Scripture Not Shared in Love is Out of Context
God is love. The Bible is a book that contains God’s words to us. God prepared, preserved, and presented His words to us in amazing book that helps us to hear His voice in powerful ways. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals God’s love for His world. Love is the foundational lens through which the Bible’s message is intended to be understood, applied, and shared. Since love is God’s intent, scripture not shared in love is out of context.
Context always matters. To authentically engage with the scriptures, it is important to understand how an individual verse relates to the whole Bible and to the heartbeat of God. We grab context from the surrounding sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and the Bible as a whole. It is important to understand historical context, type of writing (history, prophecy, poetry, letter, etc.) and author’s intent. The context of the Bible can be difficult to fully keep in mind because it is a book that is made up of sixty-six individual books written by forty different authors over a timespan of 1,500 years in three languages on three continents.
Love is the place to start when seeking to keep the scriptures in context. When reading the Bible, intentionally focus on the God of love. Seek to grasp how the words point to the deepest understanding of who God is. There is no need to discount or ignore passages of scripture that are difficult to reconcile with God’s love…instead, we can dig in and prayerfully consider the words in the broader context of the entire narrative.
When we read and understand the Bible as an expression of God’s love, we are able to share the scriptures in a way that bring blessings into our world. When we lose love as our primary motivation, we misuse the scriptures and abuse our world. Here are three primary ways we share scripture outside of the context of love:
Weaponizing Truth – Scripture is weaponized when it is shared to merely prove a point, win an argument, or control people. The Bible refers to scripture as a sword, but it is a weapon that is used to fight FOR people not AGAINST people. Ephesians 6 refers to “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God,” but the same chapter reminds us that “our battle is not against flesh and blood.” Scripture shared in love is a gift, a blessing, and a joy to share. There is no need to ever “beat someone over the head with the Bible.” The message of the Bible is an invitation not a condemnation.
Creating Religious Rules – Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to the love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor as yourself. The Old Testament Law is a law of love, but the religious leaders of Jesus’ day drifted into a love of Law. Religious expressions often lose the context of love and begin to impose legalistic demands on the world. The Pharisees tried to use scripture against Jesus by accusing Him of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus replied to their accusations by declaring that “God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath.” God’s loving intent for the Sabbath is to give people the gift of rest, but religious rules can take the command out of the context of love and impose another burden instead of God’s blessing.
Offering False Hope – Philippians 4:13 is a great example of scripture that can easily be shared outside the context of love by offering false hope. It says, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” This text is often shared like a self-help mantra that reinforces a sense of religious achievement instead of a loving relationship. When taken out of the context of love, this verse can cause people to feel like God has abandoned them when they face challenging times and suffering. Jesus is not some kind of magic genie that makes all our wildest dreams come true and prevents us from experiencing difficult trials. The promise of the scripture is that God is with us in the suffering and His loving presence is what empowers us to endure and thrive in the face of adversity.
When sharing a scripture, always check your heart. Is your motivation love or is something else present?
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)
