I can take verses out of context and say anything I want. I can rip out a verse here, another one from there, string them together out of their context and say things that are… well, crazy. For example, here are three verses, each one taken out of context. Put them together and you get:
Matthew 27:5 – “Judas went out and hanged himself.”
Luke 10:37 – “Jesus said, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
John 13:27 – “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
Not a good message.
The context of III John is clear. This is a personal letter, opening with a common greeting of the day, to segue into a particular issue that John was writing his friend Gaius about.
So whenever you are reading the Bible, remember these two big ideas: Before you land on how to interpret a particular section of the Bible, you would be well served to read everything else the Bible has to offer on the matter. And second, make sure that whatever you’re reading, say a letter like III John, is read within the context of the entire letter of III John.
Class dismissed. 😊
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
