experienced when two or three Believers have gathered together in His name (verse 20).

Christians are so used to the Pastor/Teacher giving Truth that they fail to self-study. Let me turn the tables and have the reader interpret how the above 3 verses apply to this section and if there is anyway these verses can be used in other settings. It is time to understand the intent of the Word! Oh, by the way, verses 21 and 22 play an important part in the story. Have a great study. (Matthew 18: 10-22)