ContextContextContext, CONTEXT

Have you ever seen a person in a scuba suit in the middle of the desert? What about a water fountain in the middle of a lake? Or an elephant in a drive-thru? Probably not. Or if you have, it probably caused you to pause and think “what’s up with that?”

All of the things mentioned above are normal, ordinary things, but they don’t make sense together- they are in the wrong context. Now context is HUGELY important when it comes to reading the bible. Without paying attention to the context of scripture you can make the bible agree with almost any side of any argument—and trust me, people have.

Look up “biblical fallacies” if you want to see some wild stuff.

So what kinds of context are there? How do you avoid making mistakes when it comes to effectively reading your bible? Keep reading to get the basics of this very important reading tip.

Consider the Historical Context

Everything is written at a certain time, in a certain place. A friend of mine, who is Russian, once told me that the great Russian writers we read here (like Dostoyevsky, or Tolstoy) are considered to be easy reads in Russian. In their original contexts, the plots which seem so distinctive to English-speaking audiences, are. . . kind of normal to Russian speakers. So while the books are still good they aren’t the distinguished titles like they are for us.

The same idea is true for the bible. Every passage of Scripture emerges from a certain point in history. This is why in order to read the Bible in context, we need to read it in its historical context—beginning with the author and the original audience.

Author is sometimes easy. for example, we know that the Gospels were written by four guys—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (although, these are English translations of the names), and we know the authors of most of the epistles.

However, the Old Testament is a little more nebulous. Often the name of the book is about the main character, not the author. In these cases, it’s important to remember that there is an author and that they had a point of view. It’s our job to try to figure out what that point of view is.

Original Audience is sometimes easy—like any of the letters, which tell you that they were written to a specific church (Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Phillipi Thessalonica, etc.), or to a specific person (like Titus, Timothy, or Philemon).

But sometimes, it’s not so clear.

So, what do we do? Well, if you want to learn about the context of a given book, my #1 tip is to grab a study bible. Study bibles usually have a section that can get you up to speed quickly, so you can get on with your reading.

Hey look- it's my bible as an example!

If you don’t have a study bible, head to a search engine and look for the verse along with historical context.

Consider the Cultural Context

Coinciding with historical context is the cultural context of a biblical book. This means recognizing that the world that the scripture was written in is dramatically different than the one we live in. This includes the original cultural circumstances that necessitated the writing of the book, as well as the cultural features of the time.

One of my favourite examples of this is when people today use scripture that talks about the heart. Today, when we talk about the heart it is usually about feelings, emotions, commitment (THINK: “My heart swelled with pride,” or “Their heart just wasn’t in it.”) But in Ancient Israel the heart was the centre for the mind or the will of a person. It was the rational centre in that context.

But how the heck are we supposed to know that kind of thing? I’ve got 2 tips for you:

1. In your bible, read the footnotes. Yeah, I know the writing is tiny, and it’s annoying to have to read something in order to understand the thing that you actually want to read. But they are genuinely helpful.

2. Take a look at the IVP Bible Background Commentary books, they’re like $35 bucks (used) and they will give you the inside scoop on all your passages. These are honestly my go-to books when I come across something TOTALLY BAFFLING in the bible.

Consider the Literary Context

This one is kind of obvious once you know about it but -words mean something in the sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and books in which they are used. This is why we don’t start reading a novel in the middle, because each word, paragraph, and chapter all add up to something important.

But when it comes to reading the bible people often start in the middle of a book with little regard to the literary flow that adds up to specific meaning. THIS IS WHERE REALLY BIG INTERPRETIVE AND APPLICATION PROBLEMS HAPPEN.

NOW, let me pause you here- if you have done the work of finding the Historical and Cultural context of the book you are in, you’ll be on the right track.

Basically for this one, the tip is to think about your scripture by reading what comes before it, and what comes after.

One example of this is Matthew 18:20, we say it and hear it all the time: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This seems totally nice, right? What a beautiful reminder that when we are with others, we are in the presence of God!

But… take a look at what comes right before “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matt 18:19) Wait. . . what? Matthew 18 isn’t actually about the presence of God being where people are gathered. God is everywhere, always. His presence isn’t dependent on us being with others. Matthew 18 is actually about the Kingdom of Heaven, sin, arguments, and what to do when disagreements happen. Seriously- go look it up!

There is infinitely more I could say on this topic, it’s one of the most important tips I can give to anyone looking to engage with scripture in a practical way. If you aren’t sure about any of these tips and want to see what this looks like in practice, shoot me one of your favourite verses- and I’ll do a deep dive on it. Yeah. That’s right, I’m offering to do a scripture study for you. What can I say? I’ve got some free time (because my semester ended) and I love a project.

Happy reading!

P.s. If you’d like to learn more about this (and don’t want to go to seminary) Check out the resources page for a few titles on how to read the bible, cultural context helpers, etc.