Titus 1 – v9 – He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[a] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
“When in Rome do as the Romans do???”
That’s in the Bible?
Thankfully, no. The first time I heard this quote was when I was a young girl. An elderly gentleman and life-long church member, quoted this, referring to it as scripture. The church members who heard him say it got a discreet but light-hearted laugh out of the errant quote.
Of course, most people have heard this centuries old quote. The Bible certainly is not the source for the misinformation. The quote means to adapt to the customs and morality of the society that you are visiting.
Well, if we adapted to the Roman way of life when this quote was applicable, our moral behavior would definitely not have been inspired by the character of God.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness???”
Yep! That’s another one attributed to scripture. I can’t believe people think that’s scripture. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
Here is an interesting link that will tell you where this came from. It’s fairly closely related to a Christian theme. But it’s still not in the Bible.
“When God closes a door, He opens a window???”
This is actually a misquoted verse. So at least it does come from the Bible and not a pagan inspiration. But it’s still wrong.
This misquote may have actually become more popular because of its use in one of my all-time favorite movies. I don’t want to be sued, so I will just give you a hint. There’s a lot of mountains in this movie, made in 1965, a lot of singing and most men don’t like it.
Actually, the verse is found in Revelation 3:7-8 I hope you will grab your Bible and read the entire chapter. It will grab your heart for the lost world or straying believers.
There are not even any windows in the verse!!!
Now up to this point we have been light-hearted about a very serious problem. But the misuse of God’s Word is no laughing matter. It underscores the serious and frequent neglect of God’s Word. It also makes plain how flippantly we love to turn God’s Word into poetic mush.
I am not saying that I have never misunderstood or misused God’s Word out of ignorance. The older I get the more obvious my neglect has become. You can’t claim ignorance of information that you have ready access to. Neglect and laziness are the only words that fit my dilemma. Thankfully, God has helped me want to do better as I have aged.
There are other notable scriptures that people take out of context. There is one in particular that was used in error a lot in the 1980’s. Many women in the Church who were planning weddings began using the verse I’m thinking of because it was part of a popular Christian song.
Unfortunately, pastors who allowed the use of that passage during wedding ceremonies used this scripture out of context, making it a serious issue for themselves. Anyone who teaches God’s Word has a compelling responsibility to know what they are teaching or agreeing with. Titus 1:9
Genesis 31:49 “And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.”
The passage is not a poetic expression of safe keeping for each spouse when the other can’t be there. This verse is taken from the story of Jacob, who was deceitful and sneaky, and his duplicitous father-in-law, Laban. It was their way of saying that God was watching and would know when or if one of them would break the vow they had made. The vow was not a “warm feeling in your tummy” kind of vow, although it did provide for a peaceful settlement to their differences.
Here’s another misapplication of God’s Word. “God won’t put more on you than you can stand.” This is one of the most often quoted misquotes used in times of serious illness or loss. Many times, even well-meaning believers cause a lot of harm when they use these platitudes on other people. This is especially cruel when they use them in the face of grieving families at funerals.
The verse that this comes from actually has nothing to do with bearing grief. It has to do with dealing with temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Here are a few more verses that are misquoted or taken completely out of context.
Revelation 3:20 This doesn’t mean that Jesus is standing outside the heart’s door of a lost person. This is Jesus waiting to be let back into the lukewarm church.
Philippians 4:13 The scripture does not mean that we will be given the power to accomplish everything that we want to. We should only want to do what God wants us to do anyway. Read in context, you see that Paul is talking about being content no matter what is happening in your life. Your contentment and peace are found in God.
Matthew 18:15-23 This is one that is so often misused. In this passage Jesus is explaining how to resolve conflicts and to forgive. “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them…” This does not mean that God is only in the building if there are more people present and praying together. It is also not intended as treating God like a Geni in a bottle, rubbing his tummy, and getting what we want.
I know you can think of many examples that I have left out. This is not an opportunity to look down on people, as if any of us have scholarly knowledge of God’s Word. The greatest preachers in the world have recognized their weakness and need for the Holy Spirit to help them understand scripture. The humble, godly people in the Church have all acknowledged their total dependence on God and the great responsibility of teaching God’s Word as He intends.
Psalm 119:11 “I will hide God’s Word in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”
We are all responsible for knowing God’s Word, keeping it in our hearts and at the same time sharing the accurate words of life with others. If we abuse that by just trying to show off what we know or with supposed good intentions, using it to help people, we are in serious error.
I have one final example. I hope that you will look this one up. Think about it in context. Beside our salvation, what more can God do for us than He has already done? What other things should we desire? There really is an answer to that question. If you know Jesus, then you will read this verse and you will understand what it means. Psalm 37:4. If you are not sure, then click this link.
“Make the Book live to me, Oh Lord. Show me Thyself within Thy Word. Show me myself. And show me my Savior. And make the Book live to me.” R. Hudson Pope Ca. 1944
Resources
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 