Context, Context, Context

When I was younger, I remember that there was nothing quite as frustrating as trying to read something that contained words that were beyond my current vocabulary. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed reading, but when you have to stop every other sentence to look up a word in the dictionary the fun seems to get sucked out of it. Of course, a trip to the dictionary was not always necessary to figure out what every new word meant. The wonderful thing about literature is that you are never left with one word all by itself and expected to understand the meaning. Literature is full of what we call “context clues”. These clues help us to figure out what a particular word may mean even though we are not familiar with that word. Take the following sentences for example: “I took the tome off the shelf and opened it to page 94. I then began to read.” The word “tome” is probably unfamiliar to most of us, but the context clues give a very clear idea of what a “tome” is. In fact, if we were to look the word up in a dictionary, we find that a “tome” is just a large book; something that the context already made clear.  You see, context and context clues clarify what a word, concept or idea really means.

This principle also applies to our study of God’s word. When considering a topic, phrase or statement in the Bible, one must always consider the context that it is in if you hope to interpret it correctly. Taking something out of context often times permits one to arrive at an erroneous conclusion regarding what God is saying. Take for example a very familiar passage like John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” One might take that verse, all by itself, out of context and form the erroneous conclusion that all one must do to have eternal life is believe in the Son of God who was given for the world. When someone does that we want to jump up and down, declaring that simple belief is not all that is required for one to be saved. We may want to turn to other passages of Scripture that illustrate that one must also repent and be baptized (cf. Acts 2:38). And though there is nothing inherently wrong with that approach—for we do need to look into the broader context of the entire New Testament to understand all the specifics of what is involved in the process of salvation—one need not look farther than the immediate context of John 3 to demonstrate that above conclusion is inaccurate.

First, consider that leading up to this statement in verse 16, Jesus has been talking to a man named Nicodemus. This man comes to Jesus confessing that he believed that Jesus was in fact from God. He had arrived at this conclusion based on the many signs that Jesus had performed in the presence of the people (John 3:2). Jesus then makes the following statement to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (3:3). To this, Nicodemus responds with the puzzled question of how a man could enter again into his mother’s womb when he is old and be born again. Jesus tells him that it is not a physical birth that He is referring to, but rather a spiritual birth. He says, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter in to the kingdom of God” (3:5). You see, it is clear, from the context, that there is more to being saved than simply intellectually accepting the fact that the Son came from the Father.

Secondly, consider a statement that John the Baptizer makes regarding those who would be saved. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Here, John contrasts belief and disobedient. The kind of belief that John is talking about (and that Jesus was talking about) is the opposite of disobedience. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the belief that is under consideration in this passage is a belief that motivates obedience. This conclusion is not only consistent with the immediate context of the passage but also the larger context of the New Testament writings (cf. James 2:14-26; Hebrews 3:18-19).

We could examine many more examples of verses being ripped from their context and studied in complete isolation from the rest of Scripture. When this happens, it is no wonder that we end up with such a diversity of doctrine and beliefs, even among those who call themselves “Christians”. The frustrating part of this is that we cannot prevent others from committing this crime. I only have power over myself and my own study. I can ensure that I never take things out of context and abuse the word of God to accomplish my purposes. And, when I see or am confronted by those who have not been as careful with the word of God, I need to gently point them to the context and help them arrive at a correct understanding of Scripture. I can remind them that the instructions of the inspired men that are preserved for us in the words of the Bible are intended to be taken as a whole. “The sum of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160a).