Understanding Scripture

The thought is to consider some of the main reasons why people find it difficult to understand Scripture and how these difficulties can be overcome. Each difficulty will first be presented and then the proposed solution.

The Archaic Language of the Authorised Version

This is sometimes a problem to those who have not been familiar with it from a child, and even to some extent to those who have. This problem can largely be overcome by using a more modern version. Some modern translations are more like paraphrases, so that although they may be easier to understand they lose something in accuracy. They may be used with caution, always bearing in mind that such translations depend a good deal on the translator's own understanding of Scripture and this will certainly be less than perfect. Relatively modern translations that follow closely to the original, without being so literal as not to be understandable are to be preferred. JNDarby's translation is a good example, though some might not like it because it is one person's translation, rather than that of a panel, and because it is regarded as closely connected with the, so-called, Plymouth Brethren. However, the notes are valuable helps and although the language may not always be as felicitous as that of the AV, Mr Darby did make use of the language of that translation, when he felt it appropriate. Accuracy should not be sacrificed simply to make a translation sound better, for sound is not more important than sense. There are also Bible Dictionaries and other helps that can be used to assist in the understanding of the wording of Scripture.

The figures of speech used by the writers of Scripture

Not by any means all the idiom and figures of speech used by the writers of Scripture are fully understood and our limitations in this connection must be accepted. Bible helps are useful and should be consulted where available. God expects us to make use of such things. God does not do for us what we can do ourselves, but he does do for us what we cannot do for ourselves (see for instance Exodus 14:15/16). Where a passage is not clear it is well to look for other passages to corroborate or adjust our thinking as to what the passage means. Building doctrines on one difficult passage is a dangerous thing to do as we may be in error, and it may result in rupture with other Christians who do not agree with our interpretation. It is much better to learn first of all from passages which are clear and then look at passages which are not in the light of what we have learned from the clear ones.

Translation errors

Translators are not infallible and their translations do not have inspired accuracy. God has seen to it that various copies of the original Scripture texts have been preserved to us, so that we can read substantially today what the apostles and others originally wrote, but the translations we have in our hands have their limitations, if only because a word used in the original may not have an exact equivalent in our language. What may appear to be an equivalent word in our language may have a wider or narrower meaning than that in the original. However, in the Old Testament sentences are often repeated in a slightly different way, as if to say, if you don't understand these words take into account these other words. Thus we have; " The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse sheweth the work of his hands " (Psalm 19:1). The expanse was called Heavens in Genesis 1:8.

Errors of copyists

Sometimes copyists made simple mistakes. At other times they may have made deliberate alterations to make the text as they thought more clear. However this may have distorted the original meaning of a passage. In Colossians 2:11 the AV has: "Putting off the body of the sins of the flesh " when the correct text/ translation is: " Putting off the body of the flesh "; that is, putting off the incubus or weight of the flesh. Often a mistake can be detected by one who is imbued with the spirit of Scripture. A word or verse may give a jarring note: there is something out of tune. The translation: " only-begotten God " (John 1:18) which appears in some translations is a case in point. The weight of textual evidence is not the deciding factor in such cases.

The nature of the matters spoken of

Some Scripture passages are hard to be understood because they speak about things which Christians experience as a result of the work of God in them. In natural things it would be appreciated that it would be difficult to speak intelligently about the South Polar region if one had never visited it. Simply reading books about it would not be entirely adequate and we could easily get hold of the wrong end of the stick. However, it is even more so in divine things and as has sometimes been said: " You have to have the things before you can understand the terms ". Consider for instance Romans 7:7-25. This is one reason why Peter speaks of some things in Paul's writings as hard to be understood (2 Peter 3:15/16). Spiritual truth is often hard to express in human language and when Christ spoke of certain things his hearers said: " This word is hard; who can hear it ?" (John 6:60). The tendency is often to materialise spiritual matters by not seeing that the words used are not to be taken in their material sense but in a spiritual sense (consider New Birth [John 3:1-8]; Spiritual Refreshment [John 4:5-15]; Eating Christ's Flesh [John 6:52]). The Romish idea of transubstantiation is really a materialising of a spiritual matter (eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood)