I’ve spent my life urging people to read the Bible in context. Instead of isolating single verses, I encourage reading complete paragraphs, chapters, and books. When taken out of context, a verse can easily be misinterpreted to convey something entirely different from the author’s intention.

However, developing a comprehensive theology requires more than understanding individual sections. We must also connect related passages throughout Scripture. As some scholars note, we need both a verse-by-verse and a verse-with-verse approach to biblical interpretation. Building a comprehensive theological framework requires drawing from multiple passages throughout the entire Bible.

When interpreting any Scripture passage, we should remember that there is always another verse calling out, “Consider me too before reaching your conclusions.”