The Missing Piece: Why Context Changes Everything

The Problem of Reading in Pieces

We love pulling Bible verses that encourage, challenge, or inspire.We put them on mugs. We preach them at graduations. We share them on Instagram.But something is often missing.

That something is context. Without it, Scripture gets reduced to slogans. Or worse — misused to say things it never meant.

Theologian Kevin Vanhoozer cautions:

“Texts without contexts are pretexts for proof texts.”— Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Is There a Meaning in This Text?

In other words, when we isolate a verse from its setting — historical, cultural, literary, or theological — we’re not discovering truth… we might be distorting it.

Context Is the Canvas

Think about stepping into the middle of a movie.You hear a line of dialogue but don’t know the characters, the conflict, or the stakes.It’s just… confusing. Or worse, misleading.

That’s what happens when we read Scripture without its narrative frame — the surrounding passage, the historical backdrop, or even the genre the author is writing in.

Craig Keener, New Testament scholar, puts it like this:

“What the biblical authors meant must be found not merely in the words they used but in the way those words fit within their cultural and literary world.”— Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary

The Bible wasn’t written in a vacuum.It was written for us, yes — but as John Walton wisely reminds us:

“The Bible was written for us, but not to us.”— John Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13)

This verse is a fan favorite — often seen on athletes’ gear or motivational posters.But in context, Paul isn’t talking about victory or achievement.He’s talking about contentment in suffering. Let’s read just one verse earlier:

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” (v.12)

Suddenly the “all things” isn’t about winning — it’s about enduring. And that changes everything.

As N.T. Wright puts it:

“Scripture was not given to us to be chopped up and used as weapons. It was given to shape a whole people.”— N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God

When We Lose Context, We Risk Missing God

Context isn’t just a helpful background. It’s where the real message lives.

Jesus didn’t quote Scripture randomly. He quoted Torah to answer temptation (Matthew 4), He opened the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue (Luke 4), and He placed His own life within the larger story of Exodus, prophecy, and kingdom. He spoke within a context — and we must read Him within one. As Richard Bauckham explains:

“The more one understands the context of Scripture, the more clearly one hears the voice of God in it.”— Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

What This Series Is About

That’s what The Missing Piece is all about.

Each week, we’ll explore familiar Scriptures — stories you may think you know. But as we add back the missing piece — context — you’ll begin to see just how much more there is.

We’ll ask:

• What was going on around this verse?

• Who was the author speaking to — and why?

• How does this fit into the big story God is telling?

  
  

Because when you read with context, you read with clarity.And clarity leads to transformation.

This is not just a blog post but an inviation to come in person or jojn us online starting this Sunday, August 3, 2025.