Why do many Christians use certain Bible verses out of context to prove a point?

Question

For example most quote 2 Timothy 3:16 -- "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God"...to justify the words of Paul and then New Testament and such. You ask them what the word "Scripture" means and they say "The Bible". I say the Old Testament or the New Testament and they say both. LOL. Anybody that would have read that verse 2000 years ago would have CLEARLY understood that Paul was talking about the Old Testament only. None of the other books of the New Testament were collected at that time...Then you have the most famously abused verses in the Bible. Revelation 22:18-19..it is the one that says do not add or take away from the words of this book...This book was only the book of Revelation...but 99% of Christians use those verses to say..."Aha...you can't add to or take away from the Bible so translations and versions are bad"....wrong!. What are some other verses that are abused and taken out of context?

No I am not saying the New Testament is false. I am just saying that Paul didn't know that these other letters the Apostles were writing would become a New Testamet.

Answer 1

Simple- they're NOT true Christians

Answer 2

Wiccan makes a good point, and one of which (apparently) you were unaware:: Christian scripture (literally, "writing") *was* extant in Paul's day. He was *not* speaking of only the OT because, quite frankly, the OT "canon" was not established until many years *after* Paul. Thus, neither the OT *nor* the NT had been "collected" in Paul's day. One can tell from reading Jude that the body of trustworthy OT "scripture" was much larger then than it is today.

Thus, anybody that would have read that verse 2,000 years ago would CLEARLY have understood that Paul was *not* talking about the Old Testament, since such a body of scripture *did not even exist* at that time. Interestingly, the NT authors usually quote from *the Septuagint*, and thus we could make an educated guess that all the books in that body, in addition to any Christian writings that were available at that time, were those of which Paul was speaking.

As for the verse in Rev, you are absolutely correct about its misapplication. The 99%, I presume, is an intentional exaggeration. I know of *no one* who claims that "translations and versions are bad". I know of *some* who claim that only the King James Version is valid, but they are a small (misled) drop in the Christian ocean.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 3

Many Christians use verses out of context because that is how they were taught and what they believe. For instance John 1:1, they insist the latter part should be the Word was God. In fact that assumption would be illogical because the very next verse John 1:2 says: He was in the beginning with God. (He being the Word).

I believe the Hebrews had scripture in use and Paul was referring to those plus any future scripture. I think he knew that God would assure that applicable scripture would survive and be denoted as divine.

Thanks for bringing out the misapplication of the end of Revelation to all scripture. Some commenters love to bring that out along with the condemnation to "hell" of anyone that doesn't agree with them.

Answer 4

Actually, while Paul was writing his line about "all scripture..." he was in fact writing scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as were the writers of the other books of NT, so yes, ALL scripture is divinely inspired and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness. And, as the last scripture written, Revelation, I believe, is speaking of the whole canon of collected scripture. It is not taking these verses out of context to use them in this manner if that is what the context of the verse implies, it is rather to come to full understanding of what the context means. I could be wrong, and I admit that.

What is taking something out of context? There used to be these pendants made with a verse from Genesis. It was sometimes a heart or sometimes just a circle with hearts on it and the verse was "God watch between you and me while we are apart one from another." They were broken crookedly in half and you'd keep one and give other to your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse. It was meant to be a nice little thing asking God to protect you both. However, the actual verse is said by Laban to Jacob, and was said so that God would be the witness of a covenant between them because neither one trusted the other because they had both cheated each other. Isn't that a lovely thing to give to your loved one? "Honey, I don't trust you a bit, so take this so God will watch over us both to make sure we don't cheat on each other."

Answer 5

EXACTLY

And is it not interesting that even though they did not know that these would become the Holy Scripture we have today and yet they are in complete harmony with each other.

Most religions concern theirselve with a portion and not all of the bible and concentrate on this rather that the whole bible.

God made it clear these people were decieved by this little here - little there teaching.

Isaiah 28:
13
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Answer 6

Peter considered pauls writings scripture. Read 2 Peter3:15,&16. Peter clearly says these wrtings are scripture.
BB

Answer 7

Because God wrote the bible, not men. Men merely dictated it. God knew what books the full canonized bible would contain. He knew it before the foundation of the world.

I've got a better question.
Why are atheists such jerks?
Seriously, you can disagree with someone without arrogantly mocking them. It's possible, really.

There sure are a lot of atheists in the religion section. Wonder why? Searching for answers? This is the place I guess.


Jesus is the only answer.
You are a sinner. You are going to hell if you do not accept God's forgivness. Not telling you that to scare you. I'm telling you that because it's the truth, and I want to wake you up to it. Sometimes the truth is scary, but denying it doesn't make it untrue. Would you rather have a scary truth or a pleasant lie? You know you are a sinner. You have done things on many occaisions that you knew were the wrong thing to do. You've broken every single one of the ten commandments. Be honest with yourself. There will be a judgement, and you will be guilty. And only by accepting Jesus Christ's sacrifice on your behalf will you forego your due punishment. The truth doesn't have to be scary. There is hope, and that hope is Jesus Christ.

Answer 8

whilst i grew to become into an atheist, I had to come lower back to have confidence that there grew to become right into a God, in the past i could ever dream of heavily reading the Bible. In my case I got here to the tip that God existed in the past I grew to develop right into a Christian and studied the Bible. yet evidence is yet another be counted completely. What I evaluate evidence is very needless to say of no effect to specific different varieties of human beings. All of my information is extremely pushed aside with cynicism. The cynic sees no sturdy in something. Love is lust, intercourse is instinct, excitement is endorphins, and there is not any God. it is the strategies of the cynic. desire that facilitates.

Answer 9

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter who, they can all recite the text Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged, to mean we should not judge ANYONE, or anything.

This has been taken out of context to such a degree that it is nauseating.

Answer 10

I believe it is because they do not follow the instructions given in the bible for understanding it. We cannot take a single text and be assured that it tells the complete truth by itself. We must add text to text, precept to precept, here a little, there a little in order to come to a complete understanding of the concepts the bible is teaching.

Answer 11

The two verses you happen to have quoted are used to justify the belief that the entire Bible is "God-breathed," infallible, and accurate in every way. In short, they're used to justify the "fundie" position. It ought to go without saying that you can't take the entire Bible "literally" - unless you've figured out how to hold several mutually exclusive opinions simultaneously, which is usually regarded as a hallmark of insanity.

To mention another example - "Christians" are always saying that the "Good News" of Jesus means they're exempt from the barbaric and savage old Mosaic Law. It's easy to see why they'd like to think so; but against this we have the red-letter words of "Jesus" himself: "Think not that I am come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in now wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19.)

There's also "Wayne" down there, who gives us this gem: "Why are atheists such jerks? Seriously, you can disagree with someone without arrogantly mocking them. It's possible, really." LOL...apparently it's not possible to Wayne.