Page 61 - Yahwehs Book

prophet who recorded these words. (David was the prophet, and these quotations are found in Psalm
2:7 and Psalm 110:4.)

Although chapter and verse designations make it much easier to locate, or reference a Scripture, they
have contributed to a serious problem among Christians today. That problem is taking a Scripture
out of its proper context. Many Christians today are in the habit of quoting verses without
consideration for the context in which they are found. How many times have you heard the following
Scripture quoted?

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This verse is a favorite of the name-it-and-claim-it prosperity crowd today. Do you want to purchase
that new car? “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Do you want a down payment
for a new home, or to be able to afford a week long holiday cruise? “I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.” Do you want to quit wearing hand-me-down clothes, and purchase the
latest designer fashions? You guessed it, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Divorced from the context in which this verse is found, it can be used to justify any desire of the
soul, or carnal craving, imaginable. Things are quite different, however, when the verse is read in
its proper context.

Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know
how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every
circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance
and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Paul is confessing that through Christ he has learned to be content with whatever circumstance in
which he finds himself. This is hardly the attitude of the prosperity preachers and their followers. If
Paul was experiencing humble means, hunger, or suffering some need, he was just as content as
when he was prospering, filled, and had an abundance.

Another Scripture I have often heard cited out of its proper context is the following.

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Quite often people quote only the last portion of this verse, “There is neither male nor female; for
you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This verse, quoted out of its context, is used frequently to defend
the overthrow of a patriarchal system established by Yahweh among men and women. These words
are quoted to justify the practice of appointing women as ministers in churches, or in declaring that
a husband and wife are co-equal in authority before God. It is used to demand that all decisions
should be made only when there is agreement between a husband and wife.