And now, the rest of the story.

     I have often wondered what our conversations would be like if they mirrored how we quote Scripture.   May I give an example?

                               Daughter:   Can I go?
                               Mother:       No!
Seems a bit silly doesn't it.  However, I have often seen believers pull out parts of verses and fling them like "Holy Hand Grenades" or "ballons of blessed balm" with no context or understanding of what they are using.
     I have found in my study of Scripture, especially in Paul's writings, that there are patterns.  And if we pull a part of a verse from context because it fits the situation, we may be leaving out something important.  I heard you ask for some examples, and I have a couple if you will oblige me.  I will be using the English Standard Version.
     First lets visit Romans 13:14.  Here is Romans 14:10-13 for context:
             
10  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

Now suppose I get to verse 14, and I pull out the second portion of it for a teaching on self-control, taking every thought captive and avoiding sinful thoughts.  Here is that portion of scripture as I have seen it cited:

14b.  "make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Paul is obviously telling us not to make provisions for the flesh, or to gratify the flesh.  My first thought if you quoted just 14b would be how inadequate I am, and then I would wonder how can I accomplish that on my own?  And, if I can't accomplish that, what does that say about me?  However, Paul tells us in the first part of verse 14 (14a if you wish) how it is possible for us to do this.  So let me quote all of verse 14:

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

In Christ, I can avoid making provision for the flesh and gratifying its desires.  See what I mean? Let's turn to another example.

     We are going to look at two verses that are separated by a comma (a very important comma).  If we flashback to English class, we remember that commas connect thoughts.  So turn with me to James 1:19-20.   I believe that these two verses are connected by an unbreakable comma.  Let me show you what I mean.  I am using the New International Version because it is my favorite for this verse.  Here is James 1:19 (often quoted without its sister verse, James 1:20):

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, "

Although the Old Testament did not always tells us why something was bad, the New Testament writers always put reason behind what they told us.   If you quote James 1:19 to me, I ask why?  James answer that in verse 20 with a compelling reason why we should be slow to anger:

"because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."

I can tell you that verse 20 is a compelling reason for me to be slow in becoming angry.   We see throughout Scripture that God is longsuffering, and James indicates here that we should be also (Ephesians 5 :1 commands us to "Imitate God, for we are his dear children.").  I can't imagine verse 19 without verse 20.

      One last example of why we should quote in context and complete Scripture.  This example is a an "If ...  then" passage.   That means the first part must be completed for the second part to take place.  Turn with me to Philippians 4:6.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Some versions substitute "worry" for anxious, since they have the same meaning.  We are told not to worry.  If you don't want to take Paul's word for it, Jesus addressed this at length in Matthew 6.  If you read Paul's writings though, he is speaking with authority on worry.   A literal translation of "present your requests to God" would be "let it go and let God handle it."    Verse 7 is only applicable if we have completed verse 6.  After we have turned our burden over to God:

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

The peace of God is conditional on us having turned over our request to Him.  If we ask, but continue to worry, hang on to it, try to solve the problem ourselves, we will not receive that peace.   How can we quote verse 6 without verse 7 and understanding that verse 7 is conditioned on verse 6?  We can't but we often do.  What do you do?  I pray till I get peace, indicating I have let go of whatever it is, and God is guarding my heart so that I will not worry about it.  For some people they need a physical act associated with the letting go of a burden.  It may be writing it down and throwing the paper away or burning it.  I had one friend who said he tied his prayers to a helium balloon and let go.  When Satan resurrected the problem in their minds, they would recall that physical act of letting go and regain their peace (sorry for the rabbit trail).

      

     So there you have it.  Passages of Scripture are complete thoughts.  We can't quote tidbits of Scripture, because we are only quoting half of the truth (deductive reasoning tells us that is a lie).   Quote/memorize complete thoughts in Scripture.   And as you study make it a habit of reading verses before and after the passage for context.   It will mean more to you, and mean more when you quote it to comfort, encourage or correct someone.  Just a thought!