5 Bible Verses

You Might Be

Misusing

Those of us who claim to be Bible believing Christians are purveyors of the truth. That is we have been entrusted with the truth of God that we may proclaim it to the world. It is important then that when we seek to speak or quote the Word of God we are doing it carefully and accurately. If we are careless in handling the Word of God, claiming it says something it does not, we under mind our credibility with our hearers and perhaps even find ourselves living out beliefs that the Bible doesn’t actually teach. This may lead to faulty living, confusion, disappointment (when God doesn’t come through the way we thought He had promised) and even the shipwreck of our faith.1

We all know that false teachers and cults misuse scripture. We also know that it is important not to take scripture out of context. Yet I have noticed that there are numerous ways that followers of Jesus misuse certain scriptures to assert truths that the verse or passage doesn’t actually address or even worse, may actually be contrary to scripture
So, today’s Friday Five consist of 5 commonly misused scriptures. Please realize that I can’t fully develop these misuses here but rather tease you a bit and encourage you to do a little research yourself and perhaps even share your comments here.
(Please see the comments box below)

1. Judge Not Lest You Be Judged
Judge not, that you be not judged. (Matthew 7:1) How many times have you heard someone say, "Judge not lest you be judged" to suggest that we should never evaluate or criticize anyone for anything. Sometimes it may be in reference to some moral or theological issue. The assertion is made that we should not judge ideas or actions. Yet is this really what the verse refers to.

If you check the context you’ll see that Jesus is actually teaching His followers to be discerning and perceptive so that they can judge between truth and error, genuine faith and religious sham.2   There is a contrast between the false self-righteous righteousness of the Pharisees and the true righteousness which is from God.

The Pharisees judged according to their false set of rules. Jesus is actually telling us, not that we should not evaluate or criticize anyone, but rather that we must be careful to judge by the right set of standards. That set of standards is God’s Word.

2. Where 2 or 3 Are Gathered
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. (Matthew 18:20)

We misuse this verse constantly to mean that whenever 2 or 3 of us believers get together to worship, God is there. Now we certainly hope and pray that when 2 or 3 of us get together to worship, God is there to receive our worship. In fact He delights in the praise of His people. However, that’s not what this passage is teaching.

The context of the verse is Church Discipline. The verse actually teaches us that God is with His church when they seek to purify the church. The "bind and loose" of verse 18 refer to God’s approval and support of the discipline of the church. Note too the reference to 2 or 3 witnesses required.3  If the church is to carry out any discipline in God’s name there must be 2 or 3 witnesses.4
3. All Things Work Together For Good
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

I love this verse and how many times have we used it in our efforts to comfort our friends to tell them that somehow in this terrible circumstance in which they find themselves God is going to bring something good out of it. Bad things do indeed happen to good people and God does often bring about something good but I’m not sure that’s exactly what this verse is telling us.

This is a magnificent verse concerning the believers security and hope in Christ. It speaks of the security of the believer. It is not saying that God prevents believers from experiencing the pains of life but that He ultimately turns it into blessing. This may include temporal blessing in this world, but notice from verse 29.5 that the ultimate good that God is bringing about through our circumstances, good and bad, is that He is conforming us to the image of Christ. God is always much more interested in your character than in your comfort.

We think in such a finite, temporal way, God thinks in terms of the eternal. His ultimate goal is to make us more like His glorious Son and as His eternal children we know that whatever happens to us, God will use it to make us more Christlike. I ask myself, am I more interested in my comfort and that good things will happen to me, or am I more more interested in becoming more like Jesus.

4. Train Up A Child
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Taking this verse as an absolute promise of God has brought heartache and pain to many a parent. It’s commonly quoted as a promise that if you raise your children right they will never depart from the ways of the Lord. I’ve heard another spin that says the verse means that if you raise your child according to God’s Word, though they may depart for a time they will eventually come back to the Lord. The problem is that many take this as an absolute promise from God and when children, who have their own will and make their own choices,6 turn from the Lord, the parents either conclude they did something wrong, were terrible parents or God broke His word.

When studying scripture you must always remember what style of literature the passage is. Proverbs is wisdom literature. It’s poetic. The proverbs are not stated as absolute promises from God,7 rather they are snipits of wisdom that are generally true.
In the case of Children for instance. If you love them and discipline them properly, teach them the ways of the Lord, it is generally true that they will embrace the Lord and not depart from the faith. If I live godly before my children and teach them the love of Christ there is a very, very good chance that they will embrace Christ for their own, but it is not guaranteed. The misuse of this verse can bring great sorrow and guilt upon parents who have lived faithfully before their children, taught them well, raised them well, but their children have chosen not to become followers of Jesus. 

5. Money Is The Root Of All Evil
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:10)Actually the most common problem with this verse is that it is misquoted. We often here it quoted "Money is the root of all evil," when it actually says "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils." Some have even concluded on the basis of this verse that it is wrong for Christians to be rich or to invest their finances.

Paul’s actual point here is that we are to learn to be content. Those who lust after money often end up falling into all kinds of trouble and Satan will often use their lack of contentment and their lust for money to snare and destroy them.   It's not having money
that can destroy you it is craving, the lusting after money that is destructive. 8

So, there are the Friday Five. I love to have your comments or your contributions of other commonly misused scripture verses. (Please use the comment box below.)

Remember, we are to handle God’s Word with care.
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1. Shipwreck Faith - I am not suggesting here that a truly born again believer will lose their salvation but rather they live in a state of misunderstanding that brings instability into their lives so that they are unable to live and experience the abundant life that Christ has intended.

2. Like that of the Pharisees

3. Matthew 18:16

4. Note another commonly misused scripture within this context "if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them (Matt 18:19). We usually take this to mean that if 2 or 3 of us pray for anything we can have it. Again, this is in context of when the church seeks to carry out discipline.

5. Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

6. There are many other influences on a child’s life including the ways of the world, the schools they attend, and the vast influence of media to mention only a few.

7. When God promises something, gives His Word, then we know it will be fulfilled 100% of the time or He is not God. In the study of scripture we must be sure that we are not making God promise something that He has not actually promised. To do so leads to dreadful guilt, doubt and confusion. It can also at times make us Christians look very silly.

8. Not withstanding that God expects us to be stewards of our possessions and to use them according to Biblical Principles.