Understanding The scriptures
Then opened he their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45).
Many read the Bible but don’t understand
the message of the Scriptures. The Bible
contains the Word of God. It’s God’s testimony on
what He said, what men said, what the devils said, what
angels said, and what Jesus said. This means everything
therein must be understood as to who’s talking and
what the context of their speech or writing entails. It’s
God’s testimony on the origin, life and destiny of man,
spirits and their environments.
For example, in studying the Bible about the
early Church in the New Testament, it’s important to
notice the period of growth that the early Church went
through. The disciples didn’t know everything at once
in the early Church. When you study the first fifteen
chapters of the book of Acts, the Church at the time
didn’t quite believe that the non-Jews were supposed
to be in Christ. It was in the fifteenth chapter that they
had a debate, a serious one, and Peter had to explain
it to them, while James supported with scripture
references (Acts 15:6-29).
Therefore, when you’re studying the Bible, you
should understand the thinking and culture of the
people and writer at the time of writing. For instance,
some of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John weren’t meant for the new creation.
Some of those teachings aren’t for Christians to live
by; they were for the Jewish mind; not for those who
have received eternal life. He said to His disciples on
one occasion, “How come you don’t have any faith?”
(Mark 4:40). You can’t read that and think to yourself,
“O, perhaps the reason things aren’t working out for
me is that I don’t have any faith.” That’ll be a wrong
assumption because there’s no Christian who doesn’t
have faith. The Bible says, “…God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). It was
possible for those that lived under the Old Testament
to not have any faith, because they weren’t born again.
They were people of the senses, who lived under the
Law, and faith isn’t of the senses but of the Spirit. But
everyone among us in Christ was given the measure of faith.
Study the Scriptures with spiritual understanding
and you’ll have a deeper insight into the past, present
and future of God’s plans and purpose for the Church,
for you, and for the world.
Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for granting me an understanding
of the Scriptures and making me wise unto salvation through faith
in Christ Jesus. I’m so privileged to be graced with the ability to
understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. Thank you, precious
Holy Spirit, for teaching me all things, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further study:
Matthew 13:11; John 14:26
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
ezekiel 33-34
1 Peter 4
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
revelation 1:1-20
hosea 3-4