HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE
By Ron Fischer © 2006

Most people seem to learn about what is in the Bible through other people rather than reading it for themselves. Most people are taught the doctrines (beliefs in the Bible) from their church leaders who have learned them from Bible College or Seminary as was traditionally handed down to them. Unfortunately many of the doctrines that are taught by one group (denomination) contradict other groups and some doctrines are not accurately based on the teachings of Christ and the original apostles in the New Testament. How can this be, when everyone is using the same Bible and supposedly have the same Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth? One reason is that an unbalanced view can easily happen when someone approaches the Bible with preconceived ideas that are wrong and then look for some Bible references to substantiate their beliefs. Another reason may be that someone has not experienced something for them selves which, is an important ingredient for having a balanced understanding. And unfortunately mankind is easily deceived by the devil. So how do we know which beliefs are correct? We must read the Bible for ourselves with an open heart and trust God to reveal the truth and give us a balanced understanding using all the available references in the Bible plus our experiences with God and experiences in life. God has given us the Bible so each one of us can seek truth from him directly so we will know the difference when we hear or read information from other people. It is wise to trust God rather than man. God is our leader, teacher and guide into all truth - not man. God is our creator and judge - not man. God is the one we need to trust, know and understand.

I have always questioned what people say in a desire to understand the truth. Sometimes I hear or read what others are teaching and I do not agree with them because what they teach is not a balanced view of the Bible. I came to know Jesus and received the Holy Spirit when reading a New Testament Bible and have since trusted God and the Bible as my first source of truth. For over 25 years of being a believer, I continue to read the Bible, experience more of God and more in life, which continually helps me to balance up a better understanding of God and his ways. No one can understand everything and have an answer to all questions but as time goes on our understanding does grow and we do find answers to many of our questions.

It is my encouragement that everyone reads the Bible for themselves to receive the truth from the written Word of God rather than trusting the words of man. Our eternity depends on it.

Here are some guidelines which will be helpful in understanding a balanced view of the Bible and receiving truth from God for yourself:
1) The Bible contains God's Word (truth) which is revealed to us when we come to him and seek him in humility.
2) We must trust God to reveal his truth to us as we read the Bible and pray to him about it. Do not worry about what does not make sense. It is the truth in what is written that God reveals to us.
3) The Old Testament tells us where mankind comes from and why mankind is here. It also reveals God's relationship with mankind from the beginning.
4) The New Testament fulfills God's plan to come to the world as the Savior to reconcile man back to himself through a demonstration of his love by dying and paying the punishment for mankind's sins so that everyone can have a close relationship with God. The New Testament also reveals what is coming in the future and how God's plan ends. Jesus has come to establish a new and better relationship than the Old Testament.
5) I suggest that people read the New Testament first in order to know God as their Father, friend, and helper since this impacts our eternity. God's son Jesus explains how we can know his Father God and receive God's Spirit (Holy Spirit) to be with us forever giving us life here on earth and eternal life with him in paradise (heaven) forever. If we read what Jesus says then follow what he says, we will connect with God, be reborn in your spirit, and receive the Holy Spirit from God to be with us forever. When we have the Holy Spirit our understanding of the Bible becomes even clearer.
6) After we know God personally then we can read the Old Testament and discover God's ways and plan from the beginning of the world up to when Jesus was born into the world.
7) We can also do topic word studies in order to get all the verses on a given topic and by bringing them all together we will have a better balanced understanding of that topic. This is what I have done in many of the articles I have written. The Bible references are at the bottom of the article, which is what I form my understanding of the truth from. Read the Bible references and come up with your own conclusions trusting God to reveal a balanced truth.
8) In the New Testament, I always begin with what Jesus says because he is the living Word of God, the way, the truth, and the life. Then I add to that, the apostles teaching which should line up with the teaching of Jesus. If there is a discrepancy then it may be due to a mistranslation from the Greek or a misunderstanding on my part but Jesus words always take precedence. Occasionally there are contradictory verses, which I will then consider in the light of the truth from the majority of verses. I realize that the New Testament is not complete and contains some contradictions possibly due to differing information collected before they wrote the books or mistranslation from the original Greek. In any case, the Bible contains God's truth, which he will reveal to us.

So read the Bible, learn from God, and follow what he asks until you have received the Holy Spirit, an abundant life and eternal life from Him. Continue to read the Bible and you will grow in your knowledge and experience of God.

A few things to look for in the New Testament which will help you to get to know God personally for yourself:
1) Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
2) Why did Jesus come to the earth?
3) What does Jesus offer mankind?
4) What is required of us to receive what Jesus offers and how do we know we have received it?
5) What can disqualify us from heaven?

For more information, you can contact Ron Fischer at 469-6201 or check out other articles on the WEB at http://www.edmontonhousechurches.com/ARTICLES.html.