Out Of Context?

I am often accused of taking a verse out of context, but what many fail to see is the “context” of scripture as a whole! If it agrees with the line of scripture, then it is in context with scripture, and not merely the immediate text. To confine a passage or verse to one area of scripture isolates it from the rest of the context--that of the entire flow of scripture.

Here are three guidelines for us to determine whether a passage or verse betrays the text it is used in:

1. Does it glorify the Father?
2. Does it edify the saints?
3. Does it exemplify the Savior?

If the answer to all three of these is “yes” then it is doing what it was written for! Many New testament writers have quoted Old Testament passages and applied them differently than the way they used on the Old Books.

Be careful not to get so hung up on the immediate “context” that you miss the true “content” of the scripture!