“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 NIV
“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.” 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
Last weekend, recently drafted Cleveland Browns quarterback, Dillon Gabriel got caught in the social media ‘taken out of context’ web. A question by a sideline reporter was not fully aired or referred to, only his answer. “Speaking with CBS Sports reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, Gabriel was asked about his comfortability in front of a camera. The poised Gabriel was authentic in his answer, a harmless and fun response.” (1) Gabiel’s fun response escalated rapidly when sports reporters and commentators from major sports outlets looking for a story failed to do their journalistic research. Their main concern was to adapt the answer to their bias narrative ignoring the truth. Eventually the truth came out, but the damage was done and too late for all the headline and sound bite social media followers who never saw the update.
I’m sure many of us have been taken out of context having our words twisted to mean something other than what was intended. Most of the time it is done to humiliate us or to put their opinion into focus as the right point of view. We may not be able undo the damage each time, but it is imperative for Christians that we try because our integrity and the truth is at stake.
Social media and bias reporters work as a conduit to get many false narratives accepted by as many people as they can to push their agenda. The Bible has been taken out of context for centuries, but not at the rate it is today. Again, those with a certain point of view and an agenda to push due to their politics or to satisfy the changing culture will take the Bible out of context to suit themselves. The Bible’s truth has not changed. It is not subject to re-interpretation. The Bible is not a fluid document, but the very Words of God. God’s Words mean the same today as when they were first written. It is vital for Christians to take a stand for the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Jesus confirmed the truth of God’s Word in His intercessory prayer, and Paul tells us not to be ashamed and to correctly handle the word of the truth (The Bible). It may come with criticism and be taken out of context, but we have proof the Bible is true as we apply it to our lives through the Holy Spirit.
Word for the Soul 