When I was 17, I found myself on the wrong side of the law.
As per usual, I was running a smidge late for school, and my forward momentum was just north of the posted speed limit. Still, I was utterly shocked that the officer decided to pull me over on that fine morning rather than any number of my fellow commuters that were proceeding with equal or greater velocity.
I remembered my driver’s education training from just over a year prior, and my instructor had clearly stated that we were to “drive the posted speed limit or drive with the flow of traffic.” In fact, he went so far as to show us those exact words in the driver’s manual. So as I awaited my encounter with the fine officer of the law, I felt confident I had done no wrong.
When the officer arrived at my window, he asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I answered honestly, confessing he had pulled me over because I was driving exactly 5 mile an hour faster than the posted speed limit. I then very humbly shared the information I had gleaned from the driver’s manual that while I was not following the posted speed limit, I was “driving with the flow of traffic.”
The officer very kindly but clearly disabused me of my improper interpretation of the law as he handed me a speeding ticket. As it turns out, what the law means is that one is to drive the posted speed limit unless everyone else is driving slower, in which case, one should drive with the flow of traffic. I had misunderstood and misapplied both the letter and intent of what was communicated.
All too often, this is a mistake we make when handling the truth of scripture. We love to reference quick-hit proof texts that appear to support our cause. We pull individual verses from their context, both in the historical and literary sense, and attempt to apply them directly to current situations, struggles, successes and sins. And while there are certainly many examples when that is appropriate, there are many others when it is not.
The Bible is the very word of God. It contains truth that is transcendent. It is eternally relevant and imminently applicable. But it also is easy to misunderstand, to misappropriate or to misapply. This is why the Apostle Paul warns Timothy to prepare and take care in how he handles and lives out the word of God.
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul writes, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
I often hear the phrase “God said it; I believe it; That settles it.” It’s a nice sentiment, but it is a bit too simplistic. While I absolutely believe that the words of scripture are the very words of life and contain all we need to live godly lives through God’s many promises and the power of the holy spirit (2 Peter 1:3-4), I also believe the Bible is incredibly nuanced and deserves careful consideration and study to assure we’re understanding and applying it rightly.
In the King James Version, the aforementioned passage in 2 Timothy says “study” rather than “do your best.” Both renderings of the original languages have merit, but “do your best” is more complete.
God is not pleased simply because we know what the Bible says. He expects us to do what it says and to share it with compassion and grace. Studying is a good first step to knowing what God’s word says, but knowledge must lead to understanding, and understanding to appropriate application.
Friends, brothers and sisters, may we treat the word of God with the respect it deserves. Let us not be content with trite proof texting to support our arguments and priorities. Rather, let us make every effort to truly understand what it says in order that we might live it accurately and fully for the glory of God, the good of the world and the fullness of our own experience.
The Rev. Jeremy Myers is the lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Seymour. Read his blog at jeremysmyers.com.