Direct Answer
They brought everything Scripture says on a topic to the passage in front of them, drawing on both Testaments. That guarded them against making a whole teaching out of one verse.
Support from the Message
- Jason says that when they interpret a verse, they have the whole context of the topic in their minds. - He contrasts this with focusing on one verse only and coming up with an idea or teaching from it. - They drew on the verses of the New Testament and, where it applied, the Old Testament too. - He says people who claim that context is king usually are not taking all the scriptures in context. - He describes trading verses with Jehovah's Witnesses as fruitless, and he says the early explanations of Christ and the Father cleared up his confusion.
Discussion Follow-up
When has a single verse been used against you, or by you, to settle a question? How might a whole-context reading have changed that conversation?