Can you understand the bible by yourself?

Many protestant sects/denominations and even individuals think that they can interpret the words by God from the bible by how it should be interpreted. That’s why there are thousands of sects/denominations, each having different beliefs depends on how its pastor/founder interpret thebible but they do have the basic doctrine, the sola fide and sola scriptura.

Many people also claim that they know the knowledge from the bible ONLY by reading it and by not by joining any religion, those people what im talking about can’t admit that they were confused and frustrated because of disappointment to religions they had been so they established their own faith/beliefs.

They always say these:

“Oh you, read the bible and get to know Jesus, all you need is the bible!
“Don’t believe to what your ministers say, read the bible so you will know the truth!”

The question is, IS IT TRUE?

That anyone, that has read the bible, can interpret words of God by himself? Is the bible an open book for easy to be understand?

Apostle Paul described the Bible as a book not like any other, not in any way similar to other religious books in the sense that its message is “the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages pasts.”

“Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,” Rom. 16:25

This is referring to the Bible, we are not surprised that, in spite of efforts and wisdom, people have misunderstood the teachings of the bible. People have confronted another in their zeal and eagerness to shed light to the “mystery hidden for long ages past.”

Today, the number of ways by which people interpret God’s words has become directly proportional to the number of varying religious sects and denominations. That proves the people’s efforts are in vain.

Apostle Peter strongly pointed out that the bible was not a book open to understanding of just any knowledgeable individual. This he made certain in a letter he sent to the Christians in his time:

“knowing this first: that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in olden times by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." II pet. 1:20-21

Even if you were like Einstein, Aristotle, and so on, even if you finished all the courses offered in your very famous university, even if you were the smartest man in the world, still, it is not a guarantee for you to understand fully the bible by yourself. It’s clear in the verse, it is but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

God himself has given us the key to understanding the message of the bible which has been hidden in mystery:

“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” I Cor. 2:11-13

Man by himself does not have the capacity to understand the thoughts of the infinite God. It is the spirit of God that can understand his thoughts and therefore, only those people who have received the spirit from Him, will be able to understand exactly what he wants people to understand.

What are the evidence that there are people who misunderstood God’s words?

Is that we are not united in our religious beliefs, and there are thousands and thousands of religion in the world! If they really received the holy spirit, then there should have been only worldwide, universal and international religion, thus dismissing all religious debates and disputes as unnecessary and a useless exercise. But people differ very much in their understanding of the message of the bible.

This puts man in a position that requires constant search for absolute truth. However, man’s skills and intelligence does not give him understanding of the message of the bible because God has:

“... hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” Mat.11:25

\While instructing his apostles, our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that:

“He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Mk. 4:11-12

No wonder, people have been confounded that some have turned complacent with regard to the matter of choosing which religion is the true one and which one has the true message of God.

Apostle Peter warned the early Christians in this manner:

“as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. ” II pet.3:16

Not only will the preachers who distort the Scriptures be destroyed or condemned on the Day of judgment but even those who listen to them.

Philip and the Ethiopian

The bible records the story of Philip and Ethiopian to illustrate this truth. The Ethiopian eunuch, being the treasurer of the Queen of Ethiopia, was a learned man but he was honest enough to admit that he did not understand any of the words in the book of Isaiah that he was reading. There had to be a messenger of God, in this case, Philip, one of the deacons in the early church, to explain to him the words he was reading from Sacred Scriptures. Through Philip he learned God’s message, believed and was baptized into the church of Christ. Their story is written in Acts 8:26-39, I’ll just quote what the eunuch said to Philip:

“So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”

Why understand the bible?

"always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." II tim. 3:7

Again, even if youre the most intelligent human being on earth, but still it is not a guarantee for you to understand the message of God. Indeed, they may study diligently but they will become confused. They will never understand the truth and even lead others to confusion if they try to teach their own private interpretation. Christ calls them,

"... they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." mat. 15:13-14

We need a messenger

This makes it the personal responsibility of every individual to search diligently for the truth. The bible said:

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. ” Mal. 2:7

In ancient Israel, the levitical priests were entrusted the message of God. It was not from them, as God’s messengers, that people sought his instructions.

The messengers of God are his instruments in shedding light into the truth of the Sacred Scriptures, whoever God sends speaks of his words as he is guided by the Spirit:

“ For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. ” Jn. 3:34

It is not “by means of their own wisdom” that you can understand the message in the bible, but “through the Holy Spirit”:

“For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” I Cor. 1:21

He further says:

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” I Cor. 2:10

Apostle Paul asked:

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Rome 10:15

Apostle Paul was educated and learned, having had formal education but he did not preach based on human wisdom. In Gal. 1:11-12 he said:

“But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. ”

As promised by our lord Jesus Christ, the apostles undoubtedly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The people who heard and believed in the gospel as preached by them similarly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:1-44). It doesn’t follow, however, that all who receive the holy spirit inside the true church are authorized to preach.

“Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone a preacher? No...” I Cor. 12:29

Apostle Paul forewarned Galatian Christians about anyone who would preach a gospel that was different from the one he and the other messengers of God had already preached to them:

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ” Gal. 1:6-8

They who preach “another gospel” are false preacher, about whom Apostle Paul says,

“....May [they] be condemned to hell! ” Gal. 1:8

Again, it is not true that anyone can UNDERSTAND the bible, and can interpret the message from the bible, because if that so, we are united in beliefs for it can be understood easily. Like in the 1^st century Christian church, they have apostles or messengers of God for them to understand God’s gospel. We need someone who received the Holy spirit from God whom he entrusted to preach the truth for everyone will know the message of salvation.

How can we know?

Examine their doctrines, be open minded always because it is everyone’s duty to search for the true knowledge we should learn and will bring us to our salvation. We should work for our salvation, salvation would not come to us as if its just like that, we work hard for the exams and everything here on earth, the result of those is because of what we do, and not because of someone else.

So achieving salvation is not because of someone, but because of what you have done. If your life is like “always waiting for something”, well its time to change that!

Again, the bible is not for everyone to understand because:

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” I pet. 2:10

And, that's why we have ministers, if you will notice in our worship services, the minister preaches while were attentively listening to him. It is not true that the ministers are "brainwashing" our minds just because of that scene, and also it is not true that ministers doesnt allow members to read the bible, NO!

They even encourage us to do so but, the only thing they concerned is, if we read the bible and become confused, we can be mislead because of our misunderstanding about the message from the bible.

The body of Christ does have many parts and each has different functions, not all can PREACH, not all can understand the bible by reading it, but whom God trusted!

"What's the need for ministers or even pastors in your church if you can even read the bible by YOURSELF and interpret it as the way you understand it?"

A question, same as like:

"Why do we need a leader if the members has its own mind to decide?"

We, members of the Church of Christ submit our TRUST to the ministers as they were God's instrument in delivering the message from the bible to us, that's why it is not true that we let "ministers to brainwash our minds".

Another is that you can see the common reaction of the nonmembers, they say "INC members are just puppets because whatever the minister say, they do it." Its a dumb thinking about us, because while it is true that whatever the Church decided and say unto us, it is but for our own good especially in attaining salvation.

I think they just cant take the truth what the INC upholds...

Who's truly "Born Again"?

-->“Are you a Born Again Christian?”
This is a common question asked by many religious groups today professing to be Christian. It may appear, at face value, to be but a simple, innocent question rooted only in curiosity.

However, the question itself bears significant implications.

Why? There are preachers today whose teaching leads others to conclude that one must wear the title “Born Again” upon himself so as to be considered a Christian, and thus be worthy to attain coveted salvation offered by our Lord Jesus Christ.

This led some to merely search out groups that use the phrase “Born Again” believing that if affiliated with such group, their salvation is secured. But, is that so? Is joining any group whose members simply call themselves “Born Again” a guarantee of salvation? Is being born again just a change in a person’s way of life, or there are more involved?

These are some very important questions that one must ask before embracing a group declaring itself to be “Born Again”.

Being Born Again

First, does the expression itself have any biblical basis? It was no less than our lord Jesus Christ who spoke it in a conversation he had with Nicodemus:

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:1-3

It can be easily gleaned from this conversation that our lord Jesus Christ gave much importance to being born again and that it has direct relevance to one’s attaining eternal life. However, just as so many still today, Nicodemus misunderstood the declaration of the savior. He asked Jesus:

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." John 3:4-5

Clearly, Nicodemus misunderstood and was corrected by our lord Jesus Christ. Jesus went on to explain that being born again meant being born of water and spirit. The question that people must then ask themselves with a religious group that has for themselves a title of being “Born Again” or not, but rather if they have been born of water and spirit or not.

How can a person determine if he has yet undergone such a rebirth via water and spirit?

The water and spirit

Which are the water and the spirit one is to be born of? Jesus spoke of the water, not as that which would only quench a literal thirst:

"Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14

If it is not a literal water that will quench one’s thirst being referred to, but rather a water that will bring one eternal life, what then is being referred to as the eternal life-giving rather that leads one to become born again?

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." I pet 1:23

It is the word of God that will lead a person to become truly born again, not merely a self-proclamation. There is a process one must undergo, which begins with the cleansing power of the words of God.

If that is what is meant by being born of water, what about the expression of Jesus when he mentioned that one must also be born of the spirit so as to be born again? Who is the spirit of which one must be born? Our lord Jesus Christ teaches:

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

The bible teaches us that god is spirit. Thus, to be born again, one must be born of God and of his words. If not, one would only be laying claim to a position of being born again but without sound biblical basis for such claim.

Undergoing rebirth

The bible teaches us how the process of becoming born anew takes place.

Apostle Paul taught:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." II Cor. 5:17

What takes place is a complete rebirth or the making of a new creation, according to apostle paul? If a person has not undergone this process of renewal, he could not truly born again.

So, who have become a new creation? Are they those who have merely made such a claim for themselves? No. According to Apostle Paul, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature”. The Apstle identified those who are “in Christ”, thus:

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace," Eph. 2:14-15

The new creation or those who are truly born again, therefore, are those who became part of the “one new man” which is composed of two parts. Anyone who wishes to be reborn or born again must be brought into the one new man by God through his words. It cannot be done by self declaration or only by affiliating oneself with a group that merely calls itself “Born Again”.

What are the two parts of the one new man which we are to become part of?

"And he is the head of the body, the church;...". Col. 1:18

The two parts of the one new man are Christ as head and the Church, his body. Which Church is Christ head of? It is the Church that carries his name—the Church of Christ:

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood." Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation

All truly born again Christians, therefore, are those who have undergone the process of becoming a member of the true Church of Christ. They have been born of the spirit, born of God, or born of his word; therefore they have been added as parts of the one new man composed of a head and a body. They are in the body of Christ or Church of Christ.

Membership in the true Church of Christ is therefore necessary for one to become a true born again Christian. One question people should ask themselves is whether they are in the true Church headed by Christ.

Complete renewal is needed

But is entering the Church of Christ the only thing needed so as to be truly born again? No. The renewal of one’s life is an important requirement in the process as well. As mentioned by Apostle Paul in the verse quoted earlier, “the old things have passed away” (II Cor. 5:17).

The ways of life that must be left behind by anyone becoming part of the Lord’s body or Church were described also by Apostle Paul, thus:

"throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." Eph. 4:22-23

The apostle also taught the church about what happens to the former self of a person once he becomes part of the new creation or is truly born again. It dies and is buried:

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Rom. 6:3-4

Jesus taught that we need to be born again to receive eternal life. We must therefore not resist the correct process of becoming truly “born again”.

The bible does not show any shortcuts. One becomes a born-again Christian by becoming a member of the true Church of Christ and by living a life in accordance with the will of God.