Neal Pollard
The very title might offend some people, but it is the truth. Of course, context helps. It was Edwin Booth, not John Wilkes. And it was Robert, not Abraham, Lincoln. Edwin and Robert were among customers buying passage on a sleeping car in Jersey City, New Jersey. Lincoln lost his balance and fell into an open space between the train and the station platform. By all accounts, he would have been crushed and likely killed if Edwin had not “vigorously seized” and “quickly pulled up and out” onto the platform (Letters of Note: Volume 1: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience. Chronicle Books. 2014. p. 282).
Context can be very helpful. Without it, we can draw some erroneous and even fatal conclusions. This is especially true with the Bible, a book many may know a little about but neglect to study with depth and purpose. Doctrines and conclusions are based on statements taken out of context.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31).
“The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart…” (Ex. 9:12; 10:20; 14:8; etc.).
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated…” (Mal. 1:2; Rom. 9:13).
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13).
“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Mat. 18:20).
Sometimes, the content of a verse is explained and understood better just by reading the verses before and after it. That is the case is Acts 16:31 and Matthew 18:20. In Acts, the jailor is taught about Jesus and faith includes repentance and baptism (Acts 16:32-34). In Matthew, the subject is not worship but church discipline (18:15ff).
Sometimes, a statement needs to be understood in light of the broader context. That would be the case regarding Pharaoh and Esau. The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart through the plagues, causing the Egyptian king to rebel against God’s will and choose pride over penitence. In the case of Esau, as Paul explains, the idea is of God’s sovereign choice. God was not unjust. He had a purpose for choosing Jacob over Esau (Rom. 9:11).
Sometimes, a statement causes us to look deeper into all the Bible says about the subject. Consider the idea of calling on the name of the Lord to be saved. Rather than salvation by confession, the Bible teaches what is involved in calling on the name of the Lord. Ananias taught Saul that this is done when one is baptized, washing away sins (Acts 22:16).
When we are studying the Bible, we must always do so contextually. Whether that is the immediate context (the verses around a statement) or the broader context (everything the Bible says about it or further light shed on it elsewhere), it makes the difference in the conclusions we draw. God expects us to “handle accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15)! May we be the best Bible students we can be.
The Preacher Pollard Blog 
Amen
Hi Neale, We are in Mayfield,KY now. I think we are following you. Now to a serious matter. In 1996, our elder son and I took 6 months and hiked the Appalachian Trail. We took small Bibles, copied songs from a song book and bought grape juice and unleavened bread from Kosher sections of groceries. I used Matthew 18:20 to justify our worship services we had every Lord’s Day along the trail. I had never had the scripture explained to me as pertaining to church discipline. Thank you for enlightening me. While we, I think, grew spiritually from worshiping in some beautiful places God created, I will repent and ask God’s forgiveness for failing to assemble with the brethren at Northside church of Christ in Mayfield.
Appreciate your good and tender heart, brother. I didn’t know you were in Mayfield! I am to speak at Central in Paducah this summer. I’ve preached several places over in that neck of the woods.