Therefore

Therefore. It’s a commendable and handy word. It means because of, consequently, to that end. Therefore is an adverb since it can be used to “connect clause content”. For example, I wanted to double-check it actually was an adverb, THEREFORE I looked it up in the Merriam-Webster. Reading your Bible, you come across this word all the time. In my Bible, it’s there over 1,200 times. My former pastor used to say “when you see the word therefore, see what it’s there for. Not good English, but excellent advice. If you open your Bible and the first word of the verse is “therefore” you know you are in the middle of the thought. You’ve walked into the middle of a conversation. Imagine entering a room and hearing someone say “therefore, she must die!” Have you uncovered a dark conspiracy of murder, most foul? No, you missed the first part of the sentence, the part before the “therefore”. “Mother doesn’t like getting these gray hairs, therefore, she must dye!”  

Sometimes, therefore is the first verse of a chapter. Romans 5:1 begins “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even though it is the beginning of the chapter, Paul is in the middle of his thought. Even though the chapter ends, doesn’t always mean the argument  ends. Therefore is a word that  helps us track the logic of the passage. In Romans 5:1 Paul is building on his argument that since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God. The case of chapter 4 is advanced in chapter 5. The word therefore helps us see peace with God can’t happen without justification because it connects the two ideas.

Therefore can also tell us what we need to do. Staying in Romans and in chapter 12, Paul says not to repay evil for evil and to live in peace, if possible, with all men because “vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.” So what are we to do with that information? How do we apply that to our life?  In verse 20 he says “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink...”  Since it is wrong for you to take revenge because God says he will take vengeance you need to be kind to your enemies. The therefore says “because this is true, you must do that.” Finding the therefores in passages and considering the context will help you find the application of the truth. Context is important in understanding the Bible. If you read a verse with therefore as the first word, know you are missing an important part of the idea. Back up a few verses and get the whole picture so that you can get the true meaning of the passage. Otherwise, you might walk in on Paul and just hear Romans 1:13 as “Now I would not have you ignorant brethren” and think he was upset with someone and resorted to name calling.