Proof texting is a practice where a single verse is used to argue a point or create a doctrine, without regard to the context of Scripture. By stating that, I am not suggesting that any single verse by itself is insufficient, not at all. For instance, if I disagreed with someone about the name of the angel who announced the pregnancy to the virgin Mary, and I said, “The angel’s name was Gabriel, as stated in Luke 1:26.” That single verse would be sufficient and I wouldn’t need other verses to corroborate the point. However, when someone makes a weightier claim, perhaps referring to sin, salvation, or other doctrinal matters, we need to be cautious to avoid cherry-picking or proof texting a single verse, especially when it may seem to contradict other portions of Scripture. This essay aims to magnify the importance of taking verses in context.
Here’s an example of proof texting. Someone might argue, “A person’s faith doesn’t matter that much, because even when we’re faithless, God’s still got our back! It says so in 2 Timothy 2:13, ‘if we are faithless, He remains faithful.’” This would be a dangerous way to interpret this verse. A correct way to study and apply the Scriptures is through the process of Hermeneutics. In short, Hermeneutics means that the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures; the context of the Bible helps us understand individual verses/passages. Hermeneutics focuses on asking things like, what else does the author say about this subject, what is the cultural context, what verses in other books of the Bible can I cross-reference which speak on the same subject, etc. And I can’t forget the need to pray for the Holy Spirit’s discernment any time I read the Bible, “Open my eyes that I can see the beautiful things in your Law,” Psalm 119:18. In the end, if my interpretation of a particular verse doesn’t align with the context of Scripture, then my understanding is off and more study is needed. So, proof texting is not a truthful way of presenting God’s Word, nor is it honestly seeking to know God’s Word.
Consider what’s written in Isaiah 28:10, “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there.” The idea here is that there’s a propriety in learning, writing, and teaching. One instruction should follow the other and each enforces and builds upon the prior. Each point fits in with the whole of the teaching. It’s to our advantage to study the Bible with a method that considers the whole text.
Let’s expound on 2 Timothy 2:11-13, so that we can accurately understand what Paul means when he says, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful.” These three verses say, “It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
2 Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to one of his disciples named Timothy. Paul begins this portion by saying, “It is a trustworthy statement.” Paul’s expression here to Timothy doesn’t mean other statements in the Bible are not trustworthy. Paul says this as a reference to statements that Timothy might hear floating around town; statements about the Lord or the church, whereas some of those statements are not trustworthy. Paul simply reiterates that what he’s about to say is a matter of fact, “for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
These verses provide a pair of positive “if/then” statements, followed by a pair of negative “if/then” statements. The first positive “if/then” statement says, “for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.” To die with Him sounds negative, but it’s actually a good thing! This statement refers to all believers, who are “with Him”; with Christ in a union. What union? When Christ died, all believers died with Him, having been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). And the old sin-nature of the believer, his old-self, that died too with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and something new has been made. Through the death of Jesus, the believer is freed from the power of sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The spiritual reality of dying with Christ is symbolized in the act of baptism, as water submersion symbolizes the union with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Paul reiterates this in Romans 6:4, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Thus, dying with Him, equates to living with Him; as Paul proclaims, “for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.”
The second positive “if/then” statement says, “if we endure, we will also reign with Him,” is a heightened promise that goes beyond the previous “if/then” statement. The Christian life is one of enduring hardship, persevering under persecution, and staying the course. When a believer endures, the adjoining blessing is that he will also reign with Christ. It should be noted that a believer only has the ability to endure because of the operation of God continuing His good work in the believer (John 6:39, 10:26-29, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, 1 Peter 1:3-5, Jude 24-25). In other words, it’s God who does the persevering for the believer. So far then we see that dying with Christ is to live with Christ, and to endure for Christ is to reign with Christ.
Next, we see two negative “if/then” statements, which are the opposite of the previous pair of positive statements. These negative statements say, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful.” The first of these, “If we deny Him,” is the opposite of what was said earlier, “if we die with Him.” And the second, “if we are faithless,” is the opposite of, “if we endure.” Let’s unpack these two negative statements in greater detail.
“If we deny Him, He also will deny us,” is referring to the type of person that would not make the choice to entrust himself to Jesus; to not count himself dead with Christ. Basically, those who chose to live apart from Jesus in this life will live apart from Jesus in the afterlife. Though this person might plea for acceptance on Judgment Day, the Lord will deny him, just as the individual denied the Lord in his earthly life. This truth is then rephrased for emphasis and further clarity as Paul continues, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” To deny Jesus is to be faithless. Those who deny Jesus will therefore be denied by Jesus on Judgment Day, and this second emphasis explains why the person denied Jesus; because they are faithless.
Why will Jesus deny the faithless? Because the Lord is true to His word, “He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” God is eternally faithful to do what He says He will do. He cannot deny Himself or act in a contrary way to His nature. When He promises that those who faithlessly deny Him will in no way enjoy eternity with Him, He means it. He cannot go back on His word.
So, the danger in proof texting or singling out the statement, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful,” can give someone a false sense of security. One might wrongly reach the conclusion, “I can have faith or not, either way God will be faithful to me.” That’s wrong. One ought to never think that faith or faithlessness carries no significance. God will not remain faithful to save those who have not turned to Him in faith. He cannot do that, because He’s already said that one is saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and God is bound to His word, unable to deny Himself. This is good news, because it means that God is faithful and His promises to believers will certainly come to pass!
Common Examples of Proof Texting
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Being a huge sports fan, I’ve seen so many athletes write this verse on their sports gear. The false application is, “I can’t lose! I can do it all, and God will give me the strength to do it!” Proof texting like this supports one’s personal ambition. However, the verse actually emphasizes suffering and hardship while maintaining contentment and perseverance through Christ’s strength and help. Here’s what Paul says in context, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Paul’s basically saying, “Lord, I’m ready to suffer today. No matter how bad my circumstances get, You will give me the strength to endure. My contentment is in You, Lord, not my circumstances.” So, for the athlete who writes “Phil 4:13” on his shoes, if he really knows what that means then he’s saying, “Lord, I’m ready to lose today. No matter how bad this game gets, I’ll find my satisfaction in You, not my circumstances.”
Another commonly proof texted verse is John 14:14, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” You can see how viewing this verse on its own appears to invite us to treat Jesus as a private genie that will do whatever we ask of Him. In reality, the verse and its context emphasize glorifying God through Jesus. In context we read, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” John 14:13-15. Adjoining phrases like, “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son,” and, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” show what the intent of the believer’s prayer and behavior is to glorify God and live in obedience to His will. So, when we read, “ask Me anything,” we know that what is meant is to ask God anything according to His will, so that He is glorified and our obedience is evident. Let’s not forget broader Scriptural context, like James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Verses like this expose that our prayers need to be aligned with the Lord’s will if we expect the prayers to be answered.
Another commonly proof texted verse is Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Some take this as a guarantee that proper parenting will ensure a child’s faithfulness. One might wrongly say, “You know your son will grow up to be a champion for Christ because you trained him well! The Bible guarantees it in Proverbs 22:6.” This of course isn’t what Proverbs teaches. In short, Proverbs is not a book of promises, it’s a book of tendencies. Proverbs shows us how life tends to work, and in this case, parents that train up their kids in the Lord do tend to have kids that exhibit faith as adults. But, there’s always exceptions. Why? Because true faith is a matter of the heart, not a matter of parenting.
Parents are commanded to raise kids intentionally. Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Bringing kids up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, or training up a child, are both awesome responsibilities put upon parents. Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”
Another commonly proof texted verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Any My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Some Christians take this out of context and proclaim, “If we reach out to God in prayer, then He will make the United States a greater and more prosperous country. The United States is His land and we are His people!” While one verse can have two applications, meaning that it can apply to someone at one time, and others at another time, 2 Chronicles 7:14 isn’t a promise to Americans or the United States. The context of this verse is clearly talking about Israel at a specific point in history. This is not a blanket promise for all believers in all times. When Christians claim this verse is God’s promise to them, I ask them, “What land do you believe is ‘your land.’” In other words, where’s the “Christian land” that you think God’s going to heal? Christians don’t have a geographical spot on the map, but Israel, at this time, literally had geographic borders. Today, the Bible tells Christians that we’re foreigners and strangers on this earth (1 Peter 2:11, Hebrews 11:13); sojourning here temporarily while our real home is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Let’s look at the context of 2 Chronicles 7:14. First off, we see earlier that the specific nation of Israel is in view, “I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel,” 2 Chronicles 6:6. Israel had physical land that was uniquely blessed when Israel honored and obeyed the Lord. Solomon, David’s son, built a “house” for the Lord in Jerusalem, known as Solomon’s temple. The context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 says this, “Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.’” You’ll notice the specifics of “I have chosen this place” … “their land” … “prayer offered in this place” …and “I have chosen and consecrated this house.” The context specifically points to the “what” and “where” of Israel and Solomon’s temple, not just anywhere at any time in history. That said, yes, pray for America and God’s healing!