Context Matters: That Single Verse Isn’t the Whole Story

Context matters…

There used to be this show that came on TV called Extreme Couponing. On the surface, it was pretty cool. People would clip paper coupons, hunt down digital ones, plan their shopping trips based on store sales, and by the time they stacked all the discounts, a $1,000 grocery bill would drop to $0 out of pocket. Some episodes even showed totals like -$75, meaning they not only walked away with carts full of groceries but also received money back in their hands.

Naturally, everybody wanted in. Who wouldn’t want to walk out of the store without spending a dime, or even better, get paid to shop?

I remember the buzz when I was working at the police department. Coupon binders, digital printouts, and deal-sharing groups were everywhere. People were excited to save money, build stockpiles at home, and donate extra items to schools, churches, and charities. It looked easy, organized, and even fun. Some had full couponing groups, friends who shopped together like it was a mission.

But the truth is that most of us didn’t see the whole process.

What the show didn’t reveal was how time-consuming it was. Couponing like that took hours of preparation, driving to multiple stores, and understanding each store’s policies inside and out. Manufacturers and stores eventually caught on too, and the rules changed. Suddenly, coupons couldn’t be doubled, item limits were enforced, and store matching became restricted. Many of the deals were for processed foods that people wouldn’t normally eat, and for a lot of families, the time investment simply wasn’t worth the return.

Once people tried it for themselves, they realized it wasn’t all it seemed. Sure, a few pulled it off. But for the average person, extreme couponing wasn’t sustainable, and it definitely wasn’t as effortless as it looked on TV.

Here’s where this ties into the topic of context. 

The problem wasn’t with couponing itself; it was with the lack of context. Viewers only saw the highlight reel. They didn’t see the full picture, the hours of work, the trial and error, or the fine print behind those amazing results. So, when people tried to mimic what they saw, they were disappointed, frustrated, or even misled, not because the concept was wrong, but because it wasn’t fully explained.

That’s what happens when we read or quote Scripture without context. We get a glimpse, a soundbite, a feel-good verse, but not the full story. And when life gets real, and that verse doesn’t “work” the way we thought it would, our faith can start to feel shaky. Not because God failed us, but because we didn’t understand what He was really saying to begin with.

Sometimes, we approach the Bible the same way people approached extreme couponing. We hear someone quote a verse, see a post online, or listen to a powerful sermon, and we assume we understand what that verse means because it sounds good or feels encouraging. But when we take the time to actually read what’s around the verse, the chapter, the book, the historical setting, the audience, and the author’s intent, we realize it doesn’t always say what we thought it did.

Context matters because without context, we risk misunderstanding God’s Word, misapplying His promises, and building our faith on something that feels good but may not be biblically accurate. Context protects us from disappointment and deepens our understanding. It helps us see the heart of God, not just the highlight reel. And it challenges us to move beyond surface reading so we can truly hear what God is saying, not just what we hope He’s saying.

Let me give you a real, personal example of why studying Scripture in context is so important.

I remember going through a really hard season in life. As a young believer, someone told me, “The Bible says God won’t give you more than you can bear, so if He gave it to you, just know you can handle it.” I believed them. So I pressed my way through that horrible situation, clinging to that idea.

One day, I decided to encourage myself by writing that Scripture down. I wanted to have it in front of me: a reminder that God wouldn’t give me more than I could bear. Can you imagine my confusion when I finally looked it up and read 1 Corinthians 10:12–13?

“So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.”

I remember thinking, What does what I’m going through have to do with temptation? I kept reading and realized the entire chapter was about resisting sin and idolatry. That verse wasn’t about grief, suffering, or emotional pain. It was about temptation. It was saying God wouldn’t allow me to be tempted beyond what I could handle, and He would always make a way of escape so I wouldn’t fall into sin.

It’s a beautiful truth, but it had nothing to do with the sorrow I was experiencing from losing a loved one. That was something entirely different.

Context means asking:

• Who wrote this Scripture?

• Who were they writing to?

• Why did they need to say this at that particular time?

• What was going on?

We can’t just grab part of a verse and force it to fit our situation when it doesn’t. That’s called eisegesis: when we read our own ideas or emotions into the text, instead of drawing meaning from it.

I remember another time when I was sick, and someone told me, “Just declare that by His stripes, you are healed.” They encouraged me to use the Word to make that declaration over my physical illness.

So I opened my Bible and read Isaiah 53:5:

“But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”

Again, I was confused. What did my illness have to do with punishment, iniquities, and rebellion? 

I read the whole chapter. And that’s when it clicked. This passage wasn’t about physical sickness at all. It was a prophecy about what Christ would suffer to redeem us spiritually. It was about being healed from the grip of sin, not being cured from a cold or disease. It wasn’t meant to be used as a declaration over my fever; it was meant to show the depth of what Jesus endured to bring spiritual healing to my soul.

See the difference that context can make?

It doesn’t take the power away. It helps you understand it more deeply. Context doesn’t make Scripture less personal; it makes it more real.

So, what is context, really?

It’s more than just reading a few extra verses. Context includes the who, what, when, where, and why behind the passage. It looks at the author, the original audience, the culture of the time, and what issue or situation was being addressed. It considers the flow of thought: how one verse connects to the verses before and after it, and how the chapter fits into the bigger picture of the book.

Context asks questions like: 

• Who wrote this, and who were they writing to? 

• What was happening in the world when this was written? 

• What type of writing is this: history, poetry, prophecy, or instruction? 

• How does this verse connect to the overall message of Scripture?

When we skip these questions and just pull verses out to fit our moment, we risk missing the depth, beauty, and intention behind what God really said. We wouldn’t want someone taking our words out of context, twisting something we said to mean what it never meant. So why would we treat God's Word that way?

The truth is, context doesn’t restrict Scripture; it reveals its power. It brings clarity where there was confusion. It guards us from error and helps us grow in truth. It strengthens our foundation so that we’re not shaken by misapplied promises or unmet expectations.

When you read the Bible in context, you begin to see the heart of God more clearly, not just the verses that sound nice, but the full weight and wonder of His Word.

So, as we begin this blog series, I want to invite you to do something: slow down, read deeper, and let the Word speak for itself, not just to your situation, but to your soul.

Because once you start reading the Bible in context, you’ll never want to go back.