The Danger of Taking Scripture out of Context

I was working at a children's home. I thought it had been a little long that the silence had lingered upstairs where the two boys were roomed. I walked up to the room to see what was going on and made it just in time.

Two sinks in their bathroom area were being filled with water. For what they had purposed I did not know? I soon found out that they were about to try to drown themselves. What!? I thought, why? What is the problem here that would cause you both to take your lives?

They showed me their Bible and the verse they read. It was, "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). They concluded that they were sinners so this was the only outcome for them. How dangerous!

Being a newer believer but knowing the character of God I knew that could not be fully true, I picked up that Bible and said, guys you cannot just stop there, the best part comes next it says, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23b). At that moment they realized they needed a Savior because of their great sin, however God does not leave us in that state. He had a plan in place and in His word it contrasts the first death sentence. It says BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! What a important and beautiful piece of Scripture to miss. It is a gift by faith in Christ.

The moral is read Scripture in context, it could be literally a matter of life or death. For these boys the second half of the Scripture not only saved their souls but also their lives.