Context, context, context! (part II)

Let me give some examples from every day life. I might be overheard by one of you saying, 'I'll kill him!' You might be startled to hear me saying that I'm going to kill someone - after all it's not the most Christian idea you'll have heard. But the question really is: how do you know what I mean? Unless you can see the context or have the full contextual picture, you don't really know if I'm using an expression of annoyance or if I'm conspiring with another YP leader to dispatch someone imminently. The fact is, there is just no way of telling, without the context being made known.
If you were giving evidence in court and used my statement as your evidence, it would be classed as nothing more than circumstantial. However, if you could provide video evidence of me conspiring with my fellow thugs to assassinate Mr. X , then you would be providing firm proof.
Well, that's how we must be with our bibles. I've heard countless unsubstantiated claims against the bible, simply because the discipline of checking out the context wasn't there.
As Christians, if we really want to understand our bibles, it's really important that we get this principal under our belts. It will stand us in good stead for the rest of our bible reading lives.
Get used to going back and checking the context out, whenever you come across a text that doesn't fit with the rest of scripture on face value.

More on this through the week coming, but I hope this has been helpful.
Danny if you get a chance, perhaps you could post the 'apparent' contradiction you were talking about on Friday evening. We could have a look to see if it is a contextual problem.