NEVER READ A BIBLE VERSE
Ok, so I know it's Tuesday & I'm supposed to post every Monday. But yesterday was a holiday so...
Anyway, today my idea is to tell you to never read a Bible verse. The verses you see in the Bible were not written to be read individually. Each verse is part of a context that actually shapes it's meaning. The goal in studying scripture is to look for the author's intended meaning (AIM). You will have a difficult time interpreting the meaning with only one verse. If you are interested in a verse, read the verses and paragraphs before and after it. Look at the total context. Otherwise, I could manipulate specific individual verses to reach a conclusion that I want, not necessarily what God is trying to tell me. Read Matt. 27:5, then read Luke 10:37b, finally read John 13:27b. Put together, these verses could be interpreted to be telling the reader to hang himself, like Judas, right away. No verses are meant to be used individually.
Of course, pastors are most famous for hand picking a verse that fits their point, and often times they are correctly using a verse that if you read the context, you'd agree with it's usage and interpretation. But be aware that sometimes, us pastors will just pick a verse because it sounds the way we like for a specific point, and it really is a bad choice. The trick is for YOU to read the verse, AND the context surrounding it. So, I can justify saying that as a pastor, I think you should NEVER READ A BIBLE VERSE.
Anyway, today my idea is to tell you to never read a Bible verse. The verses you see in the Bible were not written to be read individually. Each verse is part of a context that actually shapes it's meaning. The goal in studying scripture is to look for the author's intended meaning (AIM). You will have a difficult time interpreting the meaning with only one verse. If you are interested in a verse, read the verses and paragraphs before and after it. Look at the total context. Otherwise, I could manipulate specific individual verses to reach a conclusion that I want, not necessarily what God is trying to tell me. Read Matt. 27:5, then read Luke 10:37b, finally read John 13:27b. Put together, these verses could be interpreted to be telling the reader to hang himself, like Judas, right away. No verses are meant to be used individually.
Of course, pastors are most famous for hand picking a verse that fits their point, and often times they are correctly using a verse that if you read the context, you'd agree with it's usage and interpretation. But be aware that sometimes, us pastors will just pick a verse because it sounds the way we like for a specific point, and it really is a bad choice. The trick is for YOU to read the verse, AND the context surrounding it. So, I can justify saying that as a pastor, I think you should NEVER READ A BIBLE VERSE.
posted by Tony at
1:33 PM
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