What's the Therefore, there for?

When reading the Bible it can be very inspiring, draw you in, and feel like an action movie at times. Other times, it can feel slow-moving, hard to understand, or bland. That's why it is important to arm yourself with some tools to apply when reading it to ensure you are always getting the most out of what you read. One of those tools is keeping an eye out for the word "therefore".

When you read the word "therefore" in the Bible, it is a transition word that is saying "hey look, what you're about to read is based on things you just read. You might want to go back and re-read the last verse(s) or chapter(s)." A great example of a chapter where this is important is Ephesians chapter 4.

There are three "therefore" instances in Ephesians chapter 4. The first instance is the first word of the chapter. It's then used in verse 8. And then in verse 25. I won't write what comes after them, but I'll summarize below what comes BEFORE them, and you can read what comes after by clicking the link here: Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1: "Therefore....." What comes before it is Paul praying/pleading with God that Jesus may live in our hearts and we many understand fully His love for us.

Ephesians chapter 4, verse 8: "Therefore..." What comes before it is Paul explaining there is only one God, and that there has been a gift bestowed upon us by Jesus' and His sacrifice for us.

Ephesians chapter 4, verse 25: "Therefore..." What comes before it is Paul showing the difference between believers (the new self" and non-believers "the old self".

Now that you have looked back at what was written BEFORE the "therefore", it might bring to life more excitement and understanding of what comes AFTER the "therefore". And if you want to take it further, you can start to do the same by asking "Why is that BUT there" when you see the word "but", and/or "SO what's the big deal" when you see the word "so" in Scripture.

Enjoy, God bless, and have a great day!