Bible Question: what is a good way of checking to see if someone is taking scripture out of context. I was taught to read the scripture before and after it but sometimes that is not enough. |
Bible Answer: Reading the verses (paragraph) before and after the passage you are studying is indeed what it means to consider the passage in its context. Additionally, you may want to consider who wrote the book, to whom was he writing, what was the current or local situation of the person or people to whom he was writing. Is he addressing Jews, gentiles, the church of God? Was the author addressing a particular issue, and, if so, what was that issue? . . . Additionally, always remember and apply the following basic rule of interpretation. Note that although John MacArthur comments on it, this principle is centuries old and was not originated by John MacArthur. What I mean is that this principle has been known to and followed by earnest students of the Bible for centuries. It is not the exclusive intellectual property of any one man or one denomination. I chose the MacArthur quote because it defines so well the principle. . . . John MacArthur writes: "One of the basic principles of biblical interpretation is the *analogia scriptura*, the analogy of Scripture. In other words, we must compare Scripture with Scripture in order to understand its full and proper sense. And SINCE THE BIBLE DOESN'T CONTRADICT ITSELF, ANY INTERPRETATION OF A SPECIFIC PASSAGE THAT CONTRADICTS THE GENERAL TEACHING OF THE BIBLE IS TO BE REJECTED." (Emphasis by capitalization is mine.) |