×

I had a talk this past weekend with a couple of members of a heretical Christian sect (“Church of God,” they said), who sought to persuade me of their beliefs. We didn’t get too far. They began by saying that we were all born in heaven. The two verses they used to support it were Prov. 8:23 and Job 38:21. It was a classic case of Scripture twisting.

Thinking later about the encounter, I was grateful for the commonsensical wisdom Greg Koukl has shared numerous times. See, e.g., his piece, “Never Read a Bible Verse.”

Here’s an excerpt:

If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I’ve ever learned as a Christian?

Here it is: Never read a Bible verse. That’s right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least.

My Radio Trick

When I’m on the radio, I use this simple rule to help me answer the majority of Bible questions I’m asked, even when I’m totally unfamiliar with the verse. It’s an amazingly effective technique you can use, too.

I read the paragraph, not just the verse. I take stock of the relevant material above and below. Since the context frames the verse and gives it specific meaning, I let it tell me what’s going on.

This works because of a basic rule of all communication: Meaning always flows from the top down, from the larger units to the smaller units, not the other way around. The key to the meaning of any verse comes from the paragraph, not just from the individual words.

Read the whole thing, where he goes into more detail and gives a number of examples.

LOAD MORE
Loading