Can We Understand the Bible?
By Kyle Pope
DDesiderius Erasmus |
esiderius Erasmus was the 16th
century Greek scholar who laid the groundwork for the translation of the Bible
into English. In his preface to the 1516 edition of the Greek New Testament he
said that he wished that the Scriptures might be translated into all languages
so that all people “might read and understand them.” A driving motivation of
the Reformation movement and men like Martin Luther and William Tyndale was
expressed in the motto Sola Scriptura - “the Scriptures alone.”
In our
generation we are witnessing an information and scientific “explosion.” We can
understand complexities of nature and technology as never before. We
understand more about the building blocks of life and the material world than
our ancestors did. From the movements of the planets to the chemistry that
fuels the stars, we can chart, formulate and explain their function better than
any generation in human history.
The human
capacity for understanding is remarkable. Simply set a child in front of a
computer or video game and in no time he or she can understand every, trick,
special move and nuance of how to maneuver through complex obstacles and
overcome intricate challenges. Yet, for some reason this same generation who
is capable of understanding so many things has come to believe that we cannot
understand the Bible.
When the
apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, it is clear that he did not intend
for his words to be so complex and mysterious that they could not be understood.
He said that God, “...made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly
written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ)...” (Ephesians 3:3,4, NKJV). The Psalmist wrote, “Your
testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your
words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm
119:129-130).
An Edition of Erasmus' Greek Bible |
What was true
for the Ephesians and for the Psalmist must surely be true for us today. To
imagine otherwise, is to insult God. It is to say that He was incapable of
communicating His word to us in a way that could be understood. It is to
conclude that the God who gave us the capacity to understand so many other
things did not give us the ability to understand His word. On the contrary,
although we must be careful to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15), the Bible was given to us to understand how we should guide our
lives, the church, and all things.
How do we
understand any written document? We first consider what is says. Is the
author giving instructions? Is the author telling a historical narrative or a
parable to draw a moral conclusion? The Bible teaches us in the same way by
its commands, its narratives, and its parables. When we read something we also
consider if the author describes something that happened? We note whether the
things described are positive or negative? The Bible sets for us examples of
individual and church behavior that are divinely approved or condemned. These
approved examples become binding standards for us to practice and also a sure
test of what is sound and unsound. Does the author infer some things, without
spelling them out directly? These inescapable conclusions in a novel, a
mystery, or even in technical writing provide vital information that helps to
complete our understanding of a text. The Bible is no different. Does this
demand caution? Absolutely! Jesus warns against straining out a gnat and
swallowing a camel (Matthew 23:24). Paul commanded not to “strive over
words to no profit” (2 Timothy 2:14). Yet, Paul himself once focused on
the fact that a single word in Old Testament prophecy was singular
rather than plural to show that it pointed to Jesus (Galatians 3:16).
The necessary inferences of Scripture are just as important and binding for us
today.
Perhaps the
real question may not be whether we can understand the Bible, but whether we
are willing to follow what it teaches?
This article first ran in Amarillo
Uptown, September 2007.