When we study the bible there are many ways in which we can fail to handle God’s word accurately. This is the first in a short series of posts that will detail some of the ways in which we can mishandle scripture.
Proof-Texting
A proof-text is a verse or short passage from the Bible used by someone as part of their proof for a doctrinal belief they wish to substantiate to others. However, since verses and passages may rely extensively on the context in which they appear for correct interpretation, pulling these out of their context and having them stand alone in a “proof” can, at times, be very misleading. In addition, a set of such proof-texts can completely ignore other passages which, if added to the mix, might well lead to an entirely different conclusion. Someone who relies strongly only on a list of proof-texts in order to make a doctrinal argument may have a very weak case for their argument.
2 Timothy 2:15
[...] from: Your word is truth No related posts. March 31st, 2010 | Tags: Proof-texting | Category: Blogged, Text|Author: [...]
Hi Andy,
Totally agree with you matey. This is something that I’m still trying to deal with personally, as I find that I still sometimes have ingrained doctrines of old that are mainly there due to being propped up by stand alone texts taken out of context.
To be honest though, I think the moment we seem too determined to quote what particular people say, rather than what the Bible says as a whole, then we’re in danger of doing just that all over again.
By all means let us listen closely to one another, and to those we consider to be mature in Christ, but let none of these influences be so loud as to drown out completely the voice of the Lord revealed through Scripture.
Amen John.