A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence, or sometimes entire sentences. There are many conjunctions such as and, for, but, so, or, and therefore that are used in the English language everyday. In the Bible, they are often used as indicators to keep reading and help guide our understanding. 

But

In Genesis chapter 2, we find God speaking to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Adam was told that he could eat of every tree but the tree of knowledge of good and evil or he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). In this case the function of but was the difference between life and death! A small word had a huge consequence. 

Another example is 1 Corinthians 2:9, which is often quoted: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard…” People get excited as they hear it, thinking about the incredible things God has prepared. But notice the very next verse begins with the word “but,” adding a crucial caveat to what was just stated. Though we do not know what God has prepared for us ON OUR OWN, but by His Spirit God reveals them to us. 

John 1:11-13 shows us that Jesus was not received among His own people, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Though many rejected God did not stop there; there was a “But!” He extended the invitation and opened the opportunity much further — to those who receive Him, believe on His name, and are born of God.

For

In Galatians 3:25-26, we see that we are children of God by faith. But if we stop reading too soon, some might think, “Oh, all I have to do is believe,” which is not the case. The next verse begins with for which provides an explanation. This word can be likened to “because.” In the next verse we see that we must be baptized to put on Christ!

And

Finally what is probably the most commonly used conjunction: and. In 2 Peter chapter 1 we are given a recipe for success. The Bible tells us what to do so that we never fall. If you read verses 4 through 10, you’ll see that we should have faith, and virtue, and knowledge, and temperance, and patience and a few more things that you should check out for yourself! 

The key here, however, is that we must have all of these things in us if we don’t want to fall! It’s not just some or picking the easiest. We need all of them! And expresses an additive relationship—which simply means that it adds one statement to another. If you were trying to bake bread, and the recipe tells you to add yeast and flour, that doesn’t mean that one is a substitute for the other— they are both required. 

We see the same thing in the Bible in John 3:5. This is a scripture we hear very often because it is so crucial that we have an understanding of it! Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be born again of water and Spirit. Why? Both are necessary! 

Conclusion

Every word in the Bible is important. We sometimes get caught in the bigger theological terms or the long (hard to pronounce names) names, but make sure to not skip over the small words! They really do matter too. And as we learned today, conjunctions do have a function and are critical for proper understanding of God’s word.