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It has long troubled people that not everyone sees the Bible alike. The Bible's message is one. It is a universal message for all of humanity. Correctly understood, it will yield the same lessons for all men everywhere. But the fact remains that there are great differences in how people understand the Bible. Why?
* Everyone comes to the Bible from his family's religious background. He may have been raised in a Catholic or a Baptist home. It may have been a Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist family. He may have been raised in a family of unbelievers who mocked and ridiculed the Bible. If he is fortunate, he was raised in a godly Christian home. These past impressions will be with him as he opens God's book. They will shape his thinking and the meanings he attaches to certain words and concepts. In many cases they will be obstacles he must overcome.
* Everyone comes to the Bible with some prior religious teaching. This will be more than just having a Catholic or Muslim family. He might have attended a particular kind of church or received instruction in a non-Christian religion. This may have been received from listening to radio or television teaching, from literature he has read or in a school where he was educated. The ideas he first received will be either true, false or a blend of the two. Such fallacious ideas must be overcome before he will correctly understand God's Word.
* Everyone lives in a particular cultural/religious environment. A man raised in China will be greatly influenced by the government's militant atheism and the Buddhism of his society. The person raised in India will be exposed to Hinduism from his earliest days. In Saudi Arabia the culture and religion will be Islamic. In Poland it will be Catholic and in Eastern Europe, the Orthodox faith. Whatever his culture may be, it will greatly influence his religious thoughts and values. It will be as though he reads the Bible through glasses tinted by his culture.
* A person's education will affect the way he understands the Bible. The man with little or no education will have a difficult time understanding any serious literature, including the Bible. The person with a great deal of higher education may be filled with pride and thus find it hard to take the Bible seriously. The person who does not read or comprehend well will have a difficult time correctly understanding the Scripture. Some education is tainted with skepticism and is a channel for instilling belief in godless evolution. The recipient of such education will have a hard time accepting much that he reads in the Bible.
* Without a logical approach to one's reading he will fail to understand the Bible. Inspired writers set forth their facts and information. From them they drew their conclusions. In the New Testament this is most evident in the writings of Paul. The conclusion of a proposition may not be reached until the entire chapter has been read. We must be able to glean related information from other books and verses if we are to understand the Book.
* The prior belief and attitude the student holds regarding the Bible will influence his understanding. If he sees it only as a collection of myths and legends he will not understand it. If he thinks of it only as a love-letter from God he will miss its meaning. If he sees it only as a book of maxims and good advice he will fail to grasp its message.
* Without a proper method of study one cannot understand the Bible as God intended. Reading only one's favorite passage will leave a person with an incomplete view of the Bible. Skipping from page to page will not yield a meaningful understanding. Starting with the most difficult books will not result in correct knowledge. Rushing through the text without serious study cannot produce understanding. Failing to understand the difference in the Old and New Covenants will lead to confusion. Not recognizing and understanding the figurative and symbolic language of the sacred writers will led confound the readers efforts.
* Without diligent study one will never understand the Bible. This is the book of God. It is humanity's greatest literary treasure. It was 1600 years or so in making. It cannot be understood by skimming or speed reading. Only sustained, serious study and research will yield the desired results of Bible knowledge.
* To understand the Bible there must be a willingness to accept that which is found therein. Many folks have a difficult time accepting that which is new and different to them. Things that challenge their long-held views are rejected. The Bible speaks of the converts in Berea who received Paul's teaching with all readiness of mind (Acts 17:11). When a new truth is found the old ideas that are contrary to that must be discarded. This some find difficult to do.
None of these disabilities are permanent or indelible. They must and can be overcome. Across the ages, millions have successfully done so. Let every person who wants to live in heaven search the Scriptures daily. Let him apply himself with diligence to the wonderful words of inspiration that are able to save his soul (Jas. 1:21). The will yield to him the peaceable fruits of salvation.
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