Understanding for the Simple

The entrance of Your word gives light, It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

Have you ever read a passage of scripture and thought, I don't get this? I think most people have, especially those who read their Bible often! But have you ever thought Hebrews is too confusing, I will never understand it? Or I'm just not smart enough to figure out what Paul means here? I hope not, because the Bible is for everyone, not just for geniuses! There is no need to have a Bible degree, or to study Greek and Hebrew, to understand the Bible.

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, 

and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. 

1 Corinthians 1:27

Think about the disciples. Not only were they humble fishermen rather than learned priests and scribes, at times they were a bit dull. I have no desire to run down the disciples—much of their confusion was perfectly legitimate, thanks to the cryptic way Jesus liked to say things. However, consider the feeding of the four thousand: they have already seen the feeding of the five thousand, and yet they have the same question for Jesus again—"How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?" Or when Jesus straight up tells them that Judas is going to betray Him, and they thought he was leaving to give something to the poor?

So if you're not naturally academic, or if you find abstract arguments hard to follow, be encouraged by the example of the disciples. Remember, they did not stay confused forever! Not only did they begin to heal people in Jesus' name, they started preaching eloquent sermons, and even writing books. They were also able to stand before the highest scholars of their day and clearly articulate their beliefs: "Now when they [the Sanhedrin] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

That's right, the disciples were changed by spending time with Jesus. Today, we have the words of God in the Bible, and when we spend time studying them we will be changed too! The more time we devote to reading the Bible, the more our brains will have to work to understand, and the harder the brain works, the stronger it gets.

This means that even young children can learn to understand the Bible. Indeed, their simple approach to spiritual things is praised by Jesus: "Of such is the Kingdom of God", he says. "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Just as children must come to a point when their faith becomes their own, rather than something imposed by their parents, so also they must be taught to read the Bible for themselves, and to try to understand it with their own minds!

In this effort, each of us, whether child or adult, has a powerful Helper:

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things...When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;" Jn. 14:26; 16:13


Never be afraid to ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand as you read. Remember, however, that the Holy Spirit does not speak on His own authority: He will not help you to interpret a verse in such a way that it contradicts another teaching of Scripture.

The Bible can be understood by anyone. It is not inherently bad to seek the counsel of other men concerning the Bible (commentaries, devotionals, Pastors, speakers, sermons, blog posts, and so on), but make sure you always check back up with scripture. Believe no man implicitly, not even your pastor or your parents—they will sometimes be wrong. Be like the Bereans: when you hear a certain teaching, search the scriptures. Be fair-minded—willing to be taught—but find out from the Bible whether it is actually so!

Unstable men will always try to twist the Word and make it fit their own purposes, but if you have saturated yourself in the Word itself, their smooth pitch will not deceive you. The more familiar you are with the original, the quicker you will be able to spot a counterfeit.