Many Bible verses are misused, misunderstood, and sometimes intentionally abused. Theology by folklore has reached epic heights. Ignorance abounds. It’s happening on both sides of the theological aisle. Those in the Word of Faith movement have hijacked 3 John 2. Cessationists have doubled down on I Corinthians 13:10. Evangelicals perpetuate the myth of Jeremiah 29:11. We all have been guilty of polishing our favorite bible verses and hiding our least favorite scriptures to some extent.
Bible verses are often misused and abused. For some reason, theology by folklore has reached a new level. Let’s dig deeper and resist theological laziness.
Here are five misused, misunderstood, and abused Bible verses. These are in no particular order.
Steal, Kill, and Destroy — Theology By Folklore
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Spoiler Alert: The thief in John 10:10 is not satan.
Every sermon I heard as a kid referred to the devil as the thief in John 10:10. I’ve even heard that reference a few times this year as well. I’m always saddened when I hear someone preach, “Jesus cam to give you life (true) but the devil only comes to steal, kill, and destroy!”
Why am I saddened?
Theology by folklore.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel. He continued teaching the same idea in the tenth chapter. Satan is never mentioned. The person responsible for chapter breaks was often a bit overzealous.
Gary Manning Jr. from Biola University believes that Jesus was reusing Ezekiel’s metaphor from the 34th chapter of his book. His article is very interesting.
The thief, in early church commentaries, was consistently taught to be false teachers such as Pharisees.
Could the devil be the thief? Is it wrong to insert his identity into the text? Yes! A matter of degrees is important when interpreting the Bible. We don’t want to be like Eve when quoting God.
Genesis 3:2-3 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”
God never told Eve not to touch the fruit. It’s important that we faithfully interpret scripture.
Misunderstood Bible Verse—Tithing
Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Sigh. The book of Malachi was been misused by teachers for decades. It’s been weaponized by legalistic and greedy preachers and has harmed thousands and thousands of believers.
What is the “whole” tithe?
The whole tithe was the tithe of the tithe. Farmers brought their tithe (food items) to the Levites. The Levites were supposed to take a tithe of the tithe (1%) to the Aaronic priests.
It had nothing to do with a person’s check before or after taxes and still doesn’t. That’s manmade theology that has been passed down like campfire ghost stories.
The indictment issued by Malachi was directed towards the Levites and the Priests, not the lay people. Somehow pastors have done a double-reverse sneak and put the sheep in the crosshairs.
Here’s an in-depth article dedicated to the Whole Tithe.
What Is The Storehouse in Malachi
The storehouse in this text is an actual storehouse. It’s like a massive food pantry. We cannot magically turn the word storehouse into Church. The storehouse is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:38 and 2 Chronicles 31:11.
The storehouse is not the church. For more info click here.
That There Would Be Food In My House
Bible verses can be literal, figurative, apocalyptic, poetic, hyperbolic, and more. Malachi 3:10 should be interpreted literally. The food mentioned by Malachi is food. It’s not the bread of life or some other pastorally-infused euphemism. It’s food—hard stop.
Here is a long-form article on tithing. In it, 21 tithing questions are considered. Everything you always wanted to know about tithing but your pastor wouldn’t tell you.
Tithing is a theologically and emotionally charged subject. Intransigence is commonplace in the Body of Christ.
I long for the ways of the Bereans.
If you’re still hungry for more on tithing, click here for AN ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TITHING.
Misused Bible Verse — The Love of Money
I Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Reverend Ethan Magness, from Grace Anglican Church in Grove City, PA helped me tremendously with this verse. In this message, he speaks of the naivety often employed when discussing I Timothy 6:10. Rarely do we understand the pull that greed has on the human heart. He brilliantly warns the listener about the deadliness of money.
Christians often get caught up in the semantics of the verse. We will boldly declare, “Money is not the root of all evil” like we’ve uncovered some life-altering truth. All the while we often miss Paul’s point of the verse.
True, it’s the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. However or ability to crucify filthy lucre and mammon is not as simple as changing the words in a sentence.
We should not misquote Bible verses. Furthermore, we should not ignore the wealth warnings provided to us by Jesus, Paul, James, and Moses.
Misunderstood Bible Verse — A Future and a Hope
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This might be one of the most popular Bible verses in the modern church. Hobby Lobby sells a ton of swag with this verse on it.
Why is this verse misused or misunderstood? It’s all about context.
Certainly, God is not quietly planning our demise and destruction (at least I hope). Jeremiah was sharing with the Israelites that God’s judgment was on them and it was going to last seventy years. Since it’s going to be that long they might as well get comfortable.
If we’re willing to take Jeremiah 29:11 we must take it all lock, stock, and smoking barrel.
Misunderstood Bible Verse — Prosper In All Things
3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The misinterpretation of this verse has caused shipwreck for some Christians.
The phrase, “Above all things” has been isolated by many preachers. Believers are taught that divine health and wealth are the highest will of God. Those who don’t experience both have a lack of faith. That’s what they are incorrectly told.
Health and wealth are overemphasized in the Word of Faith movement.
God has given us the power to get wealth. He will also teach us to profit. However, these are not our highest priorities in the life of a Christian.
Obedience is vital.
Denying ourselves is important.
Staying true to scripture is what we need to do.
Let’s tighten things up and act like the Bereans.