One thing that I frequently see in social media is botched scripture references. Maybe it's my Baptist upbringing (sola scriptura, emphasis on scripture as authority) or maybe it is my Catholic devotion and reverence for Jesus, but it really bugs me when people misquote scripture.
There are several ways this occurs. Some people pull scriptures out of context and use them to support ideas that the original author never intended. Some people almost quote scripture and it sort of sounds right, but turns out to mean something entirely different. Some people selectively use scriptures to support a personal agenda that is not necessarily correct. Some people simply don't know they are using scripture improperly.
The proliferation of information means that a Bible concordance is easy to access. Finding a scripture verse with the key phrase you are looking for is simple. The presence of that key phrase does not guarantee that the passage means what you think it means, however.
When looking up scriptures using a concordance, it is important to go and read the entire passage in which it is contained. If the passage expresses the point you are trying to support, quote away. If the passage does not support your point, don't quote part of it, hoping no one will notice. Invariably, a sceptical person like myself will come along, read the whole passage and point out your error. It is much better to do a little more homework and find the right passage of scripture to use. You may even learn something new in the process.


I will discuss other modes of misquote in future posts.