On Taking Scripture Out Of Context (And The Danger Therin)

Also, look for ideas that are repeated, and read both chapters.
The more you read, the more you know! Remember,
scripture is a part of our armor!

          If you were to open my tablet and look at the lock screen, you would see a picture of a sunrise outside my front door, and 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourself, then, before the Lord, and He will lift you up in His time," written across the picture. I fell in love with this verse in the middle of a lecture in my Spanish class that I wasn't exactly paying attention to . . . but that's beside the point. The point is that I recently went back to read the entire chapter of 1 Peter 5, and what I found totally blew my mind. You see, there are different types of books in the Bible. Some of them are simply accounts of history, some are beautiful poems, some are letters, and so on, but it's all the written word of God. 1 Peter 5 is a letter, written to the elders among believers who had been scattered due to persecution. In this letter he's encouraging the leaders to remain strong in their faith and to continue to be strong leaders for their people. If you've been reading my blog, you know that 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you," is a verse that I hold very close to my heart on my journey through recovery from anxiety issues. What I never realized is that two of my favorite verses are literally right next to each other. I had to read the entire chapter to get the full effect of those verses and to be able to link them together! 
          So when you just read one verse and write it on your wall because it speaks to you, read the whole chapter first! It's not necessarily that you'll be interpreting that verse incorrectly, it's just that you might not be getting the full value of that book or section! The books of the Bible often address a certain issue and tell a story, and you need to read the whole story to get the entirety of the message! 
          However, you could be getting it completely wrong. The biggest example of this is when people quote Leviticus out of context. This is just something that is really present in today's world and right now we as Christians are standing on a global stage, being looked at under a microscope, so we need to be on our A-game. Christians (and non-Christians) who turn to Leviticus to either shame homosexuals or debunk Christians are not doing any good quoting that book out of context. The book of Leviticus is full of rules that, if followed, basically put people in a righteous place with God. He knew that He would be sending the perfect sacrifice in time, but the people who lived before Christ's coming needed rules and regulations to help them live lives that could be counted as righteous. They didn't have the Holy Spirit inside of them to guide them, so they needed to follow the rules set forth in the Old Testament to be counted as righteous in God's eyes, and also to be visibly set apart from the pagans and other people. 

          I could give example after example of Scripture that holds so much more meaning when read in context, or areas where quoting just one verse can be twisted to be used against God's glory instead of for it, but don't take my word for it. Today, I'm challenging anyone who reads this blog to take any one of their favorite verses and read the entire chapter. I promise you'll gain a better understanding of God's character and His love for the unique and wonderful person that He made you to be! :)