OceanSide church of Christ
Previous | Return to list of articles | Next |
CAN
WE UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE ALIKE?
Wayne
Jackson
http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/225-can-we-understand-the-bible-alike
Recently a preacher raised the question: “Can we all understand the Bible
alike?” He declared that we cannot, and asserted that those who believe that we
can are simply entertaining an ignorant viewpoint.
These statements contain a logical contradiction. There is no such thing
as “understanding the Bible differently.” If two people differ on the meaning of
a biblical text, one of them is wrong about the matter—possibly both. We might
misunderstand something differently, but we do not understand something
differently. Moreover, a passage
does not yield two different interpretations; somewhere, there is
misinterpretation.
A recipe is printed on a cereal box for oat bran muffins. Hundreds of
ladies across the country follow it and bake delicious muffins for their
families. Do they understand the instructions alike? A physician prescribes a medication. Do
we believe that the pharmacist will understand what the doctor has prescribed,
and are we confident that we can understand the instructions for taking the
medicine?
If we can sensibly operate our lives on a routine basis, recognizing that
we are able to communicate with one another in an intelligible fashion, why
can’t we acknowledge that God, who is infinitely wiser and abler than man, can
clearly make his will known to humanity?
If one suggests that Jehovah could not clearly make himself known to man,
he reflects upon the power of the Lord. If one argues that God purposely did not
reveal himself to mankind in a lucid fashion, he reflects upon the benevolence
of his maker. If one contends that man has no responsibility to understand and
obey the precepts of the Scriptures, it is he who evidences great ignorance of
his obligation to Heaven.
Christ
declared that man shall not live by bread alone, but “by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). If spiritual life is only to
be found in the words from God, does it not stand to reason that humanity is
capable of understanding that message?
When
Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for their error concerning the resurrection of the
human body, he charged that a part of their problem was that they were ignorant
of the Scriptures (Matthew 22:29). Does this not presuppose that had they been
good students of the Old Testament they could have uniformly known that there
was to be a resurrection of the body?
Though
none of us was alive to witness the first-century miracles performed by the Lord
Jesus, the history of those events was written down in order that we might
believe those signs which documented the Master’s claim of deity (see John
20:30-31). Can we believe the biblical narratives regarding Christ’s deeds and
confidently have a united understanding that he is the Son of God? If not, of
what value is the New Testament?
Of
the early church it is said: “And the multitude of them that believed were of
one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). How could such a statement possibly be made
unless those early saints were capable of agreeing upon the apostolic
instruction?
The
citizens of the city of Berea were considered to be nobler than those of
Thessalonica, because they received the word of God with all readiness of mind,
examining the Scriptures daily to determine the accuracy of what they were being
taught (see Acts 17:11). Does this affirmation not imply that these inquirers
were able to draw harmonious conclusions about the word of
God?
The
Christians in
In
the New Testament epistles, the churches are constantly admonished to “speak the
same thing,” to be free from divisions, and to “be perfected together in the
same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10; cf. Philippians 2:2).
How can we possibly take this instruction seriously if we are incapable of
understanding the Bible alike?
The
apostle Paul plainly declared that by reading the message which he wrote, we
would be able to perceive his understanding of the gospel of Christ (see
Ephesians 3:1-7). He thus subsequently charges: “Wherefore be ye not foolish but
understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
The
inspired Scriptures are said to be profitable “for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may
be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If
we do not have the ability to understand the Scriptures, how can the holy
writings profit us in the aforementioned categories?
Can
we understand the Bible? Of course we can. Can we understand it alike? Why
not?
If
we can understand that 2 + 2 = 4, if we can understand that fifty-five miles per
hour means just that, then we can understand, “He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). We can understand that there is “one body”
(Ephesians 4:4), and that that body is the church (Colossians 1:18). We can
further know that salvation is in that body (Ephesians 5:23), and outside of
that body no redemption is to be found (2 Timothy 2:10).
The problem with those who contend that men cannot agree upon the
Scripture’s teaching is simply this: they are seeking a way to justify
error!