Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Theological FAQs: Can anyone read and understand the bible on his own?
CPRF ^ | Nathan Pitchford & John Hendryx

Posted on 01/06/2010 3:32:48 AM PST by Gamecock

The bible teaches that natural man will never be able to understand its truth on his own; for only the Spirit of God, who understands the mind of God, can reveal the truths of God, which are in direct opposition to the wisdom of the world (1 Cor. 2:10-16; cf. Acts 8:30-31). However, when the bible is read or heard, the Spirit works as he chooses, giving understanding and producing faith in many who hear (Jn. 3:4-12; 16:7-14; cf. Acts 16:14). Therefore, it is of great benefit for anyone who so desires to study the bible, knowing that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17), and that God gives his wisdom liberally to all men who ask him in faith (James 1:5-6); indeed, no one who hungers and thirsts for God's truth will be turned away, if he cries out to the Savior and applies himself to study the bible, for Jesus has invited us all with these words, “If anyone thirst, let him come unto me and drink” (John 7:37).

For all true believers, who have come to Christ in faith, there is every reason to be confident in studying the bible, for the apostle Paul tells us that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16); and elsewhere, the apostle John tells us that we all have knowledge, and understand the truth, because the Spirit has given us an anointing so that we might not be deceived by the lies of the enemy (1 Jn. 2:20-27).

For Further Study
Interpretation: Christians Can Understand the Word of God by J.I. Packer


TOPICS: Apologetics; General Discusssion
KEYWORDS: doctrine; theology
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last
Theological FAQs Index:

What is theology?
Why is the study of theology important?
Where do we go to learn about theology?
What is the Bible About?
What Makes the Bible Unique?

1 posted on 01/06/2010 3:32:48 AM PST by Gamecock
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: drstevej; OrthodoxPresbyterian; CCWoody; Wrigley; Gamecock; Jean Chauvin; jboot; AZhardliner; ...

2 posted on 01/06/2010 3:33:53 AM PST by Gamecock (We always have reasons for doing what we do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock

Ok. Let’s rewind the clock back to, say, the year 1300, when books were handcopied and about as expensive in relative terms as a house is today.

Give me a convincing scenario by which your average illiterate Christian could follow this advice to read and understand the Bible on his own.

It seems a little odd to me that the church Christ founded would depend so heavily on the invention of the printing press which wouldn’t happen for a millenium and a half.


3 posted on 01/06/2010 3:40:58 AM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Claud
“faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17)

The Bible was read aloud in churches, and even before that, the Hebrew mom's and dad's would recite parts of the Pentatuch and the prophets to thier young'uns - thus, "faith comes by hearing".
I have worked the Bible cover to cover for a number of years, and always read things I have never "seen" before as the Holy Sprit lends new knowledge and insights as He sees fit.
I encourage all to read at least a few verses a day of scripture - be in the Word on a regular basis, that way we are not tossed about on the waves not knowing what to believe, or what to not believe.

4 posted on 01/06/2010 3:55:37 AM PST by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Claud

But we aren’t talking about illiterate peasants in the 1300s, now are we?

But since you are arguing in the extreme...

When Scripture was penned literacy was much higher and the Torah was available in every Synagogue, and copies of the books of the NT were widely circulated, and no doubt read by members of the Apostolic churches.

Being illiterate does not keep one from Salvation, just like being literate and having a Bile handy doesn’t preclude you from reading and understanding Scripture.


5 posted on 01/06/2010 4:09:44 AM PST by Gamecock (We always have reasons for doing what we do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock
Not unless God reveals it to them:

1 Cor 2:9-14

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

6 posted on 01/06/2010 4:10:36 AM PST by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Claud; Gamecock

While I accept this idea of “the mind of Christ” (very strongly in fact, based on personal experience) I think its more helpful to see people’s deepening faith as a journey. The more you read, the more you experience - in fact, the more you live - the more conformed you become to what God wants of you, which basically is that you should be the most complete “you” that you can be (I have come that you might have life in all its fullness).

Being able to read the Bible is very useful because it accelerates the process, but before the printing presses people still had the bible read to them. People had the bible illustrated to them, stained glass windows in churches for example, and of course there is a very, very strong tradition of having bible stories “acted out” to people (so-called “mystery plays”).

But I concur - there is a strand in modern Christianity that seems to believe the third person of the trinity is not the Holy Spirit but Holy Scripture. Reading the bible is good, but it is not the only way God reveals himself to creation.


7 posted on 01/06/2010 4:10:36 AM PST by Vanders9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: P8riot

Which is what the article plainly states in the first sentence.


8 posted on 01/06/2010 4:13:26 AM PST by Gamecock (We always have reasons for doing what we do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Psalm 73

“I encourage all to read at least a few verses a day of scripture - be in the Word on a regular basis, that way we are not tossed about on the waves not knowing what to believe, or what to not believe.”

Amen to that! I personally can’t see how any ‘believer’ isn’t in the Word daily.


9 posted on 01/06/2010 4:13:55 AM PST by mothball
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock

True. Coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.


10 posted on 01/06/2010 4:16:54 AM PST by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Claud

Hey Claud,

I hear that your shoes have velcro straps instead of laces. Can you confirm this report?


11 posted on 01/06/2010 4:25:22 AM PST by fatboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock

From Acts 8:

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31”How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.


12 posted on 01/06/2010 4:30:26 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fatboy
Hey Claud, I hear that your shoes have velcro straps instead of laces. Can you confirm this report?

Ad hominem attacks usually work well to get others to see your side, don't they?
13 posted on 01/06/2010 4:34:00 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Carpe Cerevisi

Little someone we Christians like to refer to as the Holy Spirit.


14 posted on 01/06/2010 4:42:50 AM PST by Gamecock (We always have reasons for doing what we do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: fatboy

Categorically untrue. But I do have moccasins without anything.


15 posted on 01/06/2010 4:43:52 AM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Gamecock
But we aren’t talking about illiterate peasants in the 1300s, now are we?

Yes we are LOL

Look, I get that the argument doesn't apply now, with 90+% literacy and Bibles available for free practically. But I'm not talking about now. I'm talking about for 1500 years of Church history where the very idea of laymen personally searching the Scriptures would have been completely ludicrous.

And I think you make my point. People knew of the Scriptures because the texts were read to them and explained to them in church. And yet I so often hear the very silly notion that "Well, I don't need any church or pastor to tell me what's in the Scripture...I can read it on my own!"

16 posted on 01/06/2010 4:51:19 AM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Vanders9
Being able to read the Bible is very useful because it accelerates the process, but before the printing presses people still had the bible read to them. People had the bible illustrated to them, stained glass windows in churches for example, and of course there is a very, very strong tradition of having bible stories “acted out” to people (so-called “mystery plays”).

Precisely!!!

17 posted on 01/06/2010 5:03:38 AM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Carpe Cerevisi

Philip being filled with the Holy Spirit helped the man understand the bible in the book of Isaiah.


18 posted on 01/06/2010 5:10:24 AM PST by American Constitutionalist (There is no civility in the way the Communist/Marxist want to destroy the USA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Vanders9
( But I concur - there is a strand in modern Christianity that seems to believe the third person of the trinity is not the Holy Spirit but Holy Scripture. Reading the bible is good, but it is not the only way God reveals himself to creation. )

It's was the Holy Spirit who inspired those who wrote the Bible, however, the bible does tell us that in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God and the word became flesh ( Jesus Christ ).
It's all how you put it in context and perspective.
God reveals himself to us in many ways, as in nature, other people, and ( yes, still today ) by his own voice, but, first and foremost he reveals himself through and by his word that was written by God's chosen writers who were " INSPIRED " by the Holy Spirit.
There are some things in the Bible that can only be understood by being enlighten by the Holy Spirit, and truth revealed to those who are filled by the Holy Spirit, the average unregenerate natural man can not nor ever understand and comprehend many things in the Bible.
19 posted on 01/06/2010 5:17:32 AM PST by American Constitutionalist (There is no civility in the way the Communist/Marxist want to destroy the USA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Claud
" often hear the very silly notion that "Well, I don't need any church or pastor to tell me what's in the Scripture...I can read it on my own!"

It's not a silly notion " IF " the person is filled with the Holy Spirit , and Jesus told us that when the helper comes he will lead you into all truth.....
What about those 500 years ago ? 1000 years ago who would have taken a voyage in a boat or long distance trip to any were without a church or pastor ? we are to study the word of God ourselves, it's dangerous to always depend on other's ALWAYS for our spiritual growth.
However, we do need other's to help us in the study and teaching of God's word.
20 posted on 01/06/2010 5:25:04 AM PST by American Constitutionalist (There is no civility in the way the Communist/Marxist want to destroy the USA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson