[Faith-talk] Some Reasons for Bible Difficulties

[Linda Mentink]

Hi All,

I really appreciate this article, and I thought some here might 
also.

Blessings,

Linda

The following is adapted from THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD: A 
HANDBOOK OF BIBLICAL DIFFICULTIES.  ISBN 1-58318-002-8.  This 
volume deals with a variety of biblical difficulties.  Find the 
answer to the seeming contradictions in the Bible.  Meet the 
challenge of false teachers who misuse biblical passages to prove 
their doctrine.  Find out the meaning of difficult passages that 
are oftentimes overlooked in the Bible commentaries.  Be 
confirmed in your confidence in the inerrancy and perfection of 
the Scriptures and be able to refute the skeptics.  Learn the 
meaning of difficult expressions such as "the unpardonable 
sin." A major objective of this volume is to protect God's 
people from the false teachers that abound in these last days.  
For example, we examine verses misused by Seventh-day Adventists, 
Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, and others to support their 
heresies.  We deal with things such as the blasphemy against the 
Holy Spirit, cremation,
head coverings, did Jesus die on Friday, God's repentance, 
healing in the atonement, losing one's salvation, sinless 
perfectionism, soul sleep, and the Trinity.  Jerry Huffman, 
editor of Calvary Contender, testified: "You don't have to 
agree with everything to greatly benefit from this helpful 
book." In researching and writing this book, the author 
consulted roughly 500 volumes, old and new, that deal with 
biblical difficulties and the various other subjects addressed in 
Things Hard to Be Understood.  This one volume, therefore, 
represents the essence of a sizable library.  Sixth edition Feb.  
2014, enlarged and completely revised, 441 pages.  Available in 
print and eBook editions, www.wayoflife.org
_____

1.  The Bible is God's Word.  "For my thoughts are not your 
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as 
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than 
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).  
It is not surprising that the Bible contains things hard to be 
understood, because it is the revelation of the omniscient, 
omnipotent, eternal God.  "A revelation coming down from an 
infinite Mind to finite minds must necessarily involve 
difficulties.  This is true of all Christian doctrine.  Take for 
instance the doctrine of God, or immortality, or the incarnation.  
There is no Christian doctrine altogether free from intellectual 
difficulties. ...  Once we begin to reject the doctrines of 
Christianity because they involve some intellectual difficulty, 
then we shall finally reject them all.  But when we have done 
this, when we have sought refuge in atheism, we shall find 
ourselves no better off
than before.  For the intellectual difficulties of unbelief are 
immensely greater than those of Christian faith.  Let us settle 
one thing right here-we live in a universe of thought, and there 
is no place in this universe of thought where we can escape from 
all intellectual difficulties" (Alva J.  McClain, The 
"Problems" of Verbal Inspiration).

2.  We are separated from Bible events by thousands of years and 
by vast cultural and linguistic differences.  God gave the 
Scriptures for all people of all centuries and He was in control 
of the time and context of its giving, but it is not reasonable 
to expect there will be no problems in understanding the 
Scriptures.

3.  Some things are purposely hidden from the scoffer.  Contrary 
to popular belief, Jesus did not speak in parables to make the 
truth clear to simple people; He spoke in parables to hide the 
truth from willful unbelievers (Mat.  13:13-17).  Daniel said the 
wicked will not understand prophecy (Da.  12:10).  Peter said 
that scoffer is willfully ignorant (2 Pe.  3:3-5).  Peter said 
that the difficult things in Scripture are misused by unbelievers 
to their own destruction (2 Pe.  3:16).  God is not mocked; He 
has ordained that men reap what they sow (Gal.  6:7).  He has 
designed His Word in such a way that those who willfully reject 
Him are unable to discern the truth properly.  The truth of 
Scripture is plain to those who believe, but it is obscure to 
those who disbelieve.  In other words, God gives willful 
unbelievers enough rope to hang themselves! This is true of the 
Bible as a whole and of the prophecies in particular.  For the 
believer, there is
ample evidence that the Bible's prophecies have been fulfilled; 
but the skeptic, looking at the same prophecies, doesn't 
understand (and doesn't want to understand) and is thus 
confirmed in his unbelief.  Harvard law professor Simon Greenleaf 
said, "Christianity does not profess to convince the perverse 
and head-strong, to bring irresistible evidence to the daring and 
profane, to vanquish the proud scorner, and afford evidences from 
which the careless and perverse cannot possibly escape.  This 
might go to destroy man's responsibility.  All that Christianity 
professes, is to propose such evidences as may satisfy the meek, 
the tractable, the candid, the serious inquirer" (The Testimony 
of the Evangelists Examined by the Rules of Evidence).




4.  Understanding the Bible requires spiritual perception (1 Cor.  
2:12-15; Heb.  5:11-14).  It is the unsaved, the spiritually 
immature, and the carnal who find inconsistencies in the Bible.  
God has ordained that it be so.

5.  God requires man to study (2 Timothy 2:15; Prov.  2:1-6; 
25:2).  The Bible does not read like a morning newspaper because 
it is not a morning newspaper! It is the eternal Word of God, and 
God has ordained that a man must dig into it diligently or he 
will not understand it properly.  The chief solution to Bible 
difficulties is diligent, believing STUDY of the Holy Scriptures!

6.  The Bible is for all men and all times.  It is possible that 
some things are difficult for me to understand because they are 
intended to be better understood by someone else in another 
situation.  Some of the prophetic discourses fall into this 
category (Dan.  12:4; 1 Pet.  1:10-12).

7.  The Bible uses symbolic language for many reasons, just as 
men use symbolic language in everyday life, in normal 
conversation ("he is as fast as lightening"; he has a "long 
hand"), in music, in poetry, etc.

Symbolic language can emphasize the message.  Consider hyperbole 
- "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of 
tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the 
daughter of my people!" (Jer 9:1).  "Tyrus ...  heaped up 
silver as the dust" (Zec.  9:3).  "Yea, though he live a 
thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all 
go to one place?" (Ec 6:6)

Symbolic language can make the message more visual and memorable.  
"...  they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro 
through the whole earth" (Zec.  4:10).  "they refused to 
hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, 
that they should not hear" (Zec.  7:11).  "As an eagle stirreth 
up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her 
wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings" (De.  32:11).  
Christ continually used symbolic language to describe Himself: 
Good Shepherd, the Door, the living Bread, the living Water, 
Light, the true Vine, the Bridegroom.  All of these are powerful 
images that communicate deep truth to the understanding human 
heart.

Symbolic language can condense a message.  For example, the image 
of Daniel 2 that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream is described in 
five verses (Da.  2:31-35).  But even the briefest interpretation 
of the dream requires 10 verses (Da.  2:36-45).  And in fact, 
many entire books have been written to explain it.