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...