After reading and reflecting on the sola scriptura thread comments and the frequent disagreement on scripture interpretation, I starting wondering what Catholics and catholics (non-Catholics) thought were the most mis-understood bible verses? While the number of responses could likely fill a book on its own, a few suggestions per post would be interesting to read…and discuss.
:coffeeread:
(Dunkin Donnuts today minus the donut)
Three that come to mind:
Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
This is the grand daddy of misused and misunderstood verses. Everyone clings to this and says, “Awe, isn’t that nice? God has plans for me! And they’re not for evil, but a future and a hope!” To quote Lex Luthor:
WRONG!!! Read the whole context. Heck, just read the previous verse - it’s about the Jews being held in captivity in Babylon, and the “plans” for “welfare and not for evil etc.” are about the Jews being restored into the holy land after the seventy years are up. Unless you are a Jew living some thousands of years ago, you can’t possibly say this is addressed to you personally.
Next time you hear someone use this, think on this: the apostle Paul was beheaded; the Church Father Ignatius was torn apart by lions; William Tyndale was strangled and burned alive; Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung naked in a concentration camp. Where was the “welfare and not evil,” “future” and “hope” in the end of these men? What is it about you that makes
you so much more special in the eyes of God than these men?
Also ponder this: why is it all the good “you” verses in scripture are automatically about us, but all the bad “you” verses in scripture aren’t?
Matthew 18:20 - "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Every time I hear someone quote this and say “Oh look! The church!”, I do a face palm. Ask yourself this: what’s the significance of the numbers two or three? Then go back to verse 15 and read from there. You’ll find this section is about
church discipline, not
the church in general, and Christ says after confronting the sinning person personally, you take “one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (v. 16). This is a reference to the Law, which would use two or three witnesses in a case. Hence it is in this context which Christ states “where two or three are gathered in my name.”
Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
Everyone and their mother seems to believe this is a statement of repentance for unbelievers, as if Christ stands at the door of our heart and knocks, and if we let him in, then he can eat with us. In fact, this is a complete misunderstanding of the verse.
For one, the entire context of this verse (v. 14-22) shows that this is directed towards the church in Laodicea - in other words, it’s addressed to
believers, not unbelievers.
For another, the context is about a call to a church turn from their sins. The church in Laodicea were guilty of being spiritually apathetic (v. 15-16), and were putting their faith in material things rather than the things of God (v. 17). Christ tells them to turn to him in repentance for what they had done. (v. 18), adding “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (v. 19). Christ then states, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” - however, this is a statement telling them that their judgment is approaching, and they should act as if he is already there - adding “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” - meaning, if they repent as he told them to, they will maintain their position as a church. Those who have studied New Testament grammar point out that Christ’s address here is to a group, not an individual, and hence, as I said, this is an address to a church, not an unbelieving individual.
Taken out of context and used in isolation, it sounds like the absolute perfect verse for evangelizing someone…but the fact is, it isn’t about evangelizing to non-Christians.
