Two Minutes With the Bible
Daily Devotional for January 6
THE BIBLE A CONFUSING BOOK?
By Cornelius R. Stam
We ran across an article recently, entitled: "Yes, the
Bible is a Confusing Book."
The article did not even attempt to dispel this "confusion," or in any way help its readers to understand the
Bible. It did not suggest even one basic rule of interpretation. Nor did it explain why the Lord Jesus Christ and the
apostles constantly exhorted men to study the Bible.
The Bible is indeed a very large Book, so that the greatest of us will never understand it all. Moreover, it is God's
Book and must necessarily contain much that is "hard to
understand." But this makes it the greater challenge to the
believing heart to seek divine aid in exploring its depths
and the greater joy when precious stones are brought up
from this exhaustless mine.
God does not reward lazy and indifferent Christians with
light from His Word, but confusion invariably vanishes as
we prayerfully obey His command:
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"
(II Tim. 2:15).
In studying the Bible there are basic distinctions to be
observed; e.g., between the twelve apostles and Paul, the
apostle for this age; between the "gospel of the kingdom"
and the gospel for our day: the "gospel of the grace of God,"
etc., but meantime there are many passages of Scripture so
plain and simple that a child can understand them and no
theologian can explain them away. For example, in John
3:35,36, we read:
"THE FATHER LOVETH THE SON, AND HATH GIVEN ALL THINGS INTO HIS HAND.
"HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him."
At the other end from the spiritual poverty experienced
by those who deem the Bible "a confusing Book," we have
what St. Paul, by divine inspiration, calls "all [the] riches
of the full assurance of understanding" (Col. 2:2).