Often in scripture discussion, we hear reference to "context". Sometimes an argument from scripture will be countered with the remark, "You are taking that verse out of context". What does this mean? In this lesson we look at what context is, and how we should take account of it.

What is This Thing Called Context?

1 Context Defined

Context is, quite simply, the circumstances in which something is said. It involves things like...

• Who said something?
• Who did they say it to?
• Was the hearer hostile or friendly?
• Where was the person who said this thing?
• What prompted the person to say it?
• Whose interests did the speaker have at heart?
• What authority or expertise did the speaker possess?
• Was the speaker being honest?
• Was the speaker serious, joking, angry, joyful, afraid...?

That list could be expanded more and more, but that does not mean context is complicated. It can cover a lot of ground but it isn’t tricky ground. Nor is it something you have to learn, because you've been learning it ever since you began to speak and to listen to others speaking. It comes naturally. When you are asked to "keep scripture in context", all you are being asked to do is to interpret scripture as you would interpret anything you hear, and as you would expect others to interpret anything you say.

Making Bible Nonsense

Permit me a little foolishness by way of illustration. You can see that the quotation below, which is scripture every word, is unmitigated nonsense. Obviously I have joined bits of scripture together without any regard to context, so that I no longer have God’s word even though every word is from the Bible.

Joseph made ready his chariot. Now the flood was on the earth forty days. And he sank in his chariot. Joseph called Barsabbas. 'Deliver me out of the mire. Let me not sink.' The mother of Sisera looked through the window and called through the lattice. 'Why is his chariot so long?' And he answered and said unto her, 'Behold the appearance of the wheels. They toil not, neither do they spin.'

2 The Importance of Context

Imagine there is a preacher silly enough to tell the congregation, "Hear what the scripture says, 'Judas ... hanged himself,' and again in another place, 'Go and do thou likewise'." The preacher is certainly quoting scripture word for word isn’t he? (Mtt 27:5, Lke 10:37). However his congregation treats his exhortation as nonsense. They can see that the two scriptures he is joining together are taken completely out of context. It is important that they see that, otherwise they might all hang themselves. Unfortunately many people get hung, so to speak, by many serious errors because they do not notice that the scriptures quoted to them have been taken out of context.

Making Bible Contradictions

The importance of context is reflected in the statement, "The Bible doesn’t contradict itself". Most of the so-called contradictions in the Bible are contrived by simply juxtaposing scriptures out of context.

For example by this device, Paul can be made to seemingly contradict himself. Note these two statements...

• "By grace you are saved, not by works" (Eph 2:4-10)
• "Work out your own salvation" (Php 2:12)

There, if we take no regard for context, Paul seems to be contradicting himself by saying in one place that we are not saved by works, but in the other place that we are. Context, however, easily reconciles these two statements.

• In Ephesians Paul is addressing one of the key points in his teaching, that you cannot be saved by presenting yourself to God on the basis of an empty boast, namely that God ought to accept you on the basis that your good works make you good enough, and you don’t need any mercy from him or faith in Jesus.
• In Philippians Paul is looking at the Christian responding to God’s grace by faith in Christ. The works here have faith as their basis — they are the obedience of faith, and faith without obedience is no faith at all because, as James says, "Faith without works is dead" and anyone who thinks otherwise is a "foolish fellow" (Jas 2:20-24).

So we see a unity in the teaching, namely that one cannot be saved by works alone, nor by faith alone, but rather by faith perfected by works and works perfected by faith.

Texts Out of Context