How to understand the Bible

(2 Timothy 2:3-7 – How to Understand the Bible)

One of the comments I hear from time to time is that Christians think the Bible is hard to understand. But God wants us to know what He is doing and has done for us to enable us to live with Him. So learning how to understand the Bible is key to finding the knowledge of the truth.

Too many people think that you need a degree in theology to learn how to understand the Bible. But stop and think for a moment. When Jesus came to the earth, did He go to the theologians? Did He reveal His gospel of salvation and truth to the religious leaders of the day?

No, He did not. Jesus went and taught the common folk of His day. And don’t forget that at least four of his disciples were simple fishermen, not masters of theology. The gospel of salvation was given so that the average person on the street could read it and understand it. But there are a few things to learn if you are to learn how to understand the Bible.

How to Understand the Bible – it was given to babes in Christ

In many place we see that it was the will of God for the gospel of salvation to go to the common man. Jesus speaks of such people as “babes” because they know very little, just as a baby knows little. Consider His words that said:

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. (Matthew 11:25-26)

It was those who knew very little of religious matters to whom Christ revealed the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Those who were considered the “wise and understanding,” that is, the educated people of the time, missed out. They missed out because they were proud and arrogant in their understanding. They thought they already knew it all and already had access to the kingdom.

But they were wrong. It was the common folk that Jesus went to. He said He came to call the sinners, and the “wise and understanding” were just as much a sinner as the common people. But they would not accept His words because they were arrogant in their knowledge.

So the first thing to learn in how to understand the Bible, is to be humble. Don’t think for one moment that you know it all. That is pride and pride will cause you to miss the truth.

How to understand the Bible by focusing on the truth

In the verses I am looking at today we see that there is a need for a strong focus on the truth. If you want to learn how to understand the Bible you need to immerse yourself in the Bible. This is what the scripture today says.

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:3-7)

There are a number of lessons in these words that show us how to understand the Bible.

First, we must be prepared to suffer as we follow Christ. We will be persecuted and even hated for taking a stand for Christ. That is a given and it is mentioned in many parts of the scripture. We must learn to stand strong in the Lord. And we can do this by putting on the whole armour of God as described in Ephesians 6, verses 10-18.

The second lesson in these words is not to get distracted. A soldier must be focused on the requirements of his superiors and not be distracted by personal or other matters. When he is on duty, he must be totally focused on being a soldier, and nothing else.

Likewise, as soldiers in the Christian army we too must ensure we are not distracted by the things of this world. And we are “on duty” 24/7. We are always soldiering on in the army of the Lord. Focusing on His will and learning to please Him is crucial and key to winning the battles that lie ahead.

Follow the rules of the Gospel

The lesson in the instructions Paul gave to Timothy are to follow the rules diligently.

Likewise, if you want to learn how to understand the Bible, you too must be diligent and follow the rules.

What are the rules? Quite simply, they are the words of Christ and the teachings in the Bible. Those words are the rules by which we need to live, and they are not hard to understand.

However, there are many teachings in the broad church that do NOT follow the rules. There are false teachings and lies that have been brought into the church that have no foundation in scripture, but are designed to put people under condemnation and control them. They ignore the freedom that we received in Christ Jesus and tell people they are still sinners, even though Christ has taken away your sins. Jesus took your sins, so why do people still say they are sinners? Because they are being taught false doctrines.

But to understand this freedom from sin, you have to follow the rules. You have to learn HOW to be set free from sin and condemnation and WHY it is essential that you are set free. You have to learn the rules of freedom, which Christ gave us in the Bible so that you can be truly free.

But the broad church does not teach these things because if they did, it would pull down their basis of control. However, if YOU want to learn how these and many of the other “rules” work, click the link to check out my free eBook on the Six Foundation Teachings of Jesus Christ.

Work Hard

The last lesson that Paul gives us to help us know how to understand the Bible, is to work hard.

Think about this for a moment. When you go to work each day, you are prepared to work hard to earn an income. Or, if it isn’t money, you are prepared to work hard to earn respect or to gain knowledge, or to climb the corporate ladder, or to simply be the best that you can be. Add think about your hobbies and interests. You work hard to learn and get better at those things because they give you a sense of pride and fulfilment.

Are you just as prepared to work that hard to follow Christ? Are you prepared to put all of your energy into learning and growing as a Christian in the service of the Lord?

We do all of those other things such as work, hobbies, and so on, for personal benefit. But they do not even come close to the benefits we receive as we walk in Christ. And at the end the promise is eternal life, which nothing on this earth can give that even begins to match that promise.

We have to work hard at being a Christian because there are many things that will step in the way to try and stop us. The devil has no desire to let people come to Christ and he will throw every obstacle in the way to try and stop you and I from getting there.

So too, when it comes to how to understand the Bible, the devil has put it into the minds of too many people that it is too hard. He tells you that you can’t understand the Bible unless you have a degree in theology. He tells you that only a few who do get their degrees of divinity or theology are the ones who can interpret the secret mysteries of the Bible.

The devil wants you to be kept in the dark because it serves his purposes for condemnation and control.

But God has given us the Holy Spirit and He will give the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who seek this gift. He gives us this gift for the express purpose of teaching us and opening our hearts and minds to be able to understand the Bible. This too is one of the “rules” that you can read about in the Six Foundations eBook suggests earlier.

God wants you to know what He is doing. He wants you to understand His will and His ways. And He wants you to come to Him, and to that end He has made it easy to understand the Bible, when you follow the rules and guidelines. When you put it all together, it ain’t rocket science! But it leads to life.

The Bible is simple because it was written for simple people to understand it. The confusion that exists today is because the “wise and understanding” who have missed the point, have made it appear more complex than it is. And the only purpose that serves is the devil’s purpose.

How to understand the Bible – Think about it

The final point Paul makes is for us to think over what He is saying and the Lord will grant you understanding. When you read the Bible, don’t read it like a novel. Take it a piece at a time and think about the words you are reading. Try to see how they fit with other parts of the Bible because it ALL holds together. There is no contradiction in the doctrines of the truth and when you seek the truth according to the “rules” God has promised you will find it.

So think about it and fill your hearts and mind with the words of the Lord in the Bible. God will help you put it into perspective as you grow and read more. Then you will understand and know how to understand the Bible.

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