To many people, the Bible seems to say so much about so many things that surely you can make it “prove” just about anything you want. And when sincere people disagree on what the Bible teaches, it may seem like there is just no answer. To show how easy it is to “prove something by the Bible,” consider the “advice” of the following verses:
- “Judas… went and hanged himself” (Mt. 27:3, 5).
- “Do likewise” (Lk. 3:11).
- “That thou doest, do quickly” (Jn. 13:27).
These three Scripture selections contain advice that none of us would want to follow. But is this really Bible teaching? We doubt that anyone with the slightest knowledge of the nature of the Bible would really think it advises hanging oneself.
There is no doubt that the Bible teaches about many different subjects. In fact, it deals in principle with every problem that faces humanity; it shares the wisdom of the ages. It tells of man’s fall from fellowship with God and the way to restore that fellowship. Despite its wide range of teaching, its message is neither contradictory nor unclear. It certainly may be misinterpreted, misread, and misrepresented, but because it is the written Word of God, it is without error. When something seems to be contradictory, it just means that more study is needed to understand it completely. These “apparent contradictions” fall away when properly understood in context.
The context of a passage is made up of those verses around the passage that throw light on its meaning and help it to be understood. The context correctly understood gives the proper setting to best understand a passage. Looking at the context would show that the three passages cited in my example above (Matthew 27, Luke 3, and John 13) all deal with specific situations and were not meant to be strung together to make a series of commands to be followed.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Tim. 3:15-16). Here Paul sets down a principle for understanding the Scriptures; they must be “rightly divided.” This means that every passage must be considered in its immediate context, as well as the overall context of the Bible. This means that consideration will be given to who is speaking, who is addressed, and the purpose of what is written. The Bible accurately records the words of non-inspired men as well as inspired men, so care must be taken with each passage so that it will not be interpreted in such a way as to contradict clear Bible teaching. One who based his theology on the words of Job’s friends would be sadly confused, because much of what Job’s friends said was wrong.
Yes, you can prove anything by the Bible if you are willing to twist its words to make it say something it does not really teach. The Bible warns against adding to or taking away from Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 22; 18-19). Those who would twist the Scriptures for their own purposes risk the wrath of God.
