Context Matters
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." - Matthew 5:17
One of the most important keys to understanding the Bible is remembering that context matters. Without it, we can misunderstand or even misuse what God is trying to teach us.
In Matthew 5, Jesus says several times, “You have heard it said, but I say to you.” At first glance, some people have assumed that Jesus was rejecting or opposing the Jewish Law. But if we take the time to look at the context, we see something very different. Jesus was not challenging Scripture itself. He was addressing how people had been interpreting Scripture.
In fact, just a few verses earlier, Jesus made it clear that He had not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. That is a crucial detail that shapes how we read the entire passage. Without it, we might walk away with a completely wrong understanding of what Jesus was doing and teaching.
A lot of confusion in the church over the years has come from people pulling Bible verses out of context. It is like reading only part of a sentence in a book review that says, “This book is incredibly challenging to read, but it’s worth every second,” and only quoting the part that says, “This book is incredibly challenging to read.” The meaning changes entirely when you leave out the rest.
Understanding the Bible is no different. To truly grasp the message of a verse or passage, we need to understand the history, the culture, the audience, and the setting around it.
It is easy to make Scripture say what we want it to say when we rip it out of context. But when we take time to slow down and study the environment around the words, we discover truth that is rich, life-giving, and clear.
The next time you read the Bible, do not rush. Ask yourself, who was this written to? What was going on at the time? How does this verse fit with what comes before and after it? When we approach Scripture with care, we honor God’s Word and open ourselves to the real transformation He wants to bring into our lives.
One of the most important keys to understanding the Bible is remembering that context matters. Without it, we can misunderstand or even misuse what God is trying to teach us.
In Matthew 5, Jesus says several times, “You have heard it said, but I say to you.” At first glance, some people have assumed that Jesus was rejecting or opposing the Jewish Law. But if we take the time to look at the context, we see something very different. Jesus was not challenging Scripture itself. He was addressing how people had been interpreting Scripture.
In fact, just a few verses earlier, Jesus made it clear that He had not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. That is a crucial detail that shapes how we read the entire passage. Without it, we might walk away with a completely wrong understanding of what Jesus was doing and teaching.
A lot of confusion in the church over the years has come from people pulling Bible verses out of context. It is like reading only part of a sentence in a book review that says, “This book is incredibly challenging to read, but it’s worth every second,” and only quoting the part that says, “This book is incredibly challenging to read.” The meaning changes entirely when you leave out the rest.
Understanding the Bible is no different. To truly grasp the message of a verse or passage, we need to understand the history, the culture, the audience, and the setting around it.
It is easy to make Scripture say what we want it to say when we rip it out of context. But when we take time to slow down and study the environment around the words, we discover truth that is rich, life-giving, and clear.
The next time you read the Bible, do not rush. Ask yourself, who was this written to? What was going on at the time? How does this verse fit with what comes before and after it? When we approach Scripture with care, we honor God’s Word and open ourselves to the real transformation He wants to bring into our lives.
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