Dahhh…

Even though I’m guilty of doing it myself, one pet peeve of mine is when people take verses too far out of context.

Sometimes we read too much into a verse, meaning sometimes we look for meaning in bible verses that may not be there. Or sometimes we twist a verse to suit our own purposes, creating meaning that isn’t really there. One verse I’ve heard used in this way is Romans 8:37 “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” I’ve heard it used somewhere along the lines of, “Because God loves our team we will destroy you on the basketball courts today…” I’m pretty sure basketball did not exist in the Roman empire in the first century A.D., so I’m pretty sure that’s not really a great interpretation of that verse.

But then sometimes I wonder if it’s good to read a little bit out of context for some verses. One verse I’ve been thinking of lately is Galatians 1:10- “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

It’s pretty clear from the rest of the chapter what the context is. Many believers in the Galatian church are turning away from Christ because they are being taught a false gospel. This verse comes smack dab in the middle of Paul’s defense of the gospel that he has taught. It’s a gospel he taught not to win approval from people, and not to gain fame or followers for himself, but out of obedience to his calling as missionary to the Gentiles. It’s a gospel that can seem unpleasant to some, because it says that we are all sinners and that we are all in need of a savior. It’s a gospel that polarizes people as much today as it did when Paul preached it. If you were trying to please people, you would not preach the gospel.

So it’s clear that this verse was about why Paul teaches the gospel. Yet I wonder if this is one of those verses that would be helpful if taken slightly out of context. It’s interesting that all the bible translations that I read separate this verse into it’s own paragraph, standing on its own. I like to call these verses that can sort of stand on their own loaded verses.

So this is why I think this loaded verse is useful. For some reason many Christians seem to be somewhat shy about their faith. Some may be shy about praying in public, some may feel weird about having bible studies in coffee houses, others may feel weird about bringing their friends to church events. I am very guilty of these myself. Others are shy about what they say, wanting to look good in front of others. I am sometimes very guilty of this too. (Although nowadays I’m more inclined to need to remember the lessons from James 3 about taming the tongue. I’m sure I say a lot of stupid stuff that I don’t even remember saying…)

So I guess this loaded verse is important for me to remember. It’s very easy to want to be a people pleaser– to say the write things and do things that don’t draw attention to myself. But I need to remind myself that I am not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.