Bible Complexity
by Dave Brown
Be sure to see the "Can We Understand the Bible" landing page.
Is the Bible Too Complex for the Common Person to Understand? If you believe that it is, you will never understand it. If you believe you can understand it, and do your best to see it in the spiritual light in which it was written, you will be able to understand it. But what about those admittedly complex parts of the bible? This article deals with both the simple and the complex.
We often hear the statement: “The Bible is just too complicated to understand.” Now we are not questioning the sincerity of those who might make this statement (perhaps some of our readers have). But if you had as your objective to keep people from questioning your teachings, what better way of discouraging them from thinking for themselves. The teaching gives people an excuse for their failure so dig in and seek after God (Hebrews 11:6). It really does not matter the intent, this statement is patently false as we will now demonstrate.
Bible complexity is an interesting subject. On the one hand, the myth that the Bible is too complex to understand is destroyed by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:3-4: “... by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).” On the other hand, the Bible is not trivial. The Apostle Peter said that Paul wrote some things “hard to be understood” (2 Peter 3:16).
It is not difficult to reconcile these two passages. Peter did not say that all of Paul's writings were hard to be understood; just some of them. And "hard to be understood" does not mean that they cannot be understood. It does mean that it takes some effort. Seeking after God is like seeking after anything else -- it requires something from the seeker.
We can also be quite safe in concluding that parts of God’s word are quite simple, as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 11:3: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ."When someone convinces us that it is not simple, are we allowing them to so corrupt us? Did Paul expect his readers to understand what he was saying in this particular passage? Obviously so.
So, some passages are quite simple while others are much more challenging. The milk of the word is a term used by both the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:2) and the Hebrews writer (Hebrews 5:12). Milk is easily digested by the babe in Christ; while meat requires more maturity for its discernment. But ultimately, it can all be understood.
There is a lesson here for both the weak and the strong. To the babe in Christ: God expects us to render obedience in all things that we understand to be His will; Hebrews 5:8-9: "... though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; ..."
It is our job, not just to believe that He exists, but to also “diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Growth is an essential part of the life of the Christian, and this requires the addition of knowledge (2 Peter 1:5-8: "Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in (your) virtue knowledge; and in (your) knowledge self-control; and in (your) self-control patience; and in (your) patience godliness; and in (your) godliness brotherly kindness; and in (your) brotherly kindness love." As faith motivates us to believe God's promises, it will also make us more virtuous in our behavior. But in this newly found virtue we will recognize the need for additional knowledge of God's revealed word.
To those who freely feed upon the meat of God’s word, it should be recognized that no one ever “arrives.” Indeed, it was those who had the most knowledge of God’s word who were the recipients of some of Jesus' harshest rebuke (see Matthew 23).
The fact that we always need to continue in our study of the bible is further evidence that its author was none other than God. And the simplicity of its first principles further adds to this evidence. The bible is the most efficient book ever written, guiding us to every possible good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17) while containing absolutely no useless information (Matthew 4:4).
There is a reason that many people cannot understand God’s word, but it has nothing to do with their intellectual ability:
Matthew 11:25-30: "At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal (him.). Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 13:10-17: "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not."
What was it that separated the disciples from those who failed to understand? It was not their intellectual ability. It was not even the fact that they just "got it" at the first hearing. It was the fact that they were interested enough in the truth that they were anxious to ask Jesus what he meant. We should pursue God's word today with the same enthusiasm.
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
Is the Bible Too Complex for the Common Person to Understand? If you believe that it is, you will never understand it. If you believe you can understand it, and do your best to see it in the spiritual light in which it was written, you will be able to understand it. But what about those admittedly complex parts of the bible? This article deals with both the simple and the complex.
We often hear the statement: “The Bible is just too complicated to understand.” Now we are not questioning the sincerity of those who might make this statement (perhaps some of our readers have). But if you had as your objective to keep people from questioning your teachings, what better way of discouraging them from thinking for themselves. The teaching gives people an excuse for their failure so dig in and seek after God (Hebrews 11:6). It really does not matter the intent, this statement is patently false as we will now demonstrate.
Bible complexity is an interesting subject. On the one hand, the myth that the Bible is too complex to understand is destroyed by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:3-4: “... by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).” On the other hand, the Bible is not trivial. The Apostle Peter said that Paul wrote some things “hard to be understood” (2 Peter 3:16).
It is not difficult to reconcile these two passages. Peter did not say that all of Paul's writings were hard to be understood; just some of them. And "hard to be understood" does not mean that they cannot be understood. It does mean that it takes some effort. Seeking after God is like seeking after anything else -- it requires something from the seeker.
We can also be quite safe in concluding that parts of God’s word are quite simple, as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 11:3: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ."When someone convinces us that it is not simple, are we allowing them to so corrupt us? Did Paul expect his readers to understand what he was saying in this particular passage? Obviously so.
So, some passages are quite simple while others are much more challenging. The milk of the word is a term used by both the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:2) and the Hebrews writer (Hebrews 5:12). Milk is easily digested by the babe in Christ; while meat requires more maturity for its discernment. But ultimately, it can all be understood.
There is a lesson here for both the weak and the strong. To the babe in Christ: God expects us to render obedience in all things that we understand to be His will; Hebrews 5:8-9: "... though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; ..."
It is our job, not just to believe that He exists, but to also “diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Growth is an essential part of the life of the Christian, and this requires the addition of knowledge (2 Peter 1:5-8: "Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in (your) virtue knowledge; and in (your) knowledge self-control; and in (your) self-control patience; and in (your) patience godliness; and in (your) godliness brotherly kindness; and in (your) brotherly kindness love." As faith motivates us to believe God's promises, it will also make us more virtuous in our behavior. But in this newly found virtue we will recognize the need for additional knowledge of God's revealed word.
To those who freely feed upon the meat of God’s word, it should be recognized that no one ever “arrives.” Indeed, it was those who had the most knowledge of God’s word who were the recipients of some of Jesus' harshest rebuke (see Matthew 23).
The fact that we always need to continue in our study of the bible is further evidence that its author was none other than God. And the simplicity of its first principles further adds to this evidence. The bible is the most efficient book ever written, guiding us to every possible good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17) while containing absolutely no useless information (Matthew 4:4).
There is a reason that many people cannot understand God’s word, but it has nothing to do with their intellectual ability:
Matthew 11:25-30: "At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal (him.). Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 13:10-17: "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not."
What was it that separated the disciples from those who failed to understand? It was not their intellectual ability. It was not even the fact that they just "got it" at the first hearing. It was the fact that they were interested enough in the truth that they were anxious to ask Jesus what he meant. We should pursue God's word today with the same enthusiasm.
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
