foolishness

Topic: Apologetics

Type: Article

Author: Foolishness

Frequently I hear people say, "I don’t read the Bible because I can’t understand it." They pretend to be making a profound statement. However, they are either deceiving themselves or just plain lying because they do not want to read it. It is not that they cannot understand the words. The problem is that they do not want to face the message which the words so plainly teach. Some churches, in order to keep their people in bondage to their ungodly systems, teach that you need a teacher to interpret the Bible to you. They are saying you are too dumb to understand it for yourself! This is cruel and wicked. Many tell us that the book of Romans is "deep". Indeed it talks about serious matters. However, let us remember that Paul was just writing to ordinary people, in an ordinary place. He wrote in the language of the day and they thoroughly understood it and he expected them to understand his message. Yes, we can understand the Bible without some "wise" preacher or church to tell us what it means. It means what it says. Just read it and accept it in the ordinary or normal meaning of language.

The Bible was written that ordinary men might understand it. John 20:31 says: these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. Yes, there are some things in the Bible that are difficult to understand and you and I will never understand many things until we see Jesus. I am a high school graduate. Now if in grade eight I had said to my teacher "I don’t understand this algebra book so I’m not going to read it," I would never have even entered high school, let alone graduate from it. Only the Lord and I know how hard it was for me to find any sense in those a, b, c’s and x, y, z’s. But with a little work they did finally begin to make some sense. Much of the Bible is very plain yet, there are some things difficult to be understood. Some, alas, twist the meaning of the Bible to their own destruction [2PE 3:16].

Difficult to understand? You can take the simplest and best known Scripture--John 3:16 for example--and there are things even here that I cannot fully understand or explain. But I sure have no trouble getting the main point--believe on Him and I will have everlasting life OR refuse Him and I will perish. I cannot understand His love, and especially, why He should love a sinner such as I. But thanks be to God, one day He drew me to Himself and I did believe. I have everlasting life.

What is the problem then, with those who say they cannot understand the Bible? The answer is very simple. It is not that they cannot understand what is written. It is not that the Modernist cannot understand the language. It is not that the poor lost sinner does not understand the words of life. The problem is that they reject God, the author. It is not that they do not understand what He says, but, that they do not want to do what He says. He wrote the Ten Commandments and the problem with them is certainly not that men do not understand what they mean, but they do not want to keep them. They do not want to acknowledge that there is a God in Heaven looking down and telling them how to live. When you reject God, the author of the Bible, it is not that you do not understand what He has written, but you refuse to ACCEPT what He has plainly revealed. For the preaching of the cross is to those who perish, foolishness but unto we who are saved it is the power of God [1CO 1:18]. To truly understand the Bible then, you must first become a child of God by accepting Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior.