Christianity has been around for sometime now yet it is still a religion beset with divisions and splits based on differences in understanding and application of its major text; The Holy Bible. Like any other book, the Christian Bible can obviously be misunderstood and misquoted. I am a Christian and even though I cannot claim that my understanding of the Bible is perfect, I do certainly know some obvious glaring mistakes in understanding and application of certain verses. In this post I have compiled a list some of the most obviously misquoted Bible verses. And allow me to say this upfront. "God helps those who help themselves" is not a Biblical verse..
1. And seven women shall take hold of one man (Isaiah 4:1) - This is by far the most misunderstood verse in this collection. The full verse actually says in the New King James Version: And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.” Many people take this literally and see the fact that women outnumber men in world populations as a partial fulfillment of this prophesy. But the correct understanding of this verse is rather different. Women in prophetic language always represent the church. These seven women are actually seven churches. A husband in this case is Jesus. The church is usually depicted as a bride with Jesus as her husband. Food is the word of God, and raiment or dressing is "righteousness" or a covering for sin. This verse therefore points us to the end times when many 'apostate churches' will emerge which neither depend on Jesus for righteousness nor feed on His word but just want to be associated with him, calling Him "Lord" without actually obeying him. These are churches that teach erroneous doctrines, salvation through works and exalt traditions of men above the laws of God. Their claim to Christianity doesn't go beyond their names.
Nowhere in scriptures is it reported that the Apostles ever invoked the stripes of Jesus to heal diseases.
2. By his stripes we are healed (Isiah 53:3-7). - Many people quote, rather misquote, this verse while praying for healing from ailments and diseases. An outward understanding of this verse may lead one to interpret it to mean that the stripes of Jesus heals us from our ailments, but this is not so. The real meaning is that Jesus heals us of the stripes of sin. Jesus bore our punishment for sin by his suffering and death on the cross. He heals us from our tendency to sin. The stripes Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate do not heals our physical sicknesses. Nowhere in scriptures is it reported that the Apostles ever invoked the stripes of Jesus to heal diseases. They invoked the name of Jesus only. In fact, when Timothy suffered some stomach ailments, Paul advised him about what to do, without invoking the blood of Jesus or his stripes to heal Timothy's illness.
2. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). This Bible verse has been taken by many to mean that they can achieve anything in life that they may endeavor to achieve through Jesus Christ. While this may appear particularly attractive, it is not what this verse says. A brief check of the context of the verse should clear all doubts. The writer here was saying that he knows how to live humbly (with little means) and and how to abound (or live in abundance), by the grace of God. He concludes that he can do all that through Jesus who strengthens him. It does not mean that Jesus strengthens us to achieve our own canal, temporal and personal goals in life like excelling in sports, careers or relationships. Even though it is true that through Jesus we can have desirable outcomes in our life, and we also know that all good things are a blessing from God when received with thank-giving and used in a god-fearing way, this wasn't the
3. Let them have dominion (Genesis 1:26) - These are the Words of God concerning the Human Race. The meaning of this verse has been stretched and misapplied almost out of recognition. Many have personalized it and say, "I have dominion" meaning that in and of themselves they have ruler-ship within their sphere of influence. It is a splinter of the prosperity and word of faith movement which basically claim that men are little gods, who can influence the world through the words they speak. The whole idea is that words when filled with faith, have power. But this verse is not a supporter of that false doctrine. What it really means is that God has bestowed upon the human race collectively the power and responsibility to rule other lower species. Man is the apex of God's creation. All other earthly creatures, though important, are subordinate to man.
4. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21) - Many people have taken this verse to mean that they have the power to decide when to live or die. Many say they can therefore speak either life or death upon themselves or other people. The fact of the matter, however, is that humans do not have the power to decide their lives or deaths. There is not a single verse in the Bible where any character invokes this "promise" for their benefit. What this verse really means is that the words we speak have far reaching consequences that may result in peace (and therefore life ) or conflict that may cause death.
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