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).