November 16, 2025

The next point that Jack makes is a very good one. He offers some examples, but I will give you the two I hear most frequently. It really looks like we are living in the end times. Another one is Jesus loved and accepted everyone. Both of these have a grain of truth but are missing two key things. First citations, if you are going to talk about what the Bible says you should know where it says that. Second as discussed previously is context. 

Jack Wilkie says:

This one seems like an oxymoron, but it’s sadly not all that uncommon. This happens when we start understanding the Bible based on what we think it says rather than what it actually says. Consider, for example, how much has been said about money being the root of all evil. What Paul actually wrote is that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil. That’s a pretty big difference, no? While that example is a less consequential one, there are plenty of opportunities to make the same mistake with more impactful teachings, too.

When we get into this habit, it’s a short trip to get to saying things like “I don’t think God would prohibit women from preaching,” or “God wouldn’t tell some people they aren’t allowed to be married,” or “Jesus wouldn’t care about (insert pet issue).” Don’t get in the dangerous habit of drawing conclusions about God without consulting His Word.

There is a common habit these days of using the internet for Bible Study, there is much that can be learned but there is also a great deal of bad information. What are some principals that can help us

Jacks last point is especially challenging which combined with my complaint above. It’s easy to google a Bible verse or topic and get a result that may look like it goes with what we are trying to say. This is very dangerous as there is a good chance that we miss the point of the passage because we have taken it out of context. 

A good rule of thumb is to back up what you say with a citation. It’s also a good idea to look up citations that others have used to be sure you are sharing the right one. I have regularly had typos in my sermon outlines for example, so were someone to simply copy my work they would also copy my mistake. Good Bible Study is careful and accurate. 

Kevin Cleary