Today in the church there is an epidemic of proof texting (or perhaps “spoof” texting). What I mean by this is that some popular teachers (as well as your average “Joe” pastor) will pick a topic to teach upon, then grab a concordance to find verses that address the specific topic they have chosen. Often times this results in the misapplication of passages or the ignoring of context to make the point “work.”
So back by popular demand…here is a re-post of a blog I did on commonly misunderstood verses…
I plan to do another one asap….
I Cor. 14:34-35 “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.”
Misunderstanding: Some people claim that because of these verses a woman is NOT allowed to speak in Church AT ALL!!!
Correct understanding: These verses are in no way a prohibition against women speaking in Church. There are a variety of reasons why this is the case…
1). I Corinthians chapters 12-14 is all about tongues. Paul spend 2 entire chapters discussing the misuse of tongues in the Corinthian Church.
2). These verses are preceded by 33 verses regarding the misuse of tongues, and prophesy in the Church. It would make no sense for Paul to switch topics with no apparent transition.
3). The remaining verses of the chapter following verses 34 and 35 are again about the misuse of tongues and prophecy. Therefore the CONTEXT must be about tongues and NOT common speech.
4). In the original Greek language there were no punctuation marks nor verse breaks like we find in our English bible. The punctuation is dictated by the tenses and grammatical construction of the Greek phrases used. These verses are not parenthetical. Meaning that they are staying true to the subject at hand, which is tongues
5). While Paul is referencing the universal truth that women are not to be heads or the teachers of the Church, he is not forbidding them from speaking, just from speaking in tongues. This makes sense in light of the fact that in most tongue speaking Churches women are allowed to preach. Also, given the history or Corinth it makes sense that in verse 35 Paul tells the women to keep their questions for at home with their husbands. History tells us that the Corinthian Church was overrun with women trying to disrupt teaching by questioning the integrity and authority of the Scriptures. This is the problem that Paul is referencing!
Luke 9:59-61 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Misunderstanding: Recently a person explained this verse to me this way: “To the best of my knowledge, he means let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. And be happy because we know that Christians go to heaven, and non Christians will never go to heaven, so there is no need in morning especially for a dead Christian.” (His spelling…not mine…)
Correct Understanding: First of all, this passage was written before the church was established. The apostles were preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. There was NO “CHRISTIAN GOSPEL” as of yet.
Secondly, this is in reference to a Jewish custom. This man was asking Christ for the right to bury his father. At first glance it seems of if Christ’s reply was somewhat harsh, however a quick look at Hebrew culture will prove otherwise.
It was a common practice in Hebrew culture for the first born son to remain with his father (or in close proximity) until his father died. Then upon burying his father he would receive his inheritance. Now if the eldest son were to give up this right and leave his father then his brothers would then be given the legal right to step in and bury their father. What makes this interesting is that until something happened like this, the younger brothers were referred to as “THE DEAD”, because they were “DEAD” to the inheritance. Because of this we can understand that Christ’s response to the mans question; “What must I do to follow you?”, was not cruel and unsympathetic, but rather it was a costly condition. Give up your inheritance and follow me now!
I Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit…”
Misunderstanding: It is wrong to do anything that is harmful to your body. For instance, eating fatty foods, getting a tattoo (because of risk of dirty needles)…etc…etc…
Correct Understanding: Many people use this verse for a variety of prohibitions. Anything and everything from foods, to smoking. Some also use it to display a “biblical” reason why we should exercise. While it is unhealthy to eat fatty foods, and it is a bad idea to smoke, and exercise is beneficial, this verse does nothing to support any of these ideas. There are a few reasons:
1). Context. This verse is about sexual sin. NOTHING else is implied by this text but sexual sin. The full context reads as follows:
“Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” I Cor. 6:18-20
2). The Corinthian Church was being overrun by those practicing sexual immorality. This is what Paul is addressing. There were no smokers there….nor was there an issue with people being couch potatoes.
MORE VERSES:
Eph 4:26 “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
WRONG VIEW: Settle disputes before you sleep.
CORRECT VIEW: DO NOT SIN as result of your anger. Be ANGRY WITH SIN. NEVER let your ANGER towards sin stop!
Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
WRONG VIEW: We can do ANYTHING we put our minds too…It’s all about positive thinking in Jesus name!
CORRECT VIEW: I can ENDURE ANYTHING…..Remember…CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT!!!!
Prov. 23:7 “As a man thinks in his heart so is He.”
WRONG VIEW: We ARE what we think….
CORRECT VIEW: It actually reads, “Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” So this proverb is advising us to be careful when a miser asks us to share a meal with him. In other words, don’t be fooled by the words of a deceitful person, because as he thinks in his heart, so he is. (borrowed from Doug Beaumont…he has a great website www.dougbeaumont.org)
Psalm 118:24 “24This is the day which the LORD has made;Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
WRONG VIEW: This day was made by God so we should be happy about it!!!
CORRECT VIEW: This is a prophetic passage about the Crucifixion and Resurrection. We should rejoice in the fact Christ died for us. This “DAY” is a single event…we are not ALWAYS going to be happy, and it IS OK to have a bad day!!!
The movie “300″ has been a runaway smash hit here in the USA! In Europe however, things are a little different. Recently while listening to CNN I heard a British film critic discussing the somewhat cold response that “300″ has received in the UK. The critic stated that the ethic and morality portrayed in the film is overtly “American.” The critic stated that in Britain the masses have accepted a view of morality and ethics in which there is no clear right and wrong. They have further come to the realization that there is no absolute good or evil and therefore they do not like this “absolutist” movie. Because one cannot demarcate between what is “good” and what is not, often times during the showings of the film the British viewers would become disgusted with the film and walk out!
“Steven” (Nacho’s buddy) declared that he does not believe in God. One would expect him to say that he follows the sciences into a denial of God or that science proves there is no God, but he doesn’t. Instead, he states that he believes in SCIENCE…he has supplanted a theistic belief system with an atheistic. By his own statement he has placed his FAITH/BELIEF IN science. Watch the following scene and see what I am talking about….
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