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2 Timothy 3:10-17

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

Reflect

Sometimes the things that people accept blow my mind. Take, for example, the notion of a flat earth. People as early as the sixth century believed that the Earth was round. Pythagoras (of triangle theory fame) was the first person to put forward the idea of a round planet, and the idea quickly caught on. Over the next 700 years or so, the notion of a round Earth became the norm — until the Middle Ages. For some reason, Europeans during this period started ebbing back toward a flat-earth mindset. And at the center of this argument was the Church. Instead of leading the way with enlightened holy thought, the Church pushed to assert an idea that, to the scientific world, made absolutely no sense.

In 1519, Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan started a voyage westward toward the Americas. In the next two years, he navigated treacherous waters and survived treachery by his crew, and his voyage continued on around South America and toward Asia. On September 6, 1522, one of the ships that started the voyage returned home to Spain, albeit without Magellan. (He had been murdered by warriors in the Philippines the previous April.) The journey had been made completely toward the west, once again proving that the Earth has to be a spherical globe and not a flat surface on a plane.

Facts like this should put to rest flat-earth theory, but today there are a surprising number of people who maintain that the Earth is flat. And sadly, many of these are Christians, and they use the Bible to justify their belief in a flat Earth. This brings to mind an old saying my stepfather loves to quote: “A text out of context is a pretext.” Simply put, if you take a Bible verse out of its proper setting, it’s usually because you’re trying to make a point that has little to do with the Bible verse.

It’s so important to make sure that we represent the Bible accurately and that we never use it to make points that justify our selfish agendas. The world is so lost and desperately needs direction, and we’re the best place for them to turn to find that direction. But if we’re misusing scripture in an attempt to justify selfish motives and wrong beliefs, we will only bring discredit to the Father, and we’ll drive people in the opposite direction.

Today, pray for wisdom and discernment as you read God’s Word. Pray that the Lord will not only help you understand the scripture but that you will use it wisely as you apply it to your life and share it with those you encounter.

Reflection copyright © 2024 Doug DeBolt.