Scripture quoted is from the NIV Bible, not because it is best but because it is in modern English. If in doubt, please read the quotations in various translations. You might like to read Why I Quote The NIV Bible.
Most Protestants will scratch their heads at this and assume that Im quoting from some special Catholic version of the Bible. Im not! Reading from the NIV Bible in Luke 11:27 we find that it says:
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. [NIV]
Well, my quote was right! The Bible does say Blessed is the Mother of Jesus! Now lets read the next verse (v28):
[Jesus] replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. [NIV]
A totally different connotation has been placed on the quote when we place it in context. Rather than being a supporting text for the veneration of Mary, it is really quite the opposite.
Im reminded of the story of the elephant and the blindmen. Its an ancient Hindu parable but true never-the-less. Last century, John Godfrey Saxe turned it into an amusing poem which starts:
Christians often do this with the Word. Rather than look at the whole book, they narrow it down to single verses looking at the individual leaves on trees and often not seeing the forest. Its like picking up a single piece in a jigsaw and deducing the final image from that one tiny portion. The Bible is not just a series of verses but a complete manual.
By selecting single concepts out of the Bible and not looking at the Word in its entirety, we are abusing Gods Word.
By carefully selecting individual verses, you can prove anything. What is God? Is He a vengeful, petty god who pouts when He doesnt get His own way and punishes people who dont grovel at His feet? You could easily make that case by selecting verses and concepts out of the Word.
This is what a lot of non-Christians do pick and choose the concepts they espouse. Oh, and Christians do it just as often but in reverse. They ignore what doesnt suit and only preach on verses which prove their point.
When reading the Word we must consider three things:
It is therefore important to place all Scripture in its correct historical setting and to read it as it was meant to be read. For example, the book of Romans was written to Jewish believers in Rome. It quotes the Old Testament and talks about the Law and about works.
Romans 11:6 says And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Many Jews considered that how they behaved and not what they believed was important, which was why Paul made this and similar statements. But comments like this have lead many Christians to deny that how we behave is important, calling any deliberate moderation of behavior works and therefore implying that Christians can behave in any way they like. The concept that Christians do not need to behave in certain ways is opposed in James 2:18-26 [NIV emphasis mine] which says:
The believers of Colosse had lost direction and had started borrowing from other religions. This is now called Gnosticism. The book of Colossians was written specifically for these people.
The book of Galatians was written to refute the teachings of the Judaizers early Jewish converts who believed that Gentiles must submit to the Jewish Law.
1 Thessalonians was written to encourage the church at Thessalonica which was being persecuted. Part of that encouragement was to assure them of Christs return. However, Paul had to write 2 Thessalonians to counter the belief that Jesus return was imminent as church members had stopped working and were waiting for the Second Coming.
Paul wrote the book of Titus to advise the Greek pastor in his responsibility in supervising the churches on the island of Crete.
The Apostle Peter acknowledged that words could be misconstrued or deliberately distorted or abused. In 2 Peter 3:16 he wrote:
[Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
To an alcoholic you say do not drink any alcohol under any circumstances at any time, but this does not necessarily mean that it should be imposed on people who do not have a problem with alcohol. The instruction is specific to the circumstances. Likewise many individual books of the Bible were written to specific groups about specific things.
So while we are placing the Word in context, are ensuring that we arent just quoting verses to prove a viewpoint, and are being careful of who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and what is being said, we must also be aware of the new Will of God which supplanted the Law of the Old Testament.
This new Covenant was fulfilled in Christ. In Luke 16:16 Jesus says:
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. [NIV]
So the end of John the Bapists ministry was the dividing point between the old Covenant and the new between Old Testament Law and New Testament Grace.
To help me I try to ensure that I read 10 verses either side of a quote to place it fully in context (remember the Blessed is the Mother of Jesus comment).
I try to always think about who is saying what and to whom. I also try and place teachings in their historical context.
Clearly it is important to place the entire Word of God in perspective. To select certain passages to the exclusion of the whole, to selectively use the Bible to prove a point, and to ignore the historical aspect of various books in the Bible is therefore wrong.
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [NIV]
We must be more like the Bereans and examine Scripture to see if what we are being taught is true. Likewise in John 8:31 Jesus says:
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
If you want to know the truth of the Scriptures seek the real truth from the entire Bible, not just from selected passages.
I pray you have found this article interesting and I would be pleased to read any comments you may have. However, my workload is such that I may not be able to respond to all mail. Address any comments to Graham Pockett.
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