Studying the Bible can sometimes be a daunting task.  The Bible is God’s Word, and that truth alone should instill within us a certain level of godly fear every time we read it.  It should be our goal to come to an accurate understanding of any portion of scripture that we find ourselves examining.

The good news is that God has given His Word to us in an understandable fashion.  Yes, some portions of it are harder than others to understand, and they take an extra effort to perceive what God is saying to us, but for the most part, the scriptures reveal to us the precepts of God clearly and understandably.

Ephesians 3:1-4 (ESV)
¹  For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ²  assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³  how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴  When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

Paul obviously believed that the saints at Ephesus would be able to understand the revelation that he was giving to them.

Some dismiss religious division by saying, “We can’t understand the Bible alike.”  That is simply a false statement.  We can all understand the Bible alike.  Jesus prayed for unity among His disciples (John 17:20-22), and the only way this is possible, is by people understanding the Bible alike.

Would God, who created the mind, give us a book the mind could not understand?  Would God command us to study a book we could not understand? (2 Timothy 2:15).  Would God require that we “speak the same thing” if He knew we could not do so, seeing that we cannot understand the Bible alike? (1 Corinthians 1:10).  Would God, in essence, say to us that if we do not keep His commandments, He will condemn us, and then give us a book that is not understandable?

The obvious answer to these questions is no.  So then, we can understand the Bible.  The key is accepting the Bible as our only standard.  We all agree that 12 inches = one foot and 2 + 2 = 4.  Why?  Because we accept the same standards of measurement and math.  So, if we would all accept the Bible as our ONLY standard, it would be more likely that we would be united.

Why is there so much religious division if the Bible is so understandable?  First, because of the wrong attitude some have concerning the Word of God.  When it comes to the Bible, too many have what I call the “but” mentality.  Some say,  “I know it says that, but…”  What follows “but” is usually some poor excuse for simply not wanting to do what the Bible commands.

A second reason there is so much religious division is that there is not enough personal Bible study.  It takes time and effort to learn the Word of God.  Some just rather accept anything the preacher says and call it a day.  This explains why false teachers are often so successful, and it is not anything new.  Paul demonstrated amazement that the brethren at Galatia were so easily persuaded to accept false teaching (Galatians 1:6-9).

 The third, and perhaps the biggest reason for religious division, is that many go beyond God’s Word and believe things that are simply not in the Word of God.  Religious division comes most often, not because of what the Bible says, but because of what it does not say.  For example, there is division over what kind of fruit Adam and Eve ate in the garden.  Everyone knows that they ate fruit.  We would all be united if we just stopped where the Bible does.  However, when people start to speculate about the specific fruit, division comes.

This same thing happens when it comes to more serious issues like baptism or musical instruments in worship services, and these kinds of issues actually have an impact on our souls.  Everyone knows that the saints in the New Testament sang.  It is when instruments of music are brought up, something the New Testament says nothing about, that division comes.

Thank God, He has given us His Word, and that He has done so in a way that we can perceive His precepts accurately and apply them to our lives.  Our job is to rightly divide it (2 Timothy 2:15).

As you wind down for the night, think about these things