Psalm 37:4 (In Context)

(Psalm 37:4)"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (ESV)

Some people act as if this verse teaches that God exists to grant your wishes.  So let us look at Psalm 37:4 in context to get the true meaning.  

Psalm 37 was written by David and resembles the Book of Proverbs in many ways.  This Psalm deals with the problem of why the wicked prosper and the righteous struggle.  

Psalm 37:1-2 tells us not to fear or be envious of the ungodly because they will soon fade away.  In Psalm 37:3 we are told to trust the LORD and do good.  

In Psalm 37:4 we are told to delight yourself in the LORD.  If we delight ourselves in the LORD, we will focus on God and not ourselves. Our goal will be to glorify God.  We will focus more on eternal things than on temporal things. Then he will give you the desires of your heart because they are God focused.  

Psalm 37:5-7 tells us to commit, trust, and be still before the LORD.  Psalm 37:9-10 tells us evildoers will be no more but those who wait for the LORD, those who are meek shall inherit the land.  

Psalm 37:28 assures us that the LORD loves justice, he will not forsake his saints.  In Psalm 37:39 we see salvation is from the LORD. 

When we look at Psalm 37:4 in context we see that it is concerned with ultimate outcomes more than the temporal problems of this world. Our focus is to be on God and not on ourselves.       

John 3:16 (In Context)

 (John 3:16) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  (ESV)  

This verse if often used to promote the view that God has simply made salvation possible for all people.  In reality Jesus has actually accomplished salvation for his people.  

The term "world" does not refer to every single person in the world (See John 17:9) but to people from all nations not just Israel.  God has chosen to save people from different groups and of different ethnicity.  Jesus is the only unique Son of God.  The Father and the Son are of the same essence and nature.  Christ died on the cross to save his people from their sins.  Jesus lays down his life for the sheep (See John 10:11).  

'Whoever believes" refers not only to Jews but to Gentiles as well.  "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37,ESV).  Those who believe are God's elect who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (See Ephesians 1:4).  

Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life.  They will enjoy eternal blessings in God's presence in heaven.  Those who do not believe in Jesus will perish by suffering eternal judgment in hell. 

Judge Not (Matthew 7:1 In Context)

Matthew 7:1 may be the most popular verse from the Bible in our time.  It is often interpreted to mean that we are not to judge anyone's lifestyle or beliefs.  But is this interpretation actually correct?  Does never judging even make sense?  We will look at Matthew 7:1 and see what the Bible actually says.  

(Matthew 7:1)"Judge not, that you be not judged." (ESV) 

We are to be careful and cautious in making judgments.  In Matthew 7:2 we are told the judgment we use will also be the judgment used for us.  In Matthew 7:3-5 Jesus warns us against judging in a hypocritical way.  We should not worry about the speck in our brothers eye when there is a log in our own eye.  Then at the end of verse 5 Jesus tells us that once we remove the log in our own eye we will see clearly to remove the speck from our brother's eye.  This of course would require that we judge.  In Matthew 7:6 Christ refers metaphorically to those who continually and persistently reject the gospel as dogs and pigs.  We are told not to continue presenting the gospel to these people.  In order to identify the dogs and pigs we must judge.  

After Matthew 7:1 Jesus continually judges people throughout the rest of chapter 7.  He refers to people as evil (7:11), says many will go to hell (7:13-14), calls some false prophets (7:15), refers to some as workers of lawlessness (7:23), and refers to a foolish man (7:26).  

(John 7:24)"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (ESV) 

So we plainly see that all judging is not forbidden.  Hypocritical, self righteous, arrogant judging is what is actually forbidden.  We are to judge rightly with a humble spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 5:12 Christians are even instructed to judge those inside the church, excommunicating them if necessary.  

The concept of not judging people clearly does not come from the Bible.  So where does it come from?  It actually comes from what is known as postmodernism.  At the heart of postmodernism is the denial of absolute truth.  What underlies not judging is the rejection of truth.  And what underlies the rejection of truth is the rejection of God.  The idea of not judging does not come from Christianity but from unbelief.  

We must also point out that the idea of not judging does not even make sense.  When a person says that another person should not judge, he is judging the other person.  When someone says you should not tell another person he is wrong, that person himself is telling someone else he is wrong.  It is impossible not to judge.  The whole idea of not judging falls apart and reduces to absurdity.  It ends up refuting itself because it is opposed to God and his Word.

So we see that the concept of not judging is wrong and foolish.  It comes from people who do not want to be told what they do or what they believe is wrong.  They do not want to be confronted with the reality of their sin. They are suppressing the truth about God.  

We should not judge in a self righteous, hypocritical, or arrogant way but we should judge carefully.  We must judge in areas such as morality and doctrine.  We must proclaim the truth with love.  Our judging must be with a humble spirit.  It is not wrong to judge, it is wrong not to judge.    

2 Peter 3:9 (In Context)

(2 Peter 3:9) "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."  (ESV)

The usual interpretation of this verse by most modern evangelicals sees it as saying that it is God's will that every single person be saved.  They assume the "you", "any", and "all" in this verse refers to everyone.  But if this interpretation is correct then God's purpose if often thwarted by humans because many are not saved.  In this view God is trying to save everyone but failing to do so.  

For the correct interpretation we must look at the verse in context.  The passage is actually about the Second Coming of Christ.  There are scoffers expressing doubt that Christ will return.  They say things just continue as they have from the beginning.  Peter explains why there has been a seeming delay in the Second Coming of Christ.   

With this background we now look at 2 Peter 3:9.  It says the Lord is patient toward you. We must ask who "you" refers to.  Who is the Apostle Peter talking to?  When he speaks of the scoffers he refers to them in the third person.  But when he refers to his audience he refers to them as "you" and "beloved".  It is obvious that Peter is referring to a specific people.  To find out who his audience is we need to look at the first verse of the letter.  

(2 Peter 1:1)"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.  To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ."  (ESV) 

It is obvious that Peter writes to a specific people, those who are saved, that is believers.  He is not speaking to every single person.  Therefore when he says the Lord is patient with you, the "you" refers to God's own people, the elect.  When it says not wishing that any should perish, the "any"
refers back to the "you", which is the elect. Also when it says, but that all should reach repentance, "all" refers back to "you", that is the elect.  It is God's will that all of the elect should reach repentance.  

So the verse interpreted in context does not teach that it is God's will to save every single person.  God does not fail to accomplish his purpose.  God is waiting for all of his chosen people (the elect) to come to repentance.  God's purpose is to save his elect and none of them will perish and all of them will be brought to repentance.  The actual meaning of 2 Peter 3:9 is clear when we view it in context.   
 

Revelation 3:20 (In Context)

(Revelation 3:20) "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."  (ESV)

This verse is often interpreted as Jesus knocking at the door of a person's heart trying to come in.  But this is actually an example of bad theology being read into the text.  

Revelation 3:20 is part of the letter written to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22).  Revelation Chapters 2-3 contain letters written to seven churches.  Laodicea is the only one that is not commended by Jesus for anything.  Jesus rebukes the church telling them they are neither hot or cold but lukewarm.  He then tells them he will spit them out of his mouth.  

The Laodiceans were not hot or cold, they would not reject Jesus outright or embrace him with zeal.  They were complacent and maybe just nominal Christians.  Jesus says he will spit them out of his mouth, in other words this kind of "Christianity" makes Jesus sick.  The church at Laodicea is told to be zealous and repent.  




In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is pictured as standing outside of the church knocking at the door.  If anyone there has true, saving faith he will hear his voice and open the door for his Lord and Master.  Then Jesus will come in and have fellowship with him.

The common interpretation of Jesus knocking at the door of someones heart wanting to come in simply does not fit the context.  This actually comes from bad theology being read into the text.  It has Jesus trying to save people but often failing to do so.  It presents Jesus as being unable to bring about the salvation of some people because they will not let him.  Think about that, you have humans not letting the Sovereign Lord accomplish something.  This is absurd and not Biblical.  God's sovereign will cannot be thwarted by humans.  He is sovereign even in salvation.  Jesus is the Sovereign Lord who accomplishes salvation for his people and never fails.  He saves all that the Father gives him (see John 6:37).   

Jeremiah 29:11 (In Context)

(Jeremiah 29:11) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  (ESV)

Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse for many evangelicals who often quote it.  Unfortunately it is usually quoted out of context.  We must always look at a verse as part of a passage, and the passage as part of a book.  We must take into consideration what comes before the verse and what comes after it.  We should also look at the background of the passage and to whom it was written.  

The historical background of this passage is the Babylonian exile of the Israelites (Judah).  They were sent into exile because of their disobedience and idolatry.  

In Jeremiah 29:5-7 God tells the Israelites to build houses, have families, seek the welfare of the city, and to pray to the LORD for the city.  They are going to be there in Babylon for a long time.  In Jeremiah 29:8-9 God tells them not to listen to the false prophets who are telling them they will return to the land shortly.  In Jeremiah 29:10 they are told that after seventy years they will return to their land.  

Then comes Jeremiah 29:11, the verse that is so often quoted.  
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (ESV) 

In Jeremiah 29:11, God's plan for the exiles is for their welfare or peace (the Hebrew word shalom) and not for evil.  They will have a future and a hope in their homeland.  

In Jeremiah 29:12-14, God says he will hear their prayers and they will find God when they seek him with all their heart.  The LORD will restore them and bring them back to the land after 70 years.  

As we can see Jeremiah 29:11 applied to the Israelites (Judah) who were exiled to Babylon.  It applied to a certain people in a certain historical circumstance.  We must remember that this verse does not apply to everyone in every situation.