FREQUENTLY MISINTERPRETED BIBLE TEXTS (PART I)

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“Did God Promise to Give Us All Things?”

By Akin Ojumu

Heretical teachings don’t exist in a vacuum; they are fruits of a poisonous tree. Erroneous teachings don’t subsist in the cosmic ether; they are the yield of a venomous harvest. These soul-wrecking fruits grow on the tree of twisted Bible texts. The life-destroying yields are nurtured in the soil of Bible passages that have been distorted beyond recognition.

Given their proclivity for cliches, propensity for maxims, and penchant for bywords, modern-day Christians have fondness for certain Bible passages. Because these Bible texts form the Scriptural pillars on which their doctrinal worldview stands, they are widely popular, well-known, quite often quoted.

Just as it is with everything else in the Church of our day, the vast majority of these popular Bible texts are the subjects of abuse, misuse, and misinterpretation. They are often used as proof texts to promote erroneous doctrines and push all manners of false teachings.

As the title implies, the aim of this commentary series is an attempt to set the record straight in the minds of the readers about these familiar Bible texts. The goal is to shed light on what these well-known Bible passages actually mean by applying the principles of hermeneutics and exegesis to refute and correct their misinterpretations.

One of those extremely popular, often misapplied, and even controversial Bible texts is Romans 8:32.

Romans 8:32
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:32 is one of the cornerstones of the prosperity gospel. It is used as proof text to support the erroneous belief that God has promised Believers everything they want in life. Since God did not spare even his only begotten Son but gave him up for us all, they claim, He has given Christians the divine pledge of health, wealth, and success. Whatever it is that a follower of Christ desires in his heart, he is sure to receive it on the basis of Romans 8:32.

But is this what Romans 8:32 actually means? Is God really telling us in this verse that He will grant us all our heart desires? Can we sincerely go to God and hold him to His promise in this verse that He will graciously give us all things? What exactly does the “all things” in the verse mean?

If I may, let me share with you this statement from the good folks at BibleRef, which they wrote concerning another popular Bible text in Romans 8, but which is also applicable to Romans 8:32.

“Despite its incredibly comforting message, some Christians have had an awkward relationship with this verse over the years. That is in no small part due to how easy it is to take this verse out of the context of Romans 8. Stripping these words of their context destroys the essence of what Scripture is saying. It is also possible to interpret the verse correctly and still misuse it to dismiss the genuine pain and suffering of another person.”

If you read Romans 8:32 within its proper context and you do a cross reference with other Bible texts, you’ll understand that the “all things” mentioned in Romans 8:32 is not a promise by God to meet all our material and temporal needs.

In Romans 8, Apostle Paul writes about the eternal security of Believers in Christ. He starts the chapter by giving a profoundly reassuring declaration that there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

In addition, the believer in Christ has been set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life. Because the Son of God came and took upon Himself the punishment for our sins, those who believe in Him stand righteous before God. By virtue of Christ’s imputed righteousness, Believers are heirs to the promise of a glory that would be revealed at His return.

When God looks at us as Believers, He does not view us as His slaves, and we are not just His good and obedient servants. God did not free us from slavery to sin simply to add us to His army. He rescued us from sin to make us His children. Having been adopted as God’s children, we are able to call Him, “Abba! Father!”

We’ll take it from here next time.

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