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Check out this episode where we go over a few misused Bible verses and discuss their true meaning!
The Bible says that God’s people perish due to a lack of knowledge. We are all on a restorative and revelatory walk in Christ Jesus, and God is constantly wanting us to grow closer to Him. We don’t know everything, but in our ignorance, we often misinterpret something in God’s Word that He may have intended to be meant differently. By knowing the truth of what scripture says, we can operate more fully in the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that God has for us. We hope this list adds to your life in Christ!
What scriptures have you learned mean different things than you once thought? Share your answers in the comment section!
List: 7 Often Misused Bible Verses
As the Bible states, the Word of God is alive and powerful, however, when scriptures from the Bible are taken out of context, and misapplied, they forego and confuse the intended message. Here is a list of seven scriptures that are commonly misused.
1. Proverbs 18:16 NKJV “A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.”
This translation of the verse, coming from the New King James Version, is the most frequently used translation. The verse is often used to describe the way that God gives us gifts, insisting that when a person is using their gift it will make a way for them in life and put them before great people. In this context it is made to be an encourager for people to cultivate their gifts, with the implication that God will prosper them and make them useful in a great way for people in positions of power. This may be true in regard to the general concept that God gives us gifts that may greatly help ourselves and others, however, in the context of the verse, Solomon is expressing that giving a gift can bring a person before great, influential people. When looking at multiple translations, the meaning is shown a bit more clearly. The New Living Translation states “Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people.” The New International Version says “A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” A good example of this is when a person gives a significant contribution to an organization or business which affords them access to the leaders of that organization that they otherwise would not have.
2. “Matthew 18:18 NKJV “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound by heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
This verse is frequently used to describe an aspect of spiritual warfare, namely the casting out of demons. It is taught that in our power through Christ Jesus, we can bind a demonic spirit up, rendering it powerless over a person, and then loose the demonic spirit out of them. We do have power over demons in Christ, however this scripture is not referring to the casting out of demons by loosing them. It is a confusing concept to say the least, and God is not a God of confusion. To understand the context of this scripture, we must read the verses that precede it. In this passage, Jesus is explaining to his followers how we should deal with a brother or sister who is living in sin, is unrepentant, and is still professing to be part of the body of Christ. At the end of the passage, he explains that He has our back whatever we decide, which I will explain more in the next scripture covered. What verse 18 means is that whatever we decide to do toward our brother and sister, heaven will back up, and apply that same measure to us as well. If we forgive, heaven forgives the person. If we judge them and expel them from the church, heaven supports that decision as well. In verse 19 Jesus further clarifies what he meant. Taking this point further, on a personal level, if we bind up forgiveness toward our brother and sister, forgiveness may be bound up toward us, and vice versa. Same goes for any spiritual blessing. We can see an example of this truth in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where a servant was forgiven of all debt by his master, yet he was unforgiving of a debt owed to him by a fellow servant. For this, his master punished him and retracted his forgiveness. This parable is told directly after the passage we’re discussing in Matthew 18. This is for a reason. Jesus was trying to give an example of what exactly it means to bind and loose. We should forgive others, as God has forgiven us through Christ Jesus.
3. Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV ““Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.””
Directly following our last scripture is another verse from Matthew 18 that we often use out of the context in which Jesus was speaking. As previously mentioned, these verses are part of a talk that Jesus was having with his disciples about confronting members of the body of Christ who may be living in sin and are unrepentant. He instructs us to confront such a person privately, then if they are unrepentant privately to bring one or two witnesses to confirm their unrepentance, then bring the matter to the entire church and if they are still unrepentant, to treat them like a tax collector or sinner, which means to not associate with such a person. He then goes on to say that when two or three are gathered in his name, he is there among them. He’s making it clear to us that what we do according to his will, he approves of. Whatever judgment we decide upon the person, we can be confident that he is there in our midst, authorizing the decision. Hence why the previous verse says that whatever is bound on earth is bound by heaven. This is also confirmed later in scripture. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul echoes the same teaching when addressing a person who is walking in sin within the group of believers in Corinth. Paul says ““It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 NIV
4. Most of us have grown accustomed to hearing or using the phrase “money is the root of all evil.” It is a phrase that is widely popular in many cultures and societies, and interestingly has Biblical roots. Unfortunately, the truth in this statement has been skewed just slightly, to convey that money is the root of all evil that exist. The base scripture for this phrase is 1 Timothy 6:10, which says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” We see a few things here. Firstly, it is stated that the LOVE of money is a root of all evil, not money itself. This signifies that our relationship with money is what causes these evils to manifest. Secondly, the scripture says “A root” which means that there are also other roots and pathways to evil ways. Now, this is the NKJV translation. When reading other translations, it may say “all evil.” For instance, Young’s literal translation says “for a root of all the evils is the love of money, which certain longing for did go astray from the faith, and themselves did pierce through with many sorrows” Even in this translation, which is as closely translated to the original as we currently have, it seems to imply that the love of money is not the root of evil as a whole, under any circumstance, but a root of many KINDS of evil.
5. Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
This is another verse that has been adopted by mainstream society and skewed. The phrase we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing is “Pride comes before the fall.” When looking at the verse, we see that this is a misquote. The actual scripture describes something a bit worse, warning us that pride precedes destruction. The implication is important because a person can get up from a fall, but destruction has a much more definite end. The severity of pride being against God’s will and approval is shown in this verse, whereas haughtiness or arrogance may have a different outcome.
6. Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV “Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”
Many of us have heard this verse used to emphasize the importance of writing down our plans. Physically documenting our goals, plans, vision for the future, in an effort to aid their manifestation. The notion is that God honors such a practice, because he instructed the prophet Habakkuk to do the same thing. While it may be a great practice for some, and there being nothing wrong with writing our goals down, this is not what was meant in the context of this scripture. If we read the previous chapter, God gave Habakkuk a vision of the future. In verse 1 of chapter 2, Habakkuk says he will wait on the Lord to instruct him what to do if he’s met with any reproof or correction concerning this vision. God tells him to write the vision and make it clear on tablets, in order that those hearing it will be convicted, believe it, and go forth. Verse 3 goes on to say “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.” This makes it more clear that there is a specific vision that God had instructed Habakkuk to write down for others to understand and take hope in. It’s akin to a pastor being instructed to make his teaching plain and simple, so that those listening may take hold of it and run forward. It is not a command or suggestion from God to write our plans down in an effort for him to honor them.
7. Romans 8:1 NJKV “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
The first half of this verse, which says “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” is often misused to excuse one’s sin. The idea being that we can go about sinning freely because we are in Christ and are no longer condemned for our actions. However, when we use the verse in this context, it neglects the second half of the verse, which makes it explicit that it is those “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” that are not condemned. So, the freedom from condemnation is reserved for those are living the Spirit lead life, and not the life lead by the flesh.
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