By Karen Abeyta
Many women own a mug, t-shirt, or sticker adorned with Psalm 46:5 NIV in pastel print: “God is within her, she will not fall.”
This verse sounds encouraging and speaks directly to women. Or does it?
When I first read the Bible, I clung to any Scripture offering encouragement, security, or comfort. I thought all promises applied directly to my life.
But I often incorrectly interpreted Scripture because I read verses without considering their context.
God gave us the Bible so we could know His character, great love for us, and plan for salvation. He wants us to read His Word and understand what it means.
We should understand the context of a verse because much of the Bible was written to individuals and people groups in specific situations thousands of years ago––people with a culture different than ours.
A proper understanding of Scripture requires reading the Bible in context.
6 Key Elements of Reading the Bible in Context
1 – Surrounding Paragraph
Romans 8:28 tells us that “all things work together for good for those who love God who are called according to his purpose.”
But if we don’t read the paragraph surrounding it, we might conclude Paul stated his version of “everything happens for a reason.”
The next verse tells us how God works all things together for good “to conform us to the image of his son.”
Now “good” takes on a different meaning. Being conformed to the image of Christ is good, but it isn’t always pleasant—especially if we resist and rebel against God.
The context of Romans 8:28 teaches us that God uses everything we go through for the good of conforming us to Christ. And we might not think it’s good while we’re going through it.
The surrounding paragraph puts God’s Word into proper perspective.
2 – Grand Narrative of the Bible
Although the Bible contains 66 books written by 40 human authors, it tells the cohesive story of God’s redemptive love toward mankind:
- Creation: God made everything (Heaven, Earth, animals, plants, us)
- Rebellion: We disobeyed our Creator, broke fellowship with God, and introduced sin and death into the world.
- Redemption: God provided a plan to reestablish our relationship with Him.
- New Creation: God will renew the earth, and we can live forever with Him in perfect peace.
When we see the “big picture,” we can read a verse from Genesis 1 (before we rebelled) differently than a verse from Paul’s letter to the Colossians (after God instituted his plan for our redemption).
To gain a more thorough understanding, consider taking a class, watching a video, or reading a book to delve more deeply into the overarching story of Scripture.
3 – Old vs. New Testament
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed eternally and don’t change, but interacted differently with humans in the Old and New Testaments.
In the Old Testament, Jesus made a few cameo appearances (known as Christophanies). The scriptures all pointed to the coming Messiah, but His birth, life, and ministry occur in the New Testament.
The Holy Spirit began to live inside believers permanently after Jesus’ ascension, but filled people on an as-needed basis in the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, God established the Law to show people how to live in a right relationship with Him and each other. People received forgiveness for sins based upon a system of animal sacrifices that foreshadowed Christ’s work on the cross.
In the New Testament, Christ fulfilled all the predictions and promises regarding the first advent of the Messiah outlined in the Old Testament.
When Christ died on the cross in the New Testament, He took the punishment all humanity deserved upon Himself. We’re no longer under the Law because Jesus fulfilled it.
Understanding these distinctions influences how we interpret what we read.
4 – Purpose of the Book
Each book of the Bible teaches us about God through the lens of its particular theme and purpose.
The book of Job talks about the suffering of a righteous man.
Job’s friends console him after his misfortunes, but then attempt to explain the reason for his misery.
For the most part, Job’s friends get it wrong. If we drop into the middle of the book, we might not realize God condemns Job’s friends for their faulty theology.
When we don’t have time to read an entire biblical book to understand a verse, listening to a book overview from the BibleProject or another trusted source can help.
5 – Author and Audience
The background of each author adds to the richness of the Bible.
The literary intricacies of John’s gospel stun us when we realize he was an uneducated fisherman.
Understanding the audience the biblical authors wrote to is also important.
Jesus spoke to Jewish audiences who knew the Old Testament. Many who listened to Jesus worked with livestock and the land, so He used agricultural analogies.
Commentaries are a great resource for historical and cultural insight into the Bible’s authors and their audiences. Consult a few to ensure a well-rounded perspective.
6 – Genre of Literature
The Bible contains poetry, history, prophecy, narrative, parables, wisdom, and epistles.
We wouldn’t read a poem like a letter from a friend. So we can’t look at all Scripture as homogenous.
We expect poets (like in the Psalms) to use literary tools, but we anticipate factual descriptions in historical narratives (like the Book of Matthew).
The Bible is true in all it affirms, but knowing the genre helps determine what’s literal (5,000 people fed), figurative (trees clapping), or a metaphor (comparing Israel to a dying fig tree).
Reading the Bible in Context Changes Everything
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” – Psalm 46:4–5 NIV
Let’s revisit Psalm 46:5. When we read Psalm 46:5 with the verse preceding it, we notice the pronoun “her” refers to the city of God—Jerusalem.
God’s presence in Jerusalem keeps the city from succumbing to an invading army.
Even when a treasured verse doesn’t mean what we thought, the Bible still has something to teach us: God’s presence can sustain a city under attack and shows us He can do anything.
God’s Word holds much for us to discover. We should seek to understand it by reading the Bible in context.
Karen Abeyta
Karen lives in Vermont with her husband and two ferocious terriers. She loves spending time with her family, writing, traveling, and geeking out on the Bible. Her work has been published in Fathom Mag, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, Just Between Us, SOULfood Saturday, and other places. Follow her on Instagram @karen.abeyta.7.
