The World’s Most Misquoted Bible Scripture
The world’s most misapplied and ripped-out-of-context snippet of scripture may very well be Jeremiah 29:11. Believers love to quote this verse as if it applied unequivocally to their lives without condition or qualification. The verse famously says,
Funny. How come believers never quote Jeremiah 18:11, indiscriminately assuming that it applies to them too?
Or what about the often misapplied verse, “If my people, who are called by my name...will humble themselves...then I will hear from heaven and heal their land.” We seem to think this applies to American soil, even though Americans are not the “my people” that God was referring to. Was God really saying that if the 10% of Americans who REALLY believe in God will humble themselves, that God will heal the entire American nation, despite the rebellious actions and disbelief of the other 90%? Or was God saying that if his people the Jews would humble themselves, that he would heal Israel, the land promised to the Jews? Context matters!
And let’s not get started on “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Most believers would disavow that verse entirely if they read Paul’s description of what he meant by that. (“Go without food and be cold in winter? Sure I can do that! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”)
We forget that the scriptures were not written with verse markers. The verse numbers were added later as a reference aid. Yet we quote verse segments from Biblical discourses as if those sentences were intended by their authors to be stand-alone statements. We handle scripture as if the verse numbers were put there by the authors themselves to delineate complete, stand-alone thoughts. It’s easy to debunk this kind of thinking by applying the same approach to other verses that would not send such a favorable message. Verses like Jeremiah 18:11.
So I encourage everyone to download one of the beautiful pictures of scripture verses below and indiscriminately share with your Christian friends as if the verse was a stand-alone statement. Shake them up a little. Get them thinking about how to handle scripture appropriately, with regard to its contextual meaning.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
One should understand from the very first word, “for” that this is not a stand-alone statement! But how many people who quote this verse even know what went before? How many know who God was giving his promise to? Or what it truly implies, given its context?
Funny. How come believers never quote Jeremiah 18:11, indiscriminately assuming that it applies to them too?
“This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you.” (Jeremiah 18:11)It appears that believers assume they will be the recipients of God’s plans of prosperity, and that someone else will be the recipients of God’s plans of disaster. Such is the casualty of scripture in the postmodern world where God exists for our benefit, rather than vice versa. If we actually read the passages we so glibly quote out of context, we might understand that God’s promises were made to specific people ar specific times in certain contexts, and are not a blank check for us to indiscriminately cash as we see fit.
Or what about the often misapplied verse, “If my people, who are called by my name...will humble themselves...then I will hear from heaven and heal their land.” We seem to think this applies to American soil, even though Americans are not the “my people” that God was referring to. Was God really saying that if the 10% of Americans who REALLY believe in God will humble themselves, that God will heal the entire American nation, despite the rebellious actions and disbelief of the other 90%? Or was God saying that if his people the Jews would humble themselves, that he would heal Israel, the land promised to the Jews? Context matters!
And let’s not get started on “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Most believers would disavow that verse entirely if they read Paul’s description of what he meant by that. (“Go without food and be cold in winter? Sure I can do that! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”)
We forget that the scriptures were not written with verse markers. The verse numbers were added later as a reference aid. Yet we quote verse segments from Biblical discourses as if those sentences were intended by their authors to be stand-alone statements. We handle scripture as if the verse numbers were put there by the authors themselves to delineate complete, stand-alone thoughts. It’s easy to debunk this kind of thinking by applying the same approach to other verses that would not send such a favorable message. Verses like Jeremiah 18:11.
So I encourage everyone to download one of the beautiful pictures of scripture verses below and indiscriminately share with your Christian friends as if the verse was a stand-alone statement. Shake them up a little. Get them thinking about how to handle scripture appropriately, with regard to its contextual meaning.
These next 3 are for all the Jeremiah 29:11 lovers out there...
Share the good news of these Bible verses, because verses are all supposed to be stand-alone statements. Right?
