Articles
The Bible: For Experts Or Laymen
People of all backgrounds tend to look at the Bible differently than they look at any other literary work. Some unacquainted with the Bible will never seriously consider it, for they think it is a book reserved for intellectuals and theologians. Some reasons for this attitude: 1) Perhaps they have tried to read it and found it confusing; 2) maybe it is just a smokescreen to avoid dealing with the Bible's moral demands; or 3) they may think that persistent disagreement over the Bible means it is complicated and thus the domain of the learned.
The other extreme, sometimes voiced by believers, is that the Bible is so simple as to require little thought. God has communicated in the most simplistic fashion possible, and they take great offense at references to the Greek or Hebrew language, study helps such as Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, or classes and sermons that challenge the mind. One dear brother used to say, “If you put it down where the calves can get it, the cows can get it, too.”
This, however, seems to ignore the words of the Bible itself: “Our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has written to you, as also in all of his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand” (II Pet. 3:15-16). Deliberate efforts to dumb down Bible teaching are unrealistic and born of fear.
One writer observes: “The extreme position of exaggerated simplicity fails to read the Bible correctly precisely because it ignores some of the most important things that are necessary for understanding the Bible – things like context, the world in which biblical characters lived, and what their words meant. You cannot read the Bible accurately if you are going to ignore those things.
"It is more than a matter of simple ‘common sense.’ We are dealing with a story that happened over 2,000 years ago, in a different land, among people who spoke a different language than us, and whose culture was different from ours. This means that we ought to know something about those things if we are going to understand the story accurately and correctly” (David McClister, “The Key to Reading The Bible Profitably,” Biblical Insights, June 2012, p. 13).
McClister continues: “The other extreme of exaggerated complexity fails to understand the Bible as well. I cannot tell you how many so-called experts have produced the goofiest, dumbest ideas about the Bible because they have become so wrapped up in their theoretical discussions that they have completely lost sight of reality. Extreme approaches rarely yield good results. This is true in many things, including Bible study” (ibid).
The message of God to mankind was not couched in dark, mysterious language aimed at the intellectually brilliant or certain “initiated” ones. The truths of God’s forgiveness, His grace and patience, but also coming judgment and our eternal fate – these are to be understood and acted upon by every person of normal mental capacity.
Is learning about these things effortless? Let me ask, “Just what kind of learning is effortless?!” None that I know of, because processes of the mind that comprehend, store and utilize information are the same whether learning medical procedures or Bible history and precepts.
But there is one very important key to grasping what God is trying to say to us, and it isn’t raw intellect. It has more to do with the willingness to listen to our Creator and the dedication to complying with what we learn from Him.
When Samuel was little and being raised in the house of Eli, God spoke to him one night. Samuel had not heard such a voice before, and he thought Eli was calling him from another room. “Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears”’” (I Sam. 3:9).
And so Samuel did, and when the Lord spoke again Samuel was ready. However, what God revealed to Samuel was bad news for Eli, for God spoke words of judgment against His unfaithful priest and his sons. The next morning, when Eli asked Samuel about the message from God, Samuel told him the truth (3:17-18).
We must approach the written word with the same spirit. Our hearts must be open to God’s truth, and we must determine to live that truth. Embrace the cultures, languages, history and settings of the Bible. Accept that God’s revelation is for you personally. Your genuine interest will open up new vistas of insight and meaning that you have never seen before.
