Handling the Misuse of Scripture
How do I know when someone is using a scripture wrong? This week, we are exploring the topic of misused scriptures and dealing with confusion.
FAITH
Dani FIelder
10/6/20266 min read
We live in a time when misinformation is everywhere. You could be scrolling on your phone and see a video that depicts something that never happened, or have someone explaining something to you that is not factually accurate. This is even true in the church. If I am being honest, my sister and I visited a church recently that unsettled us both because of the blasphemy that was being taught in the church. This experience had me saddened for the people sitting under the preaching, believing that this is who God is. This experience also led me to reflect on the importance of testing what we hear, being in the word of God for ourselves, and understanding the basics of what we believe and why. So, this week we will be jumping into a topic that may be a bit difficult. How do we handle the misuse of Scripture? There is misinformation everywhere; we can't stop that, but how can we respond to things we hear when we do not know what is true or what is not?
Responses to Out-of-Context Scripture
A few years back, my sister, my best friend at the time, and my best friend's boyfriend all went out to a musical and dinner. It was a fun time, until the end of the evening when my friend's boyfriend, who was an atheist, began to ask me all kinds of questions about my faith that I did not know how to answer. Despite being raised Christian and being semi-studied in the Bible, he stumped me on a lot of major questions about my faith. He, being the intellectual he was, said he had read the Bible, but he did not understand some of the things he read. He even mocked some of the figures in the Bible. It was frustrating, confusing, and embarrassing.
I bring this up, however, because many people find themselves in situations like this, and it can lead them in a few directions. You can be stumped by your confusion and frustration and allow it to lead you away from your faith; You can stay stagnant and just choose not to listen, which I would say is less likely to be sustainable; Or you can decide to learn more and be able to answer the questions that stumped you in the first place. At first, I sat in the second option, but I eventually decided to study my faith more so I could answer the questions I didn't know.
As Christians, this should always be our response. If we do not understand, we should always go back to Scripture to test if it is right. So, how do we know when Scripture is being misused? How should we respond when it is misused?
Testing and Approving
Pray
"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6, NIV).
No matter the situation, we can and should always start with prayer. It can really just be a simple conversation with God to express that maybe you do not understand something that is being said. God understands. He is someone we can go to in times of anxiety, discouragement, or confusion.
Read your Bible and know what you believe
"6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
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" (Galatians 1:6-10, NIV).
"11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11, NIV).
Many people overlook the importance of reading the Bible. The Bible, however, is the word of God, and it instructs us on how to live our lives. So, if you do not read your Bible and someone misquotes or misuses Scripture, you will be more susceptible to falling for what is being taught. In Galatians 1:6-10, Paul urges the people of Galatia not to turn to a Gospel aside from the Gospel of Christ. He even says that if an angel were to come down and preach a Gospel different than Jesus, not to listen. So, no matter what is being said, we should read our Bible for ourselves to see if it is true. If someone reads Scripture, make sure you study the Scripture and make sure you look at the context of the entire chapter, not just a single Scripture.
Allow the Word of God to change the way you think.
"2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2, NIV).
As Christians, we should not think in the way the world thinks. Our goal should be to become more and more like Christ. So, as we read our bible, we should allow it to change the way we think. It's common in the world to want more, more, more and to gratify the flesh. If you are listening to sermons that replicate this pattern, consider testing the fruit of what you are eating spiritually. The more you renew your mind to look like Christ, the easier testing and approving will become, along with discernment that comes from the holy spirit.
Ask yourself, "Does this message teach grace and truth? Can I find Jesus in what is being taught?"
"3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NIV).
"1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world" (1 John 4:1-3, NIV).
The word says that there will be a time when people will no longer want to hear sound doctrine, but instead, people will just want to hear what sounds good. That is true of now. Many preachers teach only half-truths or insert unbiblical principles. Understand this and look for messages that illustrate Jesus the same way the Bible does. You should also look for preachers who incorporate grace-based preaching that illustrates God's love, but also teaches the truth that we are all sinners who need a savior: Jesus!
Find trusted, Christ-following mentors
"1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV).
"20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20, NIV).
There are many examples of mentorship in the bible: Paul and Timothy, Moses and Joshua, even Jesus and his disciples. It is important to have someone in your life that you can go to when you have questions. This is not to say that they will know absolutely everything or always be entirely correct, but the hope is that if they are first submitted to Christ, then they are studying their word and leading you in new ways to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ.
Pray again!
"17 pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV)
At the end of the day, we should strive to continue to learn more through the Bible and look more like Christ. It is okay to make mistakes or to not know everything. What is truly important at the end of the day is being in relationship with Christ, and the only way we continue to nurture that relationship is by spending time with him in His Word, praying, and praising who He is.