Proof-texting Problems Part 2

“I don’t need a church, my family is a church!” the young husband insisted.

It saddened me to hear that. Not just because I am a pastor and am thoroughly convinced that there are tangible benefits to committed church membership, but also because he was leading his family away from what the Bible teaches.

Then his wife chimed in, “he’s right! – Jesus said, ‘where two or three are gathered together I will be in the midst.’ So yeah, our family is a church, and we don’t need your church.”

They were quoting Matthew 18:20, but they were also proof-texting. And misapplying that passage to defend their stubborn behavior. (Though neither of them would acknowledge that or listen to reason.) 

Sadly, this real-life conversation isn’t rare. Of all the Bible verses that get ripped out of context and (mis)used to defend a certain idea, Matthew 18:20 is one of the most common. 

Last week, I began a series of articles addressing some of the problems with proof-texting. This ongoing succession of weekly editorials is the result of a mid-week Bible study we have been doing at our church. As I told our congregation, one of the major reasons there are so many varied views about theology and so many different denominations is that Christians are far too prone to take verses out of context and then build doctrine around them. This is a bad habit that we all easily fall into. So, to help you better understand this poor practice, let me state its definition again: proof-texting is pulling a passage out of context, distorting its original meaning, and misapplying it to support a doctrine or practice. Truth be told, almost every Christian has done this at some point in their life. 

Last week, we noted that a bad interpretation leads to a bad application. In this article, I’d like us to consider another problem: proof-texting can produce bad belief and bad behavior. While many verses could be cited to prove this point, let’s use the one quoted by the defiant couple mentioned above. 

Regardless of what people claim, Matthew 18:20 has nothing to do with what constitutes a church. This passage is so misapplied so often, I feel like I need to type those words again: Matthew 18:20 has NOTHING to do with what constitutes a church. That verse does NOT mean that you, your wife, and your kids, create your own church, just because you are gathered together and use Jesus’ name. And while I am ruffling feathers, let’s go further and ruffle some more. You and your bff’s sitting around Starbucks drinking coffee over an open Bible does not make a church. A group of college kids gathering together for a Bible study is a good thing, but a church it is not. Neither does a group of men sitting around a campfire on a hunting trip constitute a church. 

I know that when I say this, people get upset. They become super defensive, super quickly. But they do so because they have either not been taught what that verse means (in context), or because they are trying to justify their bad belief and bad behavior. 

I don’t know how many times I have been told, “I don’t need to belong to a church because I can have church anywhere … because, after all, Jesus said ‘where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst.’” 

I want to scream when I hear this, but the Lord won’t let me. 

Let me state again, this passage has absolutely nothing to do with what constitutes a church. Matthew 18:20 is not teaching that you and your friends can have church anytime, anywhere. This text isn’t affirming the belief that you and your best buds can do your own thing, apart from structured congregational gatherings. And further still, this verse has nothing to do with only a handful of people showing up for the Wednesday night prayer meeting. If I only had a dime for every time someone looked around at a nearly empty sanctuary and said, “well, there may not be many of us, but Jesus said – where two or three are gathered in His Name, He will be in the midst of them!” Lord knows I have wrongly used that passage myself in such a setting many a time. 

That is, till the Holy Spirit did His good work of using sound pastors to teach me what this verse is actually about. For those of you who have made it this far, let me encourage you to open your Bible and read Matthew 18. But don’t just read verse 20 … start about verse 12, and you will come across this language, “take with you one or two more …” For a quick moment, let’s do some math. If there’s you, and one or two more, that makes “two or three,” does it not?! Which is exactly what Jesus is referring to in verse 20! This entire block of Scripture is the Lord addressing the uncomfortable subject of church discipline and restoring an erring brother or sister. 

I’ve already tested the patience of the fine folks at the Houston Home Journal (and my church) with my wordiness, so I can’t say all that needs to be said. But I assure you – if you read this passage in context, you will learn Matthew 18:20 has nothing to do with “having church,” and everything to do with a small group of serious-minded saints seeking to restore a wayward believer. Don’t just grab one verse (out of context); instead, read the whole section, and you will see a pattern we are supposed to follow to reconcile someone who has drifted into sin. To illustrate this teaching, Jesus employs a parable (verses 12-14) to show that if we go and seek this wandering sheep, the Good Shepherd will go with us! We don’t have to face this hard task alone; He will be with those “two or three” who are obeying His command. That is what this passage is about. 

Sadly, too many confessing Christians aren’t interested in the truth this verse relates, because they simply want to do their own thing and not submit to the authority of Scripture or a local church. However, when the Bible is reduced to isolated verses, rather than cohesive units of thought, bad belief and bad behavior are sure to follow. This is just one more example of how proof-texting can lead us away from the Bible’s true message, and into theology shaped more by convenience than by context.