Thinking Faith
Apologetics vs. Real World Questions - Defense of the Christian Faith.
Thinking Faith
TOP 5 most popular verses that people get wrong
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Christians often hear popular Bible verses quoted as if their meaning is obvious. You see them on coffee mugs, T-shirts, and social media — but many of these verses are taken out of context and misunderstood.
So what’s actually true?
In this episode, we open the Bible and take a closer look at one of the most important questions for growing believers:
Are some of the most popular Bible verses being misused — and what did they originally mean?
We’re not trying to criticize people or create arguments. And we’re not dismissing these verses either. Instead, we go back to Scripture itself and let the full context explain what God was actually saying.
As we discuss in our notes , many commonly quoted verses are not wrong — but they are often incomplete when removed from their original setting.
So what’s the real meaning behind them?
And how should Christians understand them correctly?
In this episode, we cover:
Why many popular Bible verses are misunderstood when taken out of context
What Philippians 4:13 really means (contentment in all circumstances, not unlimited achievement)
Why Jeremiah 29:11 was written to Israel in exile — and what that means for us today
What Jesus actually meant in “Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1–5) and how to judge rightly
Whether Proverbs 22:6 is a promise or a principle about raising children
What “God is love” (1 John 4) really means — and what it doesn’t justify
The true meaning of “the least of these” in Matthew 25 and its connection to the gospel
How context transforms our understanding of Scripture
Some key passages we explore:
Philippians 4:10–13 — Contentment in hardship and abundance
Jeremiah 29:11 — A promise to exiled Israel, not a universal guarantee of prosperity
Matthew 7:1–5 — Judging rightly, not hypocritically
John 7:24 — “Judge with right judgment”
Matthew 25:31–46 — The identity of “the least of these”
One key idea we keep coming back to in this conversation:
The problem isn’t the verses — it’s how we use them.
When Scripture is taken out of context, it can be shaped to say almost anything. But when we read it carefully, we begin to see God’s actual message clearly.
Jerry brings us back again and again to a simple truth:
We don’t need new meanings — we need correct understanding.
The Bible wasn’t written in soundbites.
It was written as a unified story pointing to Christ.
If you’ve ever quoted a verse and later wondered, “Is that really what it means?” — this episode will help bring clarity.
The goal isn’t to tear down familiar verses.
The goal is to understand them rightly.
And to handle the Word of truth correctly.
#ThinkingFaithBroadcast #Bible #Apologetics #BiblicalTruth #ContextMatters #ChristianFaith #Scripture #Faith
#MissionReconFilms #MissionRecon #KnokStudio #knok
▌ Produced by Knok Studio ▌
★★★★★
Knok Studio is an award winning non-profit studio that mobilizes talented film makers and connects them with non-profits who need media. ✞ http://Knok.org
★★★★★
✙ ✙
Here’s Beau on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ArLszRTPV/?mibextid=wwXIfr
So you're talking with one of your friends who's maybe not a Christian, and then all of a sudden they start throwing Bible verses at you. These Bible verses they probably saw on a throw pillow or a coffee mug, or we're walking through Hobby Lobby, and you're thinking to yourself, wow, maybe they're right.
SPEAKER_00Not so fast. Pressure testing Christianity with real-world questions. We take modern issues sourced directly from you, our audience, and we see if these ancient books within the Bible have any answers. Conversational and thought-provoking? We're here for deep thinkers and natural-born skeptics. Welcome to the Thinking Faith Broadcast.
SPEAKER_01These are the top five most misused verses, and we are going to be the actually people today, not in an annoying sort of way.
SPEAKER_02Our goal is this. In one of the last letters that the Apostle Paul wrote, 2 Timothy, he's writing it to Timothy, and he says these words to Timothy: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. So I think that's what our object in this podcast is. It's not to so that you can go out and get your youth pastor or your pastor and poke them in the chest and say, aha, you're using that scripture wrong. No, no, no, no, no. Our object behind this is so that you will rightly handle the word of God and not just be misled by scriptures taken out of context.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And I put this survey out on social media, and the number one verse, I bet you can guess it already, and we're gonna have fun with this one. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4 13.
SPEAKER_02Now, I saw a t-shirt that said this I can do all things through a verse taken out of context. Oh, I guess it was$18. It was a little expensive.
SPEAKER_01Now, for those who are like, okay, well, what's wrong with that verse? Shouldn't you rely on Jesus to quote do all things? How is this verse typically misused in our pop culture, even among some very, very popular, huge megachurches? How do people misuse this?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they they take it out of context and they use it a lot of times for uh a an object of motivation or encouragement, which you think again, it's it's not bad to be motivated or encouraged. But as the great theologian and philosopher Enigo Montoya said, you're using that word, and I don't think you think what it means.
SPEAKER_01But there you are because you used to run track, getting ready to run the 400. You're down in the blocks, you're all nervous, your heart's going, and you're like, wait a sec. I need to give this to Jesus so that I can win this race because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The gun goes off, you're going, you're running down, and you only you come in fourth place.
SPEAKER_02And you say, Wow, what happened?
SPEAKER_01Oh, wow, did it did I not have enough faith?
SPEAKER_02Philippians 4 13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens. What happened?
SPEAKER_01Right, exactly. Yeah. And that trips up a lot of people, and they even lose their faith over this one verse. So let's dig into what does it actually mean? What's the context behind this?
SPEAKER_02Right. And the important thing is we're gonna start off the podcast by reading the context of it because a lot of times, if you read three verses before and three verses after, it'll take care of itself. Brilliant. Scripture will correct and give you the right idea if you read it in context. A lot of times, we're gonna start off this one and take a little bit of time to read Philippians. And I think as you hear these words from the Apostle Paul, you're gonna be able to see what he really means by this. And I'm gonna take it out of the Living Bible, which is a translation that I normally don't teach out of, but they just nail it so well in this. So this is Philippians 4, 10 through 13, and this is what it says. Listen carefully to what Paul's saying. How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are helping me again. The Philippian church wanted to help Paul monetarily in his missionary uh journeys. Uh, I know you have always been anxious to send what you could, but for a while you didn't have the chance. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily, whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, a plenty or want. And then here's verse 13. For I can do everything God asked me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.
SPEAKER_01Oh, interesting. So he's not in a good situation here. He's he's not sitting behind his computer playing the stock market, and he looks up on the wall and sees that little sign that he got off of Amazon. Well, I can do everything through Christ. And he spins around in his chair and says, I'm nice and comfortable. Let's bid on these stocks and get wealthy. On the contrary, what situation is he in? What does what does scripture tell us? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02He's either hungry or starving. And funny, I just I just got through reading in uh in the book of Acts uh Paul's visit to Philippi. And they dragged him, they beat him with rods and stoned him and dragged him out of town for dead. Oh, this was Philippi. Okay, so he's talking to the same church and the same community. And Paul's saying, hey, look, you know what? Sometimes, you know, God had trials for us to go under. And it's not I can do everything through Christ who's strength. He's saying I can either be starving or I can be full. Wow, whatever it is, I can do what God has laid upon his will for my life.
SPEAKER_01You can continue to persevere to move forward. So, in the Christian world today, how would you apply this? Uh, let's say that it's uh one of the pastors who I just spoke with in southern Nepal, who have they've been arrested because of their faith. They've been put in jail. How would they apply this to their lives?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly. And they would apply it by verse 13 saying, For I can do everything God asked me to do with the help of Christ who gives me strength and power, whether I am beaten and stoned or whether they are applauding my preaching. Either way, I can do this, right?
SPEAKER_01Right. Yeah. See, that is awesome. That that goes, that's that's so much more meaty than just the trivial, I'm going to get wealthy because I believe that Christ's uh everything. That that's so cool. Okay, okay, okay. There's another prosperity verse somewhere in here that promise us health and wealth from Jeremiah 29.11. You guys know this by heart, I'm sure, but stay with us. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_02Now, this this you see a lot on coffee mugs or on plaques given to graduates. People graduating from high school or college. It's Jeremiah 29.11. I know you know it all, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and to not and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Oh, isn't that I'm gonna look at that throw pillow and say, oh yeah, God's gonna prosper me.
SPEAKER_01Now, before we even look at the context, if you have ever served with the persecuted church in even, or even if you just flip open your news and and type in Nigerian church, where they're being marched out into the desert as of yesterday and executed for their faith. And then you read this and you're like, wait a sec, I thought God had a plan. I thought they weren't gonna be harmed because this verse promises that, right? Are they not Christian?
SPEAKER_02What's going on? Right? So the misuse is often used to assure individuals of God's good intentions. Oh, and you know what? That feels so good. The true interpretation is total in context. The scripture is a message to the Israelites in exile. So it's highlighting God's specific plans for a specific group of people at a specific time rather than a blanket promise for all believers who claim that this means that God's gonna prosper us at any time. And so while God can prosper Christians, this verse does not guarantee that. God allows us to go through tough times. So when you read this verse and you're going through tough times, let it be known that it was written to a specific people, the Israelites, a long, long time ago. And let it be known if you look at the entire gospel message, there are times when you're gonna go through tough times.
SPEAKER_01Jesus outright promises it. Right. He says, Man, you you you're no longer on the sidelines, you've jumped into the game. This is gonna be difficult. But take heart, I have overcome the world. So with Jesus on your side, it is possible to continue marching forward. It just might not be in a suit and a tie and a luxury vehicle. Right, exactly. Now, one of the cool things that I actually really like about this verse, because I don't want people to open up the Old Testament and shrug and say, well, these verses were for a specific people at a specific time and specific promises. Therefore, none of the Old Testament is applicable to me nowadays. On the contrary, I think it's so powerful to read this where God is saying this to a stubborn people group who have seen him materially create miracles in front of them, a pillar of fire. He's led them out of Egypt, he's parted a sea in front of them, he's fed them with manna, and yet still they reject him. But this, I think, what's so powerful about this verse is it still reflects God's character. Totally. And God's character does not change, even with us nowadays. So we can look at this as an example of despite us turning away from God, he still comes to us, even personally, with plans to be gracious to us, to forgive us. The ultimate grace, of course, being to forgive us of our sins, which we do not deserve at all. So, this we can still apply this in that it tells us about God's character.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01So it's still applicable in that way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but not a blanket forever, boy, I'm gonna be prospered. I became a Christian, and man, I'm gonna get rich, and I'm not gonna have any problems with in my life anymore.
SPEAKER_01Oh, so but but take heart. He is a gracious God, yes, and he does. Oh boy, we we deserve hell. Every one of us, 100%. Yep. But wow, what a gracious character that that this reflects in this verse.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, number three, number three, you know, Bo, you know, Bo, I think you're being a little too judgmental because the Bible says, don't judge. I mean, Jesus said don't judge, right?
SPEAKER_01I hear probably more atheists quote this verse than actual Christians.
SPEAKER_02Yes, now it's Matthew 7:1. Uh, do not judge, or you too will be judged.
SPEAKER_01And this verse is often used to justify uh Christians being submissive and pacifistic and not bold with the truth. Exactly. I'm not telling you that Christians need to go out and be jerks. We can be patient, we can be loving, but at the same time, we need to stand up for the truth that Jesus gives us. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And when they when the person across from you, whether they be a believer or not, when they say, Jesus said, do not judge, you know what? He never said that by itself. Read the context. Let's read the context. Let's read the context. Let's dig into this. Yep, yep. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged with the measure you use. It will be measured to you, to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me take that speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, then you will be you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Jesus was teaching us how to judge. Don't judge hypocritically. He's saying, he's teaching us how to judge. Churches that misuse this verse typically support sinful lifestyles. That's what they end up doing.
SPEAKER_01Well, no, no, no. They're just, they just want to affirm you. We are an affirming church, we are a welcoming church. I drive by churches and I see that on a banner all the time. We are welcoming. We won't judge you because, after all, Jesus says that we're gonna be judged by the same token that we judge others, so therefore, the message is we shouldn't judge at all, right?
SPEAKER_02Right. Nonsense! And if you and if you don't support this lifestyle, you're judging. Oh because they they view themselves as more tolerant. Uh, but in this way, they they're supporting sin. They're being tolerant to sin rather than judging it correctly, right?
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_02Let me use uh John 7 24 as a support in this. Uh let's see, the context is Jesus, well, the context to take our own medicine. Good job.
SPEAKER_03Good job.
SPEAKER_02Uh, this is what he says in uh John 7 uh 21 to 24. So he says, uh Jesus said to them, I did one miracle and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision, though actually it did not come from Moses but from the patriarchs, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now, if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man's whole body on the Sabbath? Verse 24. Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
SPEAKER_01Interesting. So again, he's teaching them how to judge correctly, not hypocritically, and not based off of appearances. And real quick, culturally speaking, circumcision was a sign, a physical outward sign that someone was set apart in this tribe, that they were set apart for God's favor, basically, and where the to be a part of the tribe of the Israelites. Right. So this was an outward sign. Yep. And what he's saying is, well, you say you're not supposed to work on the Sabbath. Yeah. But how many days after a young boy was born did they have to circumcise? Eight. Eight days. So what if the eighth day lands on the day where you're supposed to rest? Oops. Which law are you gonna break? Which one are you going to obey? Yeah. And his point is stop being hyper-fixated on preserving an appearance outwardly, exactly, but rather go based off of the heart.
SPEAKER_02And if some Christians feel a little bit more comfortable with the word discern, you need to be discerning with correcting a brother. And as you said at the beginning, not being a jerk about it. You're supposed to correct and to help a brother with the sin that they're struggling with. And you can't help a brother when you have a two-boy, two by four sticking out of your eye. Right, right, right. Take the two by four out of your eye so that you can see clearly the speck in your brother's eye.
SPEAKER_01Brilliant. So, in summary, he's not saying don't judge, but rather don't be a faker. Don't be a hypocrite when you do judge. Or another word is if you have standards for someone else, get your own act in order before you go out. And he had very, very strong words to say against the Pharisees, who were hypocrites at that time. Right. And they were fakers, and they were the best at looking so good on the outside. And so this was a message directly to them and to us. And if everybody out there in podcast land finds themselves in a ministry where you are assisting and correcting other brothers or sisters to get away from their sin, I would encourage you to stop and reflect on your own heart, get right with Jesus, get your own act in order, as Jordan Peterson says in one of his 12 rules. Get your own house in order before you go out and save the world. That's what Jesus' point was. Not don't have standards, but align the own standards in your own life. Then you can go out and you can see clearly enough to actually help people.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, the the book of Jude talks about defending the gospel, holding fast, stand fast in your faith. And you you can do that as a Christian without without the judgmentalness that comes behind a hypocritical judging of your brother. Right. You you need to do it in love with the intent of correcting and and helping that person. Right.
SPEAKER_01Right? Yeah. And really quickly, I'm not saying that you have to be absolutely picture perfect before you help someone along. I want to be very careful with that. God can still use broken, messed up people. His grace is so awesome. When I was in addiction, God still used me in the mission field, thankfully. I thank God so much for his grace. So don't let this scare you where you're like, well, I need to be. Another verse is above reproach. I need to be picture perfect before God can use me.
SPEAKER_02Well, you'll never get there.
SPEAKER_01You'll never get there. Exactly. Which is why so many people in the church are fakers and hypocrites. Uh, above reproach means uh to not be easily accused. And so, yes, get your heart right, but don't let that stop you. So it's it's a fine balancing act. Move forward in faith, but don't use this as an excuse to not actually engage in building God's kingdom. Right. He will still use you, even if you are a broken, messed up person. But try not to stay there.
SPEAKER_02We're examples of that.
SPEAKER_01Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Amen. Yeah. First John 4, 8 through 9. This is a this is a great coffee mug uh scripture. You know, I see it all the time. Uh 1 John 4, 8 through 9. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Verse 8. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. Okay. Which is all true. Absolutely. Which is all cool. 100%. Except the phrase God is love a lot of times is used to just justify sinful behavior.
SPEAKER_01How interesting. So lately there have been these protests going on nationwide, and yet, curiously, I see signs on both sides of the political argument saying, How dare you be so hate-filled? Because after all, God is love. Like, wait a sec. Both sides have completely polar opposite opinions, and yet both are claiming that the other one is being unloving and that we should we should follow the God of love.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And and I think people misinterpret this or misuse it when they say God is love, they say they they translate it as God is permissive. Let's just, you know, let's let's just accept everybody for whatever they're doing, and which is the gospel. If a if a person is sinful and they're living a sinful lifestyle, yes, you are supposed to draw them into the church with the hope of getting better.
SPEAKER_01Uh huh.
SPEAKER_02Not just, okay, yeah, live in your sin, continue in your lifestyle, and everything will be cool because God is love.
SPEAKER_01That is very well articulated how people interpret this. God is permissive. Yeah. Um, but to use an example, let's say 30 years ago, when I was 10 years old, and I was growing up in your household, and I went out riding my bike in the street, and you, as my father, hopefully love me and want to care for me. And I'm riding out on the street, and you see me starting to curve my bike towards traffic, which is out there on the street. You run out there, you yank me off my bike, and even though I'm 10 years old, you swap me on the butt and say, What are you doing? You're gonna kill yourself. Now, am I gonna stop and say, Father, that wasn't very loving because after all, God is love. You should permit me to do whatever feels good. Exactly. And you're thinking to yourself, No, that's not love. In the same way, love can be communicated through people, don't like this. It can be communicated through discipline.
SPEAKER_02Yes, exactly. You know, a a good verse to to uh marry up with this is John uh 1421. Um, whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be beloved by my father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. The underscore that I want to have there is whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. So when you say, Oh, I love God, but I'm not gonna obey any of his commands, I'm not gonna obey any of his standards, I'm just gonna allow others to live the lifestyle they want to, and I'm gonna live the lifestyle I want to. But God is saying in John 14, 21, well, then you really don't love me. Interesting. Obedience has a lot to do with love. Right. If you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. You're gonna obey him, right? Right? You're not gonna just haul off and just live a life that you want to live. So God is love, but at the same time, you can express your love back to God by obeying him.
SPEAKER_01Brilliant. So these verses before, we really used the tool of context. Yeah, read the whole context. And what I'm seeing a tool that you're applying here is it kind of hinges on love. And so a good thing to ask someone who says, Well, God is love. Uh, who are you to judge? Which we're kind of combining this verse in the previous verse. Yeah, but a good tool that you can use is how do you define love? Because they are misdefining love. They're saying, Well, love equals being permissive, love equals acceptance no matter what you do, no matter what.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01And so ask someone, how do you define that?
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01And once you zero in on a definition, you'll realize that one side of the political argument defines love wildly differently from the other side of the argument.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. If I truly loved you, I would grab you and pull you out of the traffic. If I didn't, I would be cruel. I'd say, Oh, you know what? I'm gonna let Bo ride his bike wherever he wants to, and he's gonna get smacked by a car.
SPEAKER_01Right. And in our first podcast, I referenced uh one of the magicians of Penn and Teller, both of them famous, famous atheists. And one of the quotes from one of these incredible magicians, I love their tricks, I love to watch their stuff on YouTube. One of his quotes is paraphrased by me, how much does a Christian have to actually hate me in order not to tell me about hell? Yes. And and then he's an atheist, so he gets it. The reason why we Christians go out and we we say, guys, we we need to yank you out of traffic. Hell is a real thing. You don't need to go there. Instead, trust Jesus and he will save you from this. So even though he doesn't agree with that message, he recognizes that Christians who quote proselytize or those Christians who evangelize, like he recognizes, well, at least they care about me. Yeah, right? Because if they didn't say anything, that's they don't care about me. They don't love me. Yeah, so it's actually truly loving to warn people. Sure. Absolutely again, in patience, and uh, you don't have to be passive about it. You can be bold, deferring to the fruits of the spirit. Everybody's everybody's gift is different. Some people can get on and preach the good news through a podcast, some people do it one-on-one. Some people can do it on a soapbox in front of the Mariner Stadium. Uh, that used to really bother me. Like, man, they're being so annoying. Then I thought to myself, well, if they're preaching the truth, and that's their spiritual gift to be able to preach in public, well, that they're they're they're doing it.
SPEAKER_02They're using the gift God has given them.
SPEAKER_01They are, they are, and that that took a lot of maturity on my end, because for the longest time I was like, oh, they're alienating people because I wouldn't do that. Right, right. But are they loving? Are they doing it in faith? Most of them I would say they are. Yeah. Most of them. Right. Painting with a broad brush stroke.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So be loving.
SPEAKER_02Be loving.
SPEAKER_01But have standards, people.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. This one, this one I'm I'm gonna give to you because you are a missionary and it's my favorite. My favorite. You go ahead and read it. Matthew, well, Matthew 25, 40. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_01Now, even most pastors out there misinterpret this one. And I warn you, if you misinterpret this, you're basically saying that you are saved by works, not by faith. So this is a huge, huge point of contention. And I have heard even mature missionaries come to my church, they stand before me and they say, We're doing this epic work in Uganda, and it's making me excited. I'm like, yes, I want to support this. I want to go, I want to support the church there. And then they bring out this verse. Then they use the word least of these. The least of these. Oh, and I face palm. And I don't want to put put my finger up in the air and say, actually.
SPEAKER_02Here's the verse so that then you the our audience knows what we're saying. Matthew 25, 40. It's a we're not gonna use this one in context. You can read the entire parable that Jesus is talking about, the sheeps and the goats. But Matthew 25, 40 says, the king will reply, truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Okay, so before you riff on this one, I gotta tell you this one situation. I had uh coffee with uh uh a Christian. Uh, he was actually a doctor. I don't know, really know what he had his uh theology or philosophy or something, and he wrote a book and it was called The Least of These. And it was about feeding the poor. Uh-huh. And I was cringing, and I'm going, should I kind of correct him on this? He wrote a whole book hinging on the misinterpretation of this verse. Yeah, I mean, his heart was was there, but he just used Matthew 25, 40. And so I, at the beginning of our coffee, I kind of said, you know, I I read your book. It was very interesting, very inspiring, but you got the wrong title. And he looked at me wide-eyed, and I'm thinking, I just remember he, I think he went to Cornell University or something, Cornell Theological Seminary, or if there is one. And I was really intimidated. I thought, who am I to correct this guy? But I really, really researched this before I opened my big mouth, and it is, he was misusing it.
SPEAKER_01Right. So, the full context of this, in case you guys don't know, this is Jesus talking, and it's a parable. And you've maybe have even heard the Keith Green song uh that talks about in the end times the the king will uh essentially separate the sheep from the goats, and you don't want to be a goat. He he has some very strong words to say to the goats.
SPEAKER_02Like you're going to hell.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, depart from me into darkness where there is there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. You don't want to be a goat. So we want to be a sheep, right? And his warning is if someone is in prison or is hurt or is poor or is naked or down on their luck, or if he's a homeless guy, and if you go by him and if you ignore him, well, he's basically representing Jesus. And if you ignore him and do not help him, then you're going to hell. That's the popular interpretation of this verse. And I'm going to tell you right now, that's wrong.
SPEAKER_02Right, exactly. And let me underscore Matthew 25, 40. When when it says the king will reply, Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine.
SPEAKER_01Wait a second.
SPEAKER_02It's very important to underscore and to think about what he's saying here. The it the the least of these is directed towards your brothers and sisters in Christ. Or you could say missionaries, people who are carrying the gospel message.
SPEAKER_01Uh-huh. If you ignore them, you're going to hell. Right. Because they are representatives of Jesus. Exactly. Right. So this is not a blanket statement saying whatever you do for the least of these, least of these, dot dot dot. Poor people, starving people, poor people, starving people, the poor in general. Jesus was not, his mission was not social equity. He was not here to make everybody materially healthy or wealthy. His point was here saying the least of these brothers of mine, those who are representatives of me and are being persecuted. So woe is me to go into a prison, and there is one of my Christian brothers who has clearly just been tortured. And I just shrug and say, Well, I'm gonna move on from this guy. No, he's a part of my family, he is representative of the gospel. And what Jesus is saying is if you reject these people, you are rejecting what they represent, which is the gospel, which is Jesus.
SPEAKER_02Right, exactly, exactly. So if you if you think about it, if you if you take this parable and this scripture with the entirety of the gospel in mind, right? Let's think for a second that you want to believe otherwise. You want to believe that that the least of these were the poor people and the starving people.
SPEAKER_01For the sake of argument, let's say they're right. Because what what's the harm in serving the poor? It says all throughout the Bible that we should serve the poor. That's a moral given. So what's wrong with interpreting it like that?
SPEAKER_02Think of the logical conclusion then. To believe this is that the least of these, then if you don't go out and feed poor people and have what was the phrase you use? Social uh social equity, yeah, yeah, yeah. Social justice. As is then that means you're damned for eternity. But is that the gospel? You know, Romans 10 9 says, if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That's the simple gospel message. If you wanted to take the least of these being the poor, then you would need to rewrite Romans 10 9. And let me rewrite it for you. Oh boy. If you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and if you feed the poor, you will be saved.
SPEAKER_01Oh, we got to get a heresy hat for you right there. Wait, it doesn't say that. No, it's very simple. The gospel is so simple to be to be saved, you have to believe in your heart and declare with your mouth. Basically, live it out. Believe on the inside and then live it out. That can that can be exemplified through serving the poor. Sure. Absolutely. So don't get us wrong. We're not a bunch of uptight evangelicals saying, don't go out and help poor people. Absolutely. No, no, goodness, no. Jesus helped the downtrodden, the the poor all the time. And we're called to do that, but that's honestly that's a given. There are so many examples in scripture of Christians doing that. It doesn't need to be a command. Jesus doesn't need to say you're going to hell if you don't give that homeless guy five dollars. Right. Because once again, that means that you're earning merit with God based off of work. And we know that that is not biblical.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. So please, when you hear the least of these, don't think about poor people. Think about missionaries that are spreading the gospel. Those are the least of these. And if you deny that message, you're a goat.