Understanding The Bible
The Bible is the infallible word of God. It is also the most misunderstood book on earth.
In the Dark Ages, the Bible was chained to pulpits. It was not available to the ordinary man and only a handful of the priests could read. Therefore, the church could and did dictate its meaning. The Bible was a mystery to mankind. Sadly, it still is today.
But the Bible doesn't have to remain a mystery, because it can be understood. The Apostle Peter tells us, in II Peter 1:20,21, that special men were guided by God to write the Bible and that individual interpretations are prohibited. God wrote it, and only God can interpret it. In other words, the Bible interprets itself. God has set forth certain principles in the Scriptures to be used to discern the truth. They are the keys to understanding the Bible. One of these many keys shows which verses are to be taken spiritually as opposed to literally, while another key will show us how to recognize doctrine.
There are hundreds of groups on earth which call themselves Christian, and yet all are teaching different things. Most of them claim to use the same source book -- the Bible. Simple reason says that obviously they cannot all be right. They cannot all have the keys to understanding.
Solomon said, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter" (Prov. 25:2). God has concealed His truth in the pages of the Bible. He could have given it to us in just a few pages, but He chose to hide it away in a large book. The second part of the verse says it is the honor of kings to search it out. Those who study and search out the truth of the Scriptures are the ones who will have honor and a chance to become kings with the Lord Jesus Christ in the future. The Apostle Paul put it this way, ". . . without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).
We encourage you to start searching for Bible truth. The venture is gratifying and the reward is great.