You will see this verse plastered all over the place. It is the life verse of so many Christians – yet how often do they sit and think about the context of it? Sure, many will think about the Lord’s wonderful plans for their own lives, their specific path of success and destiny handed down from on high. But, that’s not the point of this verse. God is speaking to Jeremiah specifically to give hope to the nation of Israel in the midst of the Babylonian exile. For the Hebrew nation, this would be a wonderful reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness to restore them to their land – not a heart-warming, life verse indicating that the prophet will give up the sackcloth and finally land that concert gig he’s always been dreaming of.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
This is THE go-to bible passage for weddings. The man and soon-to-be wife longingly look into one another’s misty eyes, thinking of all the lovey-dovey times ahead of themselves. Well, that’s cute – but this is a list of qualitative descriptions of the true follower of Christ. Corinth, being rife with sexual immorality, pride, and so on, was the poster child of disunity and divisiveness in the church in the first century. While this verse can apply to the marriage vows, it is not specifically about a love that is currently possessed, but of attributes in need. Specifically, these are qualities of God that all Christians, if indeed they are Christians, are to possess and continually seek after.
Philippians 4:13
No, bro, this is not about your ability to lift heavy things, nor is it about the ability to attain your life goals. Paul is in chains, literally in his dying years, in a prison with poor food/water supply and no bathroom (save the floor). Paul’s intention then, was not about preacher curls, but being sustained by the grace of God through the remaining days of his life – so that he might finish the race set before him and enter into the presence of the living God. Paul was preaching the gospel to himself – not dreaming of his escape from prison in order to open Paul’s Tent Emporium or finally qualify in the games of Corinth.
Romans 8:28
This is not so much a misunderstanding of a verse than a misuse of one. It is simply not helpful to tell a person who has just witnessed their father die from a heart attack that God works all things for good. First off, it has a specific object: those who are called according to His purpose (that is, the elect). Second, most times a Band-Aid verse is not helpful to those who are mourning. Try weeping with those who weep first before correcting their thinking. We know you are trying to be helpful, but joining the brethren in mourning is far better than trying to give this verse without knowing how they are actually processing the loss first.
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Proverbs 22:6
This one, unfortunately, has brought a lot of pain and misunderstanding over the years. This is not a promise verse, but as in all principles in Proverbs – just that: a principle. Plenty of faithful parents have done everything right only to watch their children walk away from the faith in their later years. Again, principle ≠ promise.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua is about to enter the Promised Land with the Israelites; thus, this does not speak to the fear we may have going to a job interview, having a difficult conversation, etc. Rather, it is the effectual, gentle reminder given to Joshua and the Hebrew nation that the Promised Land was promised in covenant to them. It was their inheritance and they were to trust that the Lord would deliver their foes to them. In essence, it was He who would devastate their foes and give them the land – not by Israel’s might, but by His hand so the pagan nations would know He was the One True God.
Hebrews 12:1
No, your relatives and the saints are not cheering you on from heaven (despite what the Message translation may say). This verse is speaking directly to the previous chapter, highlighting the witness (or testimony) of the “heroes of faith” in the Old Testament. They persevered by faith in the promises of God. What proceeds from this verse from the author of Hebrews? Perseverance by faith in Christ – the ultimate example (or witness) of the faith!
Matthew 7:1
Far too many have quoted this verse without reference to the very next set of sentences. Matthew 7:1-5 speaks about hypocritical judgment, not rendering any judgment at all. So, for the proper reference of this verse, just keep reading! The amazing thing about context is that it clues us in to what the author is trying to say.
Can we get on without the hypocritical judgment in making a judgment against those who are making a proper, biblical judgment? Calling something sinful is judgment – yet it is proper judgment, keeping in accord with what the Bible clearly teaches. People make judgments every single day!
1 Kings 19:11-13
No, you are not waiting upon the still, small voice of God in your decision-making. You are waiting long enough to listen to your own voice inside your head confirming what you have already wanted to do. This still, small voice of comfort has long been used to show and display a measure of inner peace when making a decision. Yet truthfully, we ought to make decisions based primarily upon the scriptures, secondly, from the counsel of godly men and women, and thirdly, from general principles of wisdom. The rest is left to Christian freedom.
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