Text, Context and Pretext

 

 

Text, context and pretext

Disagreement and getting vexed,

Let’s be simple, not complex,

After this verse move to the next.

 

Flurries, scurries, even stories

Personal agendas and self-glory,

Soap boxes, pulpits and rostrums

Any facility to air their theories.

 

Starting with the Holy Word

But quickly veering off

Cause if it doesn’t fit the agenda

Then it must be scoffed.

 

Observe the gymnastics

Both physical and spiritual,

Charismatic type and emotional hype

Cheered on by gullible people.

 

 

The verse carries the text

While the Word provides the context

Everything is good so far

But this changes with pretext.

 

Pretext comes in different forms

Though a lot of it is personal,

Consider too this other usage

The sectarian or denominational.

 

“O I know the Bible says,”

But the doctrine says otherwise

And if you look very carefully,

There's the cleverly concealed disguise.

 

A need to change the Word as is-

It doesn’t fit in with today,

Back then the culture was different

It was a totally different way.

 

Clearly God could not have known

How things would come to be

So we must draw this to His attention

And hope that He would see.

Text, context and pretext

With pretext holding sway,

Mixing the literal with the figurative

And coming up with my own way.

 

Yes, pretext suits me very well

I could comfortably live with that,

It is not exactly in the text

But grey could pass for black.

 

So many verses are misused,

Bearing a bent to men’s traditions,

Pretext more appealing than context

Brings a more acceptable rendition.

 

Every text is within a context

And is corroborated in the Word,

Pretext plays absolutely no part

Neither anything we have heard.

 

The Word can speak for itself

The Holy Spirit assures us,

Throughout the pages of Holy Writ

The focus is always Jesus

 

The Living Word and the written

There’s absolutely no conflict,

Pretext might be your desire

But the Word you should not edit.

 

 

Take the Word as it’s written

It’s God breathed; by now you know,

God can never make an error

I’m sure you know this is so.

 

Go with its text and context

Get rid of learned or induced pretext,

Regardless of sect or denomination

Be faithful to the biblical text.

 

Stewart Russell © February 2019