As we look at the Bible, we often assume that only the most educated theologian, preacher, pastor, or priest can understand the Bible. We seem to think that the Bible is written in a foreign language. While it was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, it has been translated into modern English. When we come to interpret the Bible, we must start seeing it as a normal book. Now the Bible is in no way just another book, but in order to understand it, we must see it as written in common English. There are few occasions in which understanding common English will not help, but we will get to those as we go along. We must stop assuming that we cannot understand the Bible. For the most part, if you can understand the contents of a newspaper article, then you can learn to understand the Bible. We have to read the Bible as it is translated into plain English.
First, God’s word reveals that the Lord expects us to understand the Bible. Jesus often asked, regarding spiritual concepts, “Do you not understand?” He was surprised by the lack of understanding, because he truly expected us to understand (Matthew 16:11, Mark 4:13, John 10:38). In planning to preach, Paul had every intention that people would understand the gospel by saying “and they who have not heard shall understand” (Romans 15:21). The writers of the Bible wanted us to understand it. Paul said, “I hope you will understand until the end” (2 Corinthians 1:13). Peter pointed out that the Bible was made clear to us by stating that “we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” Paul revealed that his focus in ministry was to give us understanding by saying that he ministered so “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery” (Colossians 2:2). Even one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to give “us understanding so that we may know Him who is true” (1 John 5:20).
Next, we are expected to understand God’s word to the point of being teachers. It says in the book of Hebrews, that “by this time you ought to be teachers” (Hebrews 5:12). Timothy was told to be “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Lest we think that Paul meant this comment only for Timothy or for pastors: remember that he also told Timothy to be an “example of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:12). Pastors were told to live a certain way in order to be examples for how all believers were to live. Pastors are to grow to the point of “accurately handling the word of truth” and so should we.
Obviously, there are some barriers that keep us from understanding the Bible. One barrier is when we don’t seek the Lord’s help for understanding. We must understand that it is “the Lord [who] give[s] you discretion and understanding” (1 Chronicles 22:12) and Jesus who opens “minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). It is always a good idea to ask the Lord to help you to understand the Bible. A second barrier is when we don’t work past things that are difficult to understand. We may notice that Peter pointed out about Paul’s writings that they are sometimes “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). However, he did not mean that we weren’t capable of understanding, but that we should still try to understand. Peter pointed out that in these writings, some false teachers try to distort the meaning, but we are expected to not be “carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17). In fact, we are expected to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). If you encounter things that are difficult to understand, do not give up. In later lessons we will discuss how to handle things that are hard to understand. A third barrier is having a heart that is not surrendered to God. Speaking in terms of the heart being soil, Jesus said that “the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it” (Matthew 13:23).
Since God desires understanding from us, we start the process by drawing near to Christ, working past our barriers, and surrendering our hearts to Him. It’s when we stop assuming we cannot understand God’s word that we begin our journey to understanding it plainly.
