Understand the Bible

Sometime people have trouble understanding the Bible, so what should those people do?

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: I started reading the Bible during my summer vacation, but I got bogged down after a few days and finally just gave up. I know it would probably help me, but how can I understand it? — M.N.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess MN has the King James version. While I didn't find it's translation hard to read and understand, it is a complaint I have heard from others.

God gave the Bible to us –and I can assure you He wants us to understand it!

If that's the case, you would think that he would have done a better job. The all-powerful creator of everything decided the best way to communicate with us was trough a poorly written book that has been translated into many different versions that sometimes actually change what verses are actually saying? That is hardly impressive and pulls God's supposed omnipotence and omniscience into
serious question.

Through the Bible, we not only learn about God, but we also discover how He wants us to live and what He wants to do in our lives.

He leaves the Bible to tell about himself, yet leaves no evidence to solve the problem of any future doubters? And why in the world do so many people act like we need to be told how to live our lives and what to do with them? What's wrong with some freedom, and personal responsibility?

Can you think of anything more important?

Well, yeah... Like a cheap, easy and instant solution to climate change for starters.

How can you discover the Bible’s treasures for yourself? Let me make three brief suggestions. First, read it prayerfully.

Prayerfully? What does that even mean? I suppose MN is supposed to pray while reading and that is supposed to suddenly bring the words into focus?

Second, read it intelligently.

Um, but reading the Bible straight through with an open mind has a habit of actually turning people away from faith rather than toward it. I know that I found actually reading the Bible to be an eye-opening experience... and not in a good way.

Christ is the center of the Bible’s message, and rather than start at the beginning of the Bible, I suggest you first read through one of the Gospels (I recommend John).

There's the tried and true apologist Bible reading tactic! Tell them to read the New Testament since it has a lot less horrors in it's pages than the Old Testament. They know that they'll probably get tired of reading even before they finish reading the NT and will never finish it, let alone the OT. This limits the reader actually reading the many horrors, absurdities, and outright errors in the Bible and realizing that it's just as mythical as every other holy book that preceded it.


-Brain Hulk

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