---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any part of the human body can only be…"
description: "\"Any part of the human body can only be explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png"
---

#  Any part of the human body can only be explained in…

![“Any part of the human body can only be explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference to the whole Bible.” quote by F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png)

> “Any part of the human body can only be explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference to the whole Bible.”

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding any part of a system requires seeing it within its larger context.

**In simple terms:** Parts make sense only within the whole.

Key Takeaway

Study the whole to grasp the parts.

Themes

holism interpretation systems

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

explanatory theological

When to use this quote

- biblical study
- medical education
- organizational analysis

Key Concepts

theology systems theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does context change your view of a part?
- When might focusing on the whole be misleading?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on the whole can obscure important details.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-inspirational/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [The Lord came to send fire upon the earth (cf. Lk. 12:49), and through participation in this fire He makes divine not just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-palamas/the-lord-came-to-send-fire-upon-the-earth-cf-lk-12-49-and-through/)

[Gregory Palamas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-palamas/)

> [“Epsom Salt - Don't underestimate the powerful healing effects of regular Epsom salt.  Soaking in hot water infused with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) boosts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-the-veggie-goddess-matthews/epsom-salt-don-t-underestimate-the-powerful-healing-effects-of/)

Gina 'The Veggie Goddess' Matthews

> [The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one's being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hanna/the-human-body-is-not-an-instrument-to-be-used-but-a-realm-of-one-s/)

Thomas Hanna

> [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [No lens is quick enough to track the movement of the human body. The molecules are always moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/no-lens-is-quick-enough-to-track-the-movement-of-the-human-body-the/)

[Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/)

> [Human ingenuity has given centuries to the goal of ensuring that the human body might move around at an even 68 degrees all year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-morrow/human-ingenuity-has-given-centuries-to-the-goal-of-ensuring-that-the/)

[Lance Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-morrow/)

> [“artificial intelligence is forcing human endeavor away from simple, algorithmic and repetitive tasks towards solving problems and incubating new ideas. It is the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyan-nagpal/artificial-intelligence-is-forcing-human-endeavor-away-from-simple/)

[Gyan Nagpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyan-nagpal/)

> [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“We are his temple. We do not turn in a certain directlon to pray. We are not bound by having to go into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/we-are-his-temple-we-do-not-turn-in-a-certain-directlon-to-pray-we/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [If the estimated age of the cosmos were shortened to seventy-two years, a human life would take about ten seconds. But look at time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grudin/if-the-estimated-age-of-the-cosmos-were-shortened-to-seventy-two/)

[Robert Grudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grudin/)

> [“Can I tell you a boring science fact?" she whispered. "I bet you didn't learn it in Shadowhunter history class." "If you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/can-i-tell-you-a-boring-science-fact-she-whispered-i-bet-you-didn-t/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Alas, everything that men say to one another is alike; the ideas they exchange are almost always the same, in their conversation. But inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-musset/alas-everything-that-men-say-to-one-another-is-alike-the-ideas-they/)

[Alfred de Musset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-musset/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/)

Harry Johnson

> [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/)

[Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/)

## More by F. F. Bruce

> [Christian holiness is not a matter of painstaking conformity to the individual precepts of an external law code; it is rather a question of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/christian-holiness-is-not-a-matter-of-painstaking-conformity-to-the/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [Un-Christian behavior on the part of any Christian is a disgrace to all Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/un-christian-behavior-on-the-part-of-any-christian-is-a-disgrace-to/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [Whatever else may be thought of the evidence from early Jewish and Gentile writers it does at least establish, for those who refuse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/whatever-else-may-be-thought-of-the-evidence-from-early-jewish-and/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [The soul’s deepest thirst is for God Himself, who has made us so that we can never be satisfied without Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/the-soul-s-deepest-thirst-is-for-god-himself-who-has-made-us-so-that/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [The historicity of Christ is as axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/the-historicity-of-christ-is-as-axiomatic-for-an-unbiased-historian/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [The world has no idea how much it owes to the presence of righteous men in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/the-world-has-no-idea-how-much-it-owes-to-the-presence-of-righteous/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [One thing must be emphatically stated. The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/one-thing-must-be-emphatically-stated-the-new-testament-books-did-not/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [Sanctification is glory begun. Glory is sanctification completed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/sanctification-is-glory-begun-glory-is-sanctification-completed/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [The variant readings about which any doubt remains among textual critics of the New Testament affect no material question of historic fact or of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/the-variant-readings-about-which-any-doubt-remains-among-textual/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [Persistence in prayer for someone whom we don't like, however much it goes against the grain to begin with, brings about a remarkable change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/persistence-in-prayer-for-someone-whom-we-don-t-like-however-much-it/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/there-is-no-body-of-ancient-literature-in-the-world-which-enjoys-such/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [God's peace is joy resting. His joy is peace dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/god-s-peace-is-joy-resting-his-joy-is-peace-dancing/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [God bestows His blessings without discrimination. The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/god-bestows-his-blessings-without-discrimination-the-followers-of/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [Spiritual influence never coincided with material affluence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/spiritual-influence-never-coincided-with-material-affluence/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

> [And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/and-if-the-new-testament-were-a-collection-of-secular-writings-their/)

[F. F. Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

[Explore all 19 F. F. Bruce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

Michael Arnold

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

Robert A. Peterson

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

Stephen Taylor

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

Walsham How

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Any part of the human body can only be explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference to the whole Bible.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "F. F. Bruce"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-explained-in-reference-to-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-explained-in-reference-to-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/f-f-bruce-28956_bible_any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-e_402468.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Any part of the human body can only be explained in reference to the whole body. And any part of the Bible…” — F. F. Bruce",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "F. F. Bruce",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-f-bruce/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Any part of the human body...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-explained-in-reference-to-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-f-bruce/any-part-of-the-human-body-can-only-be-explained-in-reference-to-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
