1 Timothy 1:3-7 — As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
“Beware the Bible”? What kind of opening is that for a devotion? I know it seems odd — but in the wrong hands — or even the right hands used wrongly — the Bible can be a very dangerous weapon.
The devil knows the Bible — he even had the nerve to try to use it to lead Jesus astray (Matthew 4:1-11 has the details.) Of course Jesus knew more than enough to answer him! We should see the lesson in the story though — the devil knows the Bible and he will try to use it in whatever way he can to lead us astray.
Satan is smart. He’s not going to attack your belief in the Bible, or misquote it … Oh no. His techniques are more subtle.
One of Satan’s tricks is to take a scripture and focus your attention on part of it, or simply misapply it. Consider Proverbs 15:6, “In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.” I’ve seen that verse used to suggest that “Good people have money, so if you don’t have plenty of money it means you’re just not good”!
A technique that, in a way, I find more troubling is when the devil puts scripture in the hands of a sincere believer and encourages him to use it as a stick to beat other believers with. Dr. Erwin Lutzer describes this phenomenon precisely:
Among Christians there is also a kind of legalism that teaches that, although we are saved through faith in Christ, sanctification is a matter of submitting to certain rules or standards. Thus, one’s Christian progress is judged by whether or not one keeps the prescribed rules: such as no movies, no dancing, no gambling, etc. Make no mistake, these rules might have value to keep Christians from certain select sins, but they are not a substitute for the fruit of the Spirit. Thus, once again rules are misused.
More obvious perhaps is simple misquotation. How about this one, for instance, “Money is the root of all evil.” The Bible says that, doesn’t it? Well. No. What 1 Timothy 6:10 says is “For the love of money is the root of all evil:”. It’s really easy for clever people to say things that sound good, and sound Biblical, but which are actually dangerous nonsense.
I’m just scratching the surface … but you get the picture. If somebody’s use of scripture makes you feel uncomfortable remember the devil has his own “satanic commentaries” and you need to go back to the Bible and check it out for yourself. Make sure you’re getting the whole story, and all the context, accurately quoted!