The books of the Bible are divided into chapters and verses, making the Bible easier to navigate. Chapters were added in the 13th century, and verses in the 16th century.
However, some of these divisions disrupt the flow and meaning of a passage. In fact, when looking to interpret the Bible, it’s a good idea to ignore these arbitrary breaks altogether.
One passage I always read without chapter division is Romans one and Romans two. Romans one talks about the sinfulness of humanity—a particularly stark passage. But if we read this without reading on to Romans two we overlook that the author’s larger point is a caution against judging others. We must never lose sight of God’s endless patience with us. God’s judgement is fairer than ours, and at the end of time, some who consider themselves religious may be surprised by the wideness of God’s mercy and grace—at who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’.
A couple of verses that need to be read together to capture the ministry of The Salvation Army are Hebrews 13:15–16. Verse 15 says: Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus. Stop there and it might sound like the Christian’s primary occupation is to hold an endless me-and-Jesus praise party. But read on to verse 16: But don’t forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God. In other words, our faith must be turned into practical caring actions.
Such holistic ‘body and soul’ ministry is typified by the work of The Salvation Army in Porirua, as you’ll see by this week’s feature article. What a joy it is when the miracle of new life we’ve found through Jesus affects our way of living every day!
Christina Tyson
Editor
Psalm 28:7 Common English Bible
The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts him …
Ngā Waiata 28:7
Ko Ihowā tōku kaha, tōku whakangungu rākau; i whakawhirinaki tōku ngakau ki ā ia, a āwhinatia ana ahau …