4 Familiar Scriptures and Truths We Often Miss
Familiar scriptures make the most quoted and popular list in many Christian circles.
But sometimes we miss important truths or gloss over the context of the passage. Or, we memorize a verse without considering the Bible verses before and after.
So let’s look at 4 Bible verses and discuss their neighboring scriptures.
Familiar Scriptures Often Quoted
(1.) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
To know God has plans for our welfare, future, and hope, taps into our longing to be affirmed and loved and cared for.
But Jeremiah pens a letter to God’s people in exile.
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise and bring you back to this place.” Jeremiah 29:10 (ESV)
The Lord planned to restore the exiles and bring them back to Jerusalem. And God has restoration plans for us. Because the Lord always keeps His promises.
I love how 1 Peter 5:10 expresses restoration after suffering, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (ESV)
Now, look at the verses that follow Jeremiah 29:11. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13 (ESV)
So when we call upon the Lord and seek Him with all our heart, we find welfare and hope for wholeness. (2002 edition of my ESV Bible uses “wholeness” in place of “welfare.”)
When we call upon the Lord and seek Him with all our heart, we find welfare and hope for wholeness. (Jeremiah 29:10-13) Click To TweetTruths We Miss
(2.) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (ESV)
Romans 3:23 and other Bible verses throughout Romans make up the Romans Road, a method for sharing the plan of salvation. So I committed Romans 3:23 to memory.
Yet while studying Romans years later, I noticed something interesting when I read verse 23 and 24 together.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Notice the conjunction “and” connecting the thoughts in verse 23 to the thoughts in verse 24. Yes, we are sinners and fall short of God’s glory. And we are justified by grace, a gift through the redemption provided in Jesus.
Sinners and justified.
Fall short and given grace.
Under penalty and redeemed.
Since God brings us out of our former sin condition, He is the “justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26, ESV)
We sin and fall short of God's glory AND we are justified by grace and the redemption Jesus provided. (Romans 8:23-24) Click To TweetFamiliar Scriptures in Christian Circles
(3.) “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9b (ESV)
Oh, how I always loved the mystery of this Bible verse. Also, hearing God’s people speak of it in awe of the Lord’s hidden secrets. Yet, when we look at the passage further, we understand further.
Paul’s teaching here is clear. Wisdom comes from the Spirit and not from the rulers of the age. “But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (ESV)
Also, to summarize Paul’s words in the verses following verse 9. God revealed this hidden wisdom to us through His Spirit, who searches the depths of God. We received the Spirit from God “that we might understand the things freely given us by God”(verse 12, ESV). Paul concludes, “But we have the mind of Christ” (verse 16b, ESV).
So let’s ask God to open our eyes, ears, and mind to what He’s prepared for us and for the Spirit’s wisdom for imparted things freely given to us.
Leaving Out Context in Familiar Scriptures
(4.) “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7b (ESV)
Well-meaning Christians encouraged me with this verse as a way to resist temptation and overcome spiritual warfare.
Yet, they left out important context and content in the chapter. First, James warns against wrong passions and friendship with the world.
And the first part of verse 7 is also often omitted, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.”
Until we submit our passions, desires, and entire being to God, we can’t resist the devil—not in our own strength.
Further still, the following verse holds another key to overcoming the devil. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (ESV)
Ouch! Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable. When we submit to God and draw near to Him, we send Satan running!
Stay close to God. When God is near, the devil has no choice but to hightail it out of our life. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 ESV Click To Tweet
I love the mental image of the devil hightailing it out of my life!
What other Bible verses would you add to this list?
Last week’s post, My Grown-Up New Year List.
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Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Let’s Have Coffee/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth).
© 2024 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Karen, I love that you have taken these familiar scripture verses and placed them in their context. So revealing! May we all seek God’s will for our lives and pay closer attention to His Word.
Blessings!
Martha, I love how you said, “…pay closer attention to His Word.” It’s definitely an intentional practice that takes attention to want to rightly divide the Word of truth, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us. God bless!
I love watching your YouTube and I love reading your post but can I ask do you ever use the KJV that is what I use all the time. I love that your YouTube has always been giving God all the credit my husband and I love watching all your YouTube.
Hey Kathy, Thanks for watching our content on YouTube. And grateful you read my blog posts. We cross-reference a lot of translations, sometimes the KJV included. My study Bible is ESV and I like that it is closely translated to the original Greek. But I look up all translations online. God bless you and your husband!
I know I like to think more about the verses that are uplifting and pleasant. But it is equally as important to remember the ones that bring us to our knees. Thanks Karen.
I relate to your sentiments, Yvonne. I pray to desire God’s full counsel in the Holy Scriptures! God bless!
God’s words are Spirit and Life they will give you Life if you will believe it. There is a great need to read God’s Word with a pure and open heart with sincerity to allow God’s Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word. BE focused on what God your Father says about you in His Word. It is important to pray and speak God’s words full of life and authority over our body and mind every day, morning, afternoon and evening. You were born to be the Head and not the tail always in the head, God sees you as a warrior and you are more than conqueror don’t give up he is with you always even in the hardest and most impossible battles nothing is impossible to him who believes in Me. AMEN!
A thousand Hallelujahs, David. Yes, I want the mind of Christ and I pray to always rememver who I am in Christ! Thanks for sharing!
Such a great post, Karen! My favorite right now is John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” It reminds me that Jesus is the way… nothing else. When I get distracted or fearful or self-absorbed, all I need to remember is bring my focus back on what matters and follow the Way.
I love that, Jessica. Your words brought a lot of light to John 14:6, especially how to apply it to our heart and lives. God bless!
Great message, Karen. We need to consider context so we can realize God is love AND God is just. In order to be completely loving, He must be just as well. God bless!
Thanks, Nancy. Yes, I’ve written about that very concept before. We cannot separate God’s characteristics from each other. He loves because He is just and holy. He is merciful because He deeply loves. They all make up who God is. God bless!
Karen, I loved this teaching! These are Scripture verses I treasure in my heart. But when we included the context, the meaning is even more profound and rich. To think that Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise given while the people were in exile. I can cling to His heart of restoration and the truth of His Word when I am downtrodden. Thank you for sharing this deep Scripture-based message!
Appreciate your encouragement, Melissa. And love how you said, “To think that Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise given while the people were in exile. I can cling to His heart of restoration and the truth of His Word when I am downtrodden.” That’s good right there! The Lord promises to restore us! Hallelujah!
Some great choices, and wise words, Ms. Karen. Have learned that knowing them and applying them in our lives to two very different things. Like the rosebud salve of old. It only works when you apply it. God’s blessings ma’am.
J.D. I like your thoughts on it only works when we apply it, yes! We don’t just read the Bible, we do the Bible. And we remember to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal scriptural truth to us as we read and meditate, desiring God’s full counsel in His Word from Genesis to Revelation! God bless!
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Karen, this is such a wonderful post. I loved how you brought Romans 3:23 together with verses 23 & 24. The conjunction “and” should cause our hearts to swell with gratitude as we see our lives in a different light.
Joanne, it’s definitely something to celebrate and give thanks to God for providing Jesus to take our place so the conjuction “and” is a very real part of our redemption story!