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Why the Bible is Hard to Understand
| Many people start to
read the bible and find it interesting up through the description of
the Flood and then find that it bogs down with Abraham. However, it
really gets boring with Leviticus. This is because many expect it to
read as a gripping fictional best seller. Sadly, this is not a work of
fiction, but a description of what real people said and did. One might
hope that it would read like a technical manual giving a description of
the nuts and bolts of human existence so that we could understand the
details of why things work the way that they do.
One might think that even though the bible was not written to be
entertaining or as an assembly manual, it might read like a newspaper
with the description of what, when, where, how, who, and why. However,
here, while close in many cases, the bible is not as informative as we
might hope. There are two main reasons for this.
The first reason is that there is a pre-condition called “being of the
truth” (John 18:37) that needs to be met to find greater clarity. The
person for whom feeling good is his highest goal will not find much in
the bible that satisfies that desire unless he twists things to fit
what he wants. The person for whom truth is essential even at the price
of not feeling good, there can be satisfaction in progressively seeing
pieces of the puzzle of life slowly begin to fit together.
The second reason is that there are barriers designed to sideline those
whose character is deficient. For example, someone seeking to fight
over a point of doctrine can pick a verse or two and blind themselves
to deeper understanding. There can be those like the Pharisees who
desire to show off their piety and self-righteousness that become
similarly blind. Jesus spoke in parables so that those who were not
entitled, could not understand (Matt 13:11). It would seem strange that
information and explanations would be hidden, but an illustration of
“pearls before swine is used (Matt 7:6).
Paul writes Timothy to deal with those who are contentious with
gentleness that the Lord might give them repentance and they might
escape the snare of the devil by a knowledge of truth. (2Tim 2:24-26).
There are many people held captive in snares of vanity, pride,
self-righteousness, and other fleshly foibles. Their captivity inhibits
their ability to understand and dig into the deeper things the bible
would teach. It is interesting that the path out of a snare as well as
the path to deeper understanding is the path of truth.
The bible calls four things truth, God the Father, God the Son, God,
the Holy Spirit, and the word of God (the bible itself). Truth is an
absolute and unchangeable description of reality. If we can see
ourselves in truth, we can only come to humility. Most people prefer to
avoid truth in favor of feeling comfortable. If we approach the bible
with a view to making something fit, it may reflect a low view of
truth. If we approach the bible with a view of what can we learn by
questioning, comparing, hypothesizing, we can allow ourselves to be
open to the effect truth can have on us. Clarity can be useful. For
example trying to make what was told to Israel for their purposes apply
to us today can be frustrating. While keeping distinct what was for
Israel with the earthly kingdom gospel from what was for gentiles with
the gospel of grace can give a perspective that aids in understanding.
Most people do not understand the bible because they are interested in other things. |
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