As the seventh installment in this "misused verses" Bible study series, this example shows why such a series is important. It takes us back to the beginning of the world and looks at the first "misused verse" of all time.

Misquoting God

Have you ever been misquoted, even just a little bit? How do you feel when someone mentions something you've said, but in a way that you never intended? Perhaps you feel like saying, "That's not what I said!" Unfortunately, we easily do this to God. In fact, that's how sin got started in the first place.

Have you ever been misquoted, even just a little bit?

When God made the world, he said it was "very good" (Gen 1:31). When he placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, he permitted him to eat from any of the trees in the garden except one - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). God assured him that if he ate from this tree, he would die. With this guideline in place, Adam and Eve enjoyed a close, obedient, and trusting relationship with God.

On one fateful day, Satan attempted to draw Adam and Eve away from God (Gen 3:1-5). What was his strategy? To misquote what God had said. He quoted from Gen 2:16-17, but in a careless and inaccurate way. He said, "Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’” (Gen 3:1)? Do you notice how he changed what God had said from a particular tree to any tree?

Thankfully, Eve corrected this error by clarifying that God had granted them access to every tree in the garden except one - the tree in the middle of the garden (Gen 3:2-3). However, in her answer, she actually misquoted God in a different way. She added "you must not touch it," which is something God never said (Gen 3:3). So Satan misquoted God by expanding what he had said, but Eve misquoted God by restricting what he had said.

Changing the Context

In the next stage in this careless handling of God's words, Satan did something that undermined God's words even further. He changed the context of what God had said. In the original context, God displayed his extreme goodness and generosity by giving access to all the trees in the garden except for one (Gen 2:16). But by misrepresenting this context, Satan magnified God's restriction and placed it into an opposite context. Instead of quoting this restriction in the context of God's goodness, he suggested that God was somehow selfish and insecure (Gen 3:4-5).

Instead of quoting this restriction in the context of God's goodness, he suggested that God was somehow selfish and insecure

As you already know, this strategy accomplished what Satan intended. He started by twisting what God had said and finished by questioning what God had said. He began by adjusting the words ever so slightly, then he presented God's words in a different context than God had originally spoken.

The Danger of Misusing Bible Verses

Not all cases of misusing a Bible verse today are the result of an insidious plot to rebel against God. In fact, well-meaning believers may easily misuse or misquote Scripture in their prayer habits, teaching ministry, and daily living without even knowing it. The verses I've shared in the first six installments of this series are examples of this unintended error.

Whenever a Christian misquotes or misuses something that God has said, he or she unknowingly misrepresents God.

But whenever a Christian misquotes or misuses something that God has said by inadvertently altering its meaning or ignoring its context, he or she unknowingly misrepresents God. Though this result is bad enough, this error can also produce other serious and unintended results. It can:

• Raise false expectations

• Encourage poor or careless Bible study habits

• Lead to other more serious doctrinal errors, and

• Lay the foundation for greater vulnerability to false teachers.

As those who follow Christ, we must commit ourselves to a serious study of his Word. We should be careful not to quote Bible verses carelessly by changing what they say or ignoring their context. If we will not accept this responsibility, then we will expose ourselves and those we influence to greater deception.