Scriptures warn us about twisting God’s word.

Out of Context

Scriptures warn us about twisting God’s word.

Twisting God’s Word:

Scripture warns that people will reject sound teaching for messages that gratify their desires, leading to distorted interpretations and spiritual harm.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Divisive Teachers:

False teachers introduce doctrines that deceive and divide, often using smooth words to exploit those who are unaware.

Romans 16:17-20 (NKJV)

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.  For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Corrupt Motives:

Some misuse Scripture for personal gain, leading to arguments, division, and a departure from godliness

1 Timothy 6:3-5 (NKJV)

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Distorting Difficult Passages:

Untaught and unstable individuals twist challenging Scriptures to their own destruction, highlighting the need for proper understanding.

2 Peter 3:16-18 (NKJV)

as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Adding or Changing Scripture:

Altering God’s Word or preaching a different gospel invites severe judgment and undermines the truth of salvation

Revelation 22:18-19 (NKJV)

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Deceptive Ministers:

Even ministers can disguise themselves as righteous while promoting harmful teachings, making discernment crucial.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (NKJV)

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works

Falling Away from the Faith:

Some will abandon the faith, following deceiving spirits and false doctrines, emphasizing the need to be vigilant and rooted in the truth.

1 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV)

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

Conclusion: The Importance of Proper Exegesis

The warnings found in Scripture about misusing, twisting, or distorting God’s Word emphasize the urgent need for proper exegesis. From rejecting sound doctrine to following divisive teachers, corrupt motives, and deceptive ministers, the dangers are clear: mishandling Scripture not only leads individuals astray but also threatens the unity and spiritual health of the church.

Proper exegesis—interpreting Scripture as it was intended by God—is not just a theological exercise; it is essential for safeguarding the truth, strengthening our faith, and resisting the many forms of deception that seek to undermine God’s message.

Consequences of improper hermeneutics

Out of Context

Consequences of improper hermeneutics

The main problem with taking verses of context is that it distorts our view of God and can cause major issues in one’s faith and their walk with the Lord.

Here are 4 main consequences of improper hermeneutics;

(1) Limited or incomplete view of God

When verses are picked out of the context in which the author wrote them, we fall in danger of retrospectively changing how we view God and His word.

By plucking verses out of their proper context, we can miss out on the true intended meaning of the Scripture, end up with partial truth, and miss out on important theological concepts that the Bible teaches us.

The misinterpretation of the Scriptures is precisely how believers end up with a view of God as a “cosmic vending machine” as described in the prosperity gospel, or a God that is “only about love with no justice” as portrayed in “the progressive Christianity movement.

These are unfortunate consequences of misinterpretations that focus on the gifts and blessings of God rather than on Christ, who has provided them for us.

(2) An exalted view of self

When the text of scripture is misapplied, the consequence is that people may end up with an exalted view of themselves. Therefore, it is only natural that when people have an incomplete view of God, it intrinsically leads to glorifying men.

People love to feel good about themselves, and so they end up focusing solely on scriptures concerning God’s love, peace and joy. While these are essential components of Christianity, it is unfortunate when that is all a Christian knows about the faith. Because when trials, pain or persecution comes, they may end up devastated because they don’t fully understand the whole counsel of God.

Furthermore, those who develop an exalted view of themselves also struggle to submit to the exclusivity of Christ because they are being taught that the Bible revolves around them. On the contrary, the Bible’s purpose is to continually redirect our attention to the nature of God, the work of Jesus and the continuous work of the Spirit in this world.

The scriptures should lead us to have a greater view of God and a lesser view of ourselves.

(3) Surface-level understanding of Scripture

When people skim through Scripture only to obtain an immediate solution or application, it merely leads to a surface-level understanding of Scripture.

The Bible is not a self-help book or a manual for instant solutions and easy answers. Rather, it is a means to know God and the mechanism through which God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

We must read the Bible in its entirety and not simply read individual verses in isolation.

The proper study of the Scriptures takes time and effort on behalf of the believer, which, unfortunately, many shy away from doing.

When we take time to read and understand the scriptures, we can fully the God’s whole counsel of God and get a better and truer understanding of the nature of God.

(4) Missing out on the full meaning of God’s Word

When Scriptures are misused, misquoted and misapplied, it can cause believers to miss out on the full meaning of God’s word.

Christians today are more focused on cliche one-off statements that can be printed on t-shirts or tattooed on rather than being motivated to study scripture to grasp the fullness of God.

Once saved we must strive to become diligent seekers of God through the sacred Scriptures and trust the Holy Spirit to give us the understanding and application we need.

Introduction & Purpose of out of context blog

Out of Context

Introduction & Purpose of “out of context” blog

The Bible

The Bible is the most published, studied, translated, and quoted book in history. Yet, at the same time, it is also one of the most misused and misinterpreted book of all time.

The Bible is a unique book written over a period of 1,500 years by approximately 40 different authors who represent over 19 different occupations (shepherds, soldiers, farmers, fishermen, a tax collector, a medical doctors, kings, etc.).

The first 39 books of the Bible (old testament) were written in Hebrew over about 1,000 years. Following this, there was a 400-year gap where no Scriptures were written. After that, the last 27 books of the Bible (new testament) were written in Greek over a period of 50 years. 

What makes the Bible a divinely inspired book is that the individual writers could not have collaborated as they did not live during the same time period. Furthermore, their writings perfectly fit together with no contradictions / errors as they describe the story of God’s eternal plan for the redemption of mankind from the beginning to the end.

It is astonishing how even though there are various authors for the books of the Bible; every word is still divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit of God as He worked through them. 

Therefore as we study and read the Scriptures, it is key that we investigate and interpret each passage correctly to understand what it says accurately.

Hermeneutics

We should interpret the Bible using proper hermeneutics.

Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting the Bible by using one or more methods to understand the meaning of the text.

The term hermeneutics is derived from the Greek word ἑρμηνεύω (hermeneuō), which means “to interpret” or “to translate.”

Exegesis

Is the study of Scripture in an objective way to discover the intended meaning of the text. This is achieved by carefully analysing the original language and context involved.

Exegesis comes from the Greek word “exēgeisthai” which means to draw out / lead out or to explain / interpret. 

Exegesis is the correct way of interpreting the text of Scripture by understanding the author’s true intent. When we read Bible verses in their immediate context, we can get a clearer picture and meaning of the text to understand what it says and does not say. 

Eisegesis

Is the study of Scripture in a way that allows for a subjective meaning to be implied into the text.

Eisegesis is a way of reading Scripture in which the reader imposes their own presuppositions and perspectives onto the text, resulting in a meaning that suits the reader’s preferences rather than what the text actually conveys. Eisegesis is not a satisfactory way of understanding the biblical text.

Purpose of this blog.

The primary purpose of writing this blog is to address the Eisegesis type (the incorrect way) of Bible interpretation, as it very easily lends itself to error.

Today in the church, there are many misinterpretations of God’s word. Many emotionally charged preachers use the Bible to make it agree with their sermon rather than allowing the Bible to be the basis of their sermon.

We all have desires; thoughts, wants, and traditions and what we naturally end up doing is going directly into the Scriptures with all our preconceived ideas, and we try and justify or prove a case by taking the verses out of context.

Some interpreters consciously or unconsciously impose an incorrect or subjective meaning to a text in order to dull out the message so that their listeners are not directly offended by the implications of the text of Scripture.

Other interpreters eagerly use Bible verses to affirm their personal views and beliefs or even to support their slogans to launch their various church programs. 

What essentially happens is we end with interpretations that force the Bible to agree with us rather than allowing us to agree with the Bible.

When we force the Bible to agree with our interpretations, we can abuse the scriptures to mean anything we want it to mean. Whether it is on the matter of divorce, marriage, buying a mansion, or even hating someone. We could almost justify anything by isolating a given verse out of its proper context.

More importantly, Eisegesis affects the thinking of people who can no longer determine absolute truth consistently, which often leads to doubt and unbelief concerning biblical doctrines.

We may all need to unlearn some bad reading habits regarding the sacred scriptures. But, most importantly, we need to be able to read the scriptures in their ‘context’, which is what this book will help you do.

I pray that through this blog, believers will be able to rid themselves of improper hermeneutics and begin to learn to interpret the word of God accurately. 

What can you expect from reading this blog?

In this blog, we will first give you a basic understanding of the Do’s and Dont’s when it comes to the interpretation of Scripture. Following which, we dive directly into some of the common verses that are taken out of context, and explain why they are wrongly applied along side the true intended purpose for which it is written.

The aim here is to help you learn how to properly read the Scripture in context, which will enable you to exposit the beauty and true meaning of the text of scripture.

We want everyone to use proper Exegesis in their study of scriptures allowing the Holy Spirit to renew their minds with a Biblical worldview.

Pin It on Pinterest