Understanding the Bible

There is a wisdom that goes beyond all human understanding and yet it is meant for all human kind. It is wisdom that is ageless and eternal. It will never be outdated. This wisdom is contained in a book called the Bible or in other words "the book". This book contains the revealed mind of God or in other words the "Word of God".

The Bible clearly declares itself as the "Word of God". 2 Timothy 3:16-17; All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:19-21; And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

God’s "Word" is to be understood as his alone. He leaves no place for any person’s own interpretation. And yet the Bible is meant to be understood by every person. It is God’s will that every person should search for the truth about life’s most important questions and for every person to fully understand their meaning. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 ; For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Either a person understands God’s revelation of his Word as God meant for them to believe or that person is in error if he interprets it any other way than God’s original purpose. God even promises that if a person truly wants to know the truth, God offers to guide them. James 1:5; If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

A person who reads God’s Word with the desire to find support for his own preconceived beliefs will be unable to find the truth. He is erecting barriers to God’s will. God’s wisdom also requires guidance from his Holy Spirit. A person with a truly open mind to God’s wisdom will find a generous help from the Lord. A person following his own preconceived beliefs is not following God. He is following his own will. It is a recipe for disaster. Mark 7:6-9 ; He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

God knows our hearts and has said He will hold us accountable according to his Word.
John 12:46-48; I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

There have been many attempts by men to add additional books to the Bible but none have withstood the tests as outlined in the Bible to authenticate those books as having been authored and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately many sincere people have been led astray because they failed to search for the truth as if it were of the greatest importance. Jeremiah 29:12-14; Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity;

Books that were known to be inspired by the Holy Spirit were written by an author whose work was accompanied by signs and miracles. Mark 16:20; And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.The inspired Word of God has always been accompanied by signs and wonders which provide the confirmation that the Word was God’s alone.

There are other tests which can also be applied to determine whether or not a writing is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Many of the Books of the New Testament referenced other Christians as inspired authors. Peter the Apostle mentions Paul the Apostle as an inspired author. 2 Peter 3:15-16; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. The Gospel records of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record the twelve disciples of Jesus of which eleven disciples became the first Apostles of Christ. Several of the Apostles, namely Peter and John who later wrote inspired letters to the church. The half brothers of Jesus Christ, James and Jude are also mentioned in the Gospel records. Both men wrote inspired letters which are included as part of the New Testament.

It is important to understand the Word of God in the proper context in which it is being used. Often the surrounding text will explain how general or specific a particular verse of scripture can be applied to understand the verse in the proper context. Let us use God’s direction to Noah to build an Ark as one example. Genesis 6:13-15; And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. "And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

Note in verse 14 that God’s direction to Noah specifically is to “make yourself an Ark”. The direction is specific to Noah and no one else. This can be determined by the surrounding text as well as within that verse. Next God is telling Noah how to make the Ark. God did not leave this up to Noah. He told him what kind of wood from which to make it and its dimensions as well as other specific directions. It is very specific instructions. Had Noah chosen to build it differently it would have been disobedience or sin. It is also very probable the Ark would not have survived through the flood had Noah chosen to build the Ark by his own direction. Modern ship builders have confirmed that the proportions for the Ark’s length, width and height have proven to be the perfect proportion of dimensions for a ship to be seaworthy.

Let us now look at a more generic direction from Paul the Apostle given to the church at Corinth and by inference also applicable to all churches. 1 Corinthians 11:18; For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

1 Corinthians 11:23-24; For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." While in the original context as explained in the Gospel records these words may have appeared to be specific to Jesus’ original disciples during the last supper. Paul is now clearly extending this teaching to all churches in general. Note in verse 26 the “you” is not any one specific person but Paul is saying “you all”. 1 Corinthians 11:26; For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. This is also supported by several additional verses following these verses. For brevity sake these verses have not been included.

There is also a test of reasonability of the teachings contained in Scripture. Later writings should not violate previously established teachings of the New Testament. An example would be the Koran of Islam in which bans on the eating of pork were re-established when the New Testament declared all foods clean to eat. Mark 7:18-19; So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"

Another example would be the Book of Mormon in which the practice of polygamy was re-established after the New Testament of Christ declared it was not God’s intention for Christians to ever practice polygamy. Matthew 19:4-6; And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female,' and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. On July 12, 1843, Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, Ill., made the following so called "revelation" concerning polygamy which was supposedly given by the Lord:

For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant [polygamy]; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my [Lord's] glory (Doctrine and Covenants 132:4).

This supposedly new revelation was in direct contradiction to what is taught by Jesus in the New Testament. In fact Jesus said polygamy was never meant to be from the very beginning of creation. God never contradicts Himself.

There are three significant periods of time that are described in the Bible. The first period of time is often called the patriarchal period. It is the period of man’s history when God spoke directly to the heads of families or the patriarchs. This period of time extends from the creation of Adam to when God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. This period of time is written about in the Books of Genesis and part of Exodus.

The second significant period of time in the Bible is the time when the Old Testament Law and the writings of the Prophets guided the nation of Israel. This period of time began with God giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 20. This period ended with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross on Mount Calvary. The Old Testament applied to Israelites exclusively as God’s chosen nation. This period of time is written of in the Books of Exodus through Malachi. The remainder of mankind during this same period was bound by a continuation of God’s moral laws as they applied during the patriarchal period.

The New Testament of Jesus Christ covers the third and last significant period of time in the Bible. It began with Jesus’ death and his resurrection from the cross and will end when Jesus returns to gather the Christians who are at rest in Christ and those Christians who are still alive on the last day before judgment day. Mark 13:26-27; Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. This period of time is often spoken of as the last days in the Bible. This is a reference to last great period of time in the Bible before Christ returns and not as some assume that this is a reference to a short period of time at the very end of time. Act 2:17; "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

The four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are listed as the beginning of the New Testament. The four Gospels detail the life and ministry of Jesus Christ until his death and resurrection. Even though the Bible refers to the four Gospels as being part of the New Testament Jesus Christ lived his entire life under the Old Testament Law. As Jesus himself said he came to fulfill or to complete the Law. He did that perfectly by living his entire life without sin. Matthew 5:17; Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. It was Jesus intention to explain the essence of the New Testament through his life and ministry. But Jesus repeatedly gave instruction and practiced the Old Testament law during his life. As in the example he directed his disciples to observe the Passover feast which was established in the Old Testament. Matthew 26:18; And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, "The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples. The writer of the Hebrews letter provides the clearest explanation of the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Hebrews 9: 15-18; And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. The Old Testament was no longer the governing will of God once the New Testament was placed into force by Jesus’ death on the cross. Hebrews 8:13; In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The New Testament is now the governing will of God. It applies to all Christians today.
The beginning of this last great period of time was declared as having begun in the second chapter of the books of Acts on the day of Pentecost. This occurred shortly after Jesus was resurrected and then returned to Heaven. The New Testament became effective and applied to all mankind as our guide for living. The remainder of the New Testament continues in the Book of Acts through the Book of Revelation.

The Old Testament was meant to help us understand how God relates to mankind. God has a moral nature. He is unable to tolerate sin or disobedience. The Old Testament clearly explains this attribute of God. Yet, God is also very merciful. Both natures are fully present in God. God recognized our inability to resist sin before Adam and Eve’s first transgression. Yet, God expects us to make a willful choice between desiring to stay in sin or choosing to follow his Son Jesus Christ even though we cannot follow Him perfectly. God wants us to recognize how we should have lived our lives while we wait for Him to be merciful to us on judgment day. This is called walking by faith. It is basically trusting in God’s promise to redeem us by the blood of Jesus Christ who did live a perfect life. We are trusting in God’s promise to accept the blood of Christ as full payment for our sins. Galatians 3:24; Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

God has always provided mankind directions for acceptable worship. In the Old Testament God provided very specific directions for the Israelites to worship God in an acceptable manner. God provided very detailed directions to Israel to make the first tabernacle for worshipping God in Exodus chapters 39 and 40. Israel then was given their directions for worship in the 27 chapters of the book of Leviticus. In the book of Leviticus we see one of the first examples of unacceptable worship to God. Leviticus 10:1-3; Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.' "So Aaron held his peace. In this example Nadab and Abihu were priests who had given specific instruction from God were to obtain the fire for the burning of incense. They decided to ignore God’s instructions and obtained it elsewhere. They did not take God seriously and they paid the price for their unfaithfulness. Jesus reiterates this principle in the New Testament by condemning the Pharisees for their lack of adherence to God’s law and keeping their own self imposed commandments. Mark 7:6-9 ; He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Many “Christian denominations” still use the Old Testament as authority for worshipping God when God has clearly said the Old Testament is obsolete. Hebrews 8:13; In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. The New Testament is the only existing authority given by God in which it authorizes acceptable worship.

The original text of the Bible was written basically in two languages. The Old Testament which was primarily meant for the nation of Israel, was written in Hebrew, the language of Israel. The New Testament was written in the Greek language. One might wonder why wouldn’t the New Testament have also been written in Hebrew since most of the original disciples of Jesus were Jews. God’s wisdom is many times greater than we might understand but consider the following explanation. The Greek language was the language of the common man. It would take no Hebrew scholars to read and explain the original text. The Greek language was also more specific and descriptive than the Hebrew language or Aramaic a derivative of the Hebrew language. Take for example the English word “love”. There are five variations in the Greek language. When an important teaching was being described in God’s word, the Holy Spirit could make it very clear what God meant. If God expects us to live by his word then He made it so it could be understood. John 12:46-48; I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. There is one additional reason to believe that God chose to use the Greek language as the base language of the New Testament. By using the Greek language as the basis for the New Testament it very clearly removed any remaining preference the Jews may have associated with them originally being God’s chosen race. God clearly explains in the New Testament he is not preferential of any person and all people are equal in his eyes. Acts 10: 34-35; Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

There is a third language that appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament only in a very few places and in very small sections of text. That language is Aramaic. As explained before Aramaic is a derivative of the Hebrew language and probably was not used by God for any significant portion of the New Testament as the base language for the same reasons as are listed for the Hebrew language.

Today the entire Bible encompassing both the Old and New Testaments has been translated into just about every language on earth. God always meant for every person on earth to have direct access to his Word. With this great access to God’s Word comes responsibility. There is personal responsibility on the part of every person to read and understand his Word. Under the Old Testament God used Moses and the Levitical Priesthood to teach Israel his Word. Today every person is personally responsible to read and understand God’s Word. God even cautions us to not just accept another man’s explanation for God’s Word. Act 17:10-11; Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

This brings us to a very important principle in understanding the inspired word of God. It is always necessary to understand some important teaching by the clear statements describing the teaching. If there seems to be some conflict within God’s word one should not try to use “human logic” solely or some unclear or obscure reference elsewhere in the Bible to discount a clear statement in the scriptures. God’s word is always logical but human logic alone should never be used to contradict clear statements in the Bible. After all what logical person would ever expect God to have sacrificed his Son for their sins. God always intended for us to be able to understand his word clearly. Teachings for such important subjects as what is necessary for a person to be forgiven of sin is covered in multiple places in the Bible and each statement regarding that subject is meant to be clear and supports other statements on that subject. There are no real conflicts in God’s word only individuals who have not found the complete truth as they study his Word.
Isaiah 55:8; "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. Important subjects explained in the Bible are usually covered in several different books of the Bible. One should not assume that one statement on any particular subject is the complete explanation of that subject.

God expects us to follow his teachings. If you rely on someone else’s understanding to explain away clear statements in the Bible you are no longer following God but the individual or individuals in which you have placed your trust. God warns us that there will be many who will try to deceive us. Matthew 24:11; 11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Even though the individual you may be trusting to teach you is sincere he may have not taken God’s expectation of personal responsibility seriously enough to correctly understand God’s Word. 1 Timothy 4:15-16; Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Many people now believe certain Christian teachings are acceptable because the great majority of the “Christian world” believes that teaching. Unfortunately being in the majority was never an example of why someone show follow a set of teachings. In truth the very opposite is true. Let us look at several examples in both the Old and New Testament. When Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt and Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years only two Israelites which had originally left Egypt, Joshua and Caleb were found to be faithful enough to be allowed to enter the promised land. Deuteronomy 1:35-38; "Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.' The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, "Even you shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. It has been estimated that the nation of Israel when they escaped from Egypt was over 1 million people. They all fell in the desert because of their disobedience to the Lord. Only their descendants were allowed to enter the land of Caanan. The prophet Elijah believed he was the only faithful one left in Israel when God explained there were 7000 Israelites who had remained faithful to the Lord. Romans 11:3-4; "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." (Old Testament reference 1 Kings 19: 17-18). And yet since Israel was God’s chosen nation, you might have expected many more in Israel to have remained faithful to God. Matthew 7:13-14; "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

When God sent his Son Jesus to live, minister and die for the nation of Israel (and all human kind) the majority of the Jews would not accept Jesus as the Christ. In general only the a few poor, uneducated, and common people were open minded enough to accept Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. The majority of the nation of Israel was caught up in the religious traditions taught by the Pharisees and Sadducees. In many ways these Jewish sects resemble today’s Christian denominations. John 5: 43; I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

Are you a truth seeker? Can you study God’s Word without preconceived beliefs to cause you to go to God’s Word to look for Scriptures to support what you already believe? If your answer is yes, then God will lead you to the truth and you shall be free indeed. John 8:31-32; Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

All references are from the New King James version of the Bible. ©1982.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. Romans 16:16.

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