Stephen Kneale agrees with us that context matters.
Whenever we read the bible it is important for us to put any passage into context. We must put it into its canonical context – making sure we are clear where this passage fits within the wider book and where that book sits within the scriptures as a whole. We have to put the passage into its literary context – making sure we put the sentences in the context of the paragraphs which sit in the context of sections that are part of larger books. We have to think also about the historical context – what was going on at the time of writing that has impacted what this writer is saying and why…
If that is right, we want to hear God on his own terms. Which is why we very much don’t want to take him out of context. To do that is to twist his words. It is to miss his words. It is to misunderstand him. It is to misunderstand what the creator of the universe has determined is needful for us to know
Kneale discusses the person who comes to the Bible with a particular question, finds a verse that sounds about right, and then makes use of that verse to speak to the issue in question without considering whether the author intended to speak to that issue. These are wise reflections.
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