The First Three Rules of Bible Study
Why it's absolutely vital to study the Bible in context
You may have heard the story about a person who wanted to hear a personal word from God. So they opened their Bible at random, put their finger down on the page and looked to see what it had to say to them. They were surprised to read, “Judas went out and hanged himself.” They thought maybe they had done something wrong, so they tried again. This time they saw, “You go and do the same thing”! All right, they thought, the third time must be the charm, so they made one more attempt. But now the verse next to their finger read, “What you’re going to do, do quickly.”
Have you ever heard the first three rules of real estate? Location, location, location. Well, there are some necessary do’s and don’ts for studying the Bible, too. What are the first three rules of Bible study? (No, surprisingly they don’t have anything to do with coffee!!) The first three rules of Bible study are: context, context, context. The most common mistake people make in using the Bible is taking a statement out of context.
We all understand the idea of taking something out of context, don’t we? Imagine seeing an advertisement for a new movie that includes, in the ad, a quote from a film review: “. . . this film is a colossal success, more effective than any other this year. Words cannot express how I feel about this latest effort . . .” Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But what if we replace the context they left out: “If this director was attempting to make the most childish, offensive movie imaginable, then this film is a colossal success, more effective than any other this year. Words cannot express how I feel about this latest effort. It’s really that bad!” Kind of changes the meaning, doesn’t it?
Can people do this with the Bible? Unfortunately, it happens all too often. Years ago, I was flipping through the channels and came across a well-known TV preacher. I listened to him for a while, and heard him say: “The Bible says Jesus left us an example that we should follow in his steps. That’s why I drive a Rolls Royce. I’m following in Jesus’ steps!”
Now setting aside the silly and baseless claim that Jesus was wealthy during his life on earth, something still nagged at me about the passage to which this preacher was referring. I finally had to go look it up for myself. It’s from 1 Peter 2:21:
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps [NIV, emphasis added].
Not only did the passage this man referred to not teach that Christ had left us an example of material wealth that we should follow, it was specifically speaking of suffering for doing good as Christ had! This was a great reminder to me to always check people’s sources.
You may have heard people say, “you can make the Bible say anything you want.” This is true, you can make the Bible say anything you want if you take it out of context. Of course, you can twist anything to mean anything, not just the Bible. But if you interpret Scripture according to the accepted standards of biblical interpretation, you’re stuck with what the biblical writers actually wrote. This is why context is so essential.
A big part of the problem is that we’re used to quoting and thinking in Bible verses, little snippets of the text. While memorizing verses can be a wonderful way to retain Scripture, it can also train us to emphasize one brief statement from the Bible but be completely ignorant of the verse’s surrounding context. This is actually a lot more common than people realize. Let me show you a few examples:
When you hear, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him,” what do you think of? Many Christians will think of heaven or eternity, because that’s how we’re used to this reference being used. But . . . is this what the passage is actually talking about? Read the next words (1 Corinthians 2:10): “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit.” While it’s very true we can’t imagine everything God has in store for us in eternity, that’s not what this passage is speaking of. It’s referring to things that God has already revealed to us. (So what is the passage talking about? Check it out in context, and see for yourself.)
How many times have you heard someone say, “Well, we’re having church right now because the Bible says wherever two or three are gathered together, Christ is right there with them”? But is this verse (Matthew 18:20) an encouragement that even two or three can “have church” because Jesus is with them? No, the context of this statement is Jesus’ teaching on church discipline. He’s letting the disciples know that if they have to confront a sinning member of the church, he is right there with them, regardless of their numbers, as they do what’s necessary for the church and for the individual.
What about this one: “It’s like the Bible says, ‘God owns the cattle on a thousand hills'”? Does this mean we as Christians will never go hungry, never be in want? Is this what the passage quoted is teaching? Read some of the surrounding context (Psalm 50:9-12):
But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
Is the main point here to encourage us that God will always provide for us? No, it’s not. This psalm is putting the people’s sacrifices to God back into right perspective. They had to realize that God didn’t need their sacrifices. Everything belongs to him already. Of course, it’s true that if everything belongs to God, then he has no lack of resources to draw from when he does provide for us. But that doesn’t guarantee we’ll never do without. We must be careful not to misuse the Scriptures and take them out of context.
Sometimes we’ll just be using the wrong text to support a belief that’s still true and biblical (as with the three examples immediately above). This is like using the wrong tool for a job when the right tool is back in the tool chest. At least these examples are actually quoting the Bible! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone exclaim: “Well, it’s like the Good Book says, ‘God helps those who help themselves’” (which isn’t from the Good Book—it’s from Benjamin Franklin), or “The Bible says, ‘To thine own self be true’” (which isn’t the Bible, it’s Shakespeare—and not even from one of his more intelligent characters!).
Other times we can misuse a text and end up with a completely erroneous belief. Philippians 4:13 says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” If we take this statement by itself, with no context, what does it mean? Are there no qualifications, no clarifications? Does this mean it doesn’t matter if I haven’t done any of my physics homework and the final exam is tomorrow—I know I can get a good grade because “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength”? Can it mean I don’t have to bother with studying the passage I’m supposed to teach on Sunday because “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength”? (Two examples I’ve actually heard, by the way.) Read the preceding context:
How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
What is it that Paul is able to do through Christ who gives him strength? Be content with what he has, live with plenty or little, a full stomach or empty. Some translations make this even more clear by saying, “I can do all this through Christ, who gives me strength.”
How can we keep from making these kinds of mistakes with the Bible? First, if you haven’t actually read a verse in context yourself, don’t try to use it to make a point. This is known as “proof-texting.” It’s using an isolated verse—or even a whole list of them—to make a claim sound biblical. Get in the habit of checking out the verses people use to support their claims. When someone says, “Well, the Bible says . . . ” Ask them: “Where?” and then look it up, and see if the Bible is actually saying what they say it’s saying!
Next, get out of the habit of thinking in isolated Bible verses. Many Christians don’t realize that the chapter and verse numbers were added to the Bible centuries after it was written; they’re not part of the original text. They can be very helpful in allowing us to find specific places in the Bible quickly and efficiently. This is especially nice when we’re studying with other people. But this is pretty much the extent of their purpose. What the chapters and verses don’t do well is divide up chunks of thought.
Some of us are accustomed to Bible studies where we read one verse and discuss it, and then read another verse and discuss it. The problem with this method of Bible study is that it usually cuts up—we could even say butchers—the passage of Scripture to the point we completely lose the flow of thought. We’re not clearly seeing the forest or the trees!
The U.S. Declaration of Independence includes the sentence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Now, one could quote this isolated sentence and try to make all kinds of applications about how truth in general is always self-evident. But when we look at the sentence in context, we see the author is making this point about specific truths he felt were self-evident, not truth in general. If we take a sentence or verse by itself, and apply it with no thought of the surrounding context, we’re guaranteeing we’ll take it out of context. If we do this with Scripture, it can lead to serious misunderstanding of the Bible.
When we write, we usually don’t write individual, isolated statements. We write in paragraphs and extended sections that develop our thoughts. The biblical writers did the same thing. If we want to really grasp what the Bible is saying, we need to focus on whole paragraphs and groups of paragraphs to understand the main points of a passage of Scripture. So when you’re reading the Bible (or quoting the Bible), don’t think in verses—think in paragraphs.
Remember this old saying: A text without a context is a pretext. What are the first three rules of studying the Bible? Context, context, context. Hopefully, I haven’t scared you too badly with any of the examples above. (We’ve all made our mistakes studying the Bible.) All I’m really urging you to do is to simply observe what Scripture is actually saying. Take the time to read the text carefully. Always remember to check the surrounding context of a verse, thinking through the flow of the whole passage, and you’ll be well on your way to truly understanding the Scriptures.
Related posts:
Which Bible Version Should I Use?
Why Do We Have to “Study” the Bible?
Where Are We? Getting a Feel for the Broader Story of the Bible
You’ve Got Mail! Opening the Letters to the Churches
Building Bridges: Cultural Differences in the Letters to the Churches
Following the Story: God and His People (Part 1)
Following the Story: God and His People (Part 2)
Acting on Acts: How Do We Apply the Book of Acts to the Church Today?
Are Christians Supposed to Obey the Ten Commandments? Christians and the Old Testament Law
The Psalms: Prayers to God That Speak to Us
Walking With the Wise: Learning from the Bible’s Poetic Wisdom
The Prophets: God Confronts His Rebellious People
Revelation: The Story Comes Full Circle