Interpreting Bible Difficulties: Don't Ask the Wrong Questions

Some difficulties are created by asking the wrong questions. If the Bible does not plainly answer a question, it is because God has not chosen to answer it. The Bible student must be satisfied with what the Bible says and not be occupied with what it doesn’t say. Some teachers and commentators spend a lot of time trying to answer questions that aren’t clearly answered. The wiser method is to focus like a laser on what the Bible actually says, because that is what God wants to reveal. Every hard passage contains clear teaching. By focusing on that which is clearly taught one finds edification and clarity and certainty as opposed to endless questionings, uncertainty, and doubt. For example, Revelation 2:20-23 speaks of Jezebel. We aren’t told such things as why she has this name, whether or not it was her given name at birth, how she came to be in the church, etc. In other words, there are many questions we can ask about her that aren’t answered. Instead of being occupied with such things, the Bible student should focus his attention on exactly what is said about Jezebel and her works and teachings. Revelation 2:17 speaks of a white stone that Christ will give to the overcomer. We aren’t told exactly what kind of stone it is, its clarity, refraction quality, setting, etc. That is not for us to know at this time. What the Bible student should do is to focus on exactly what is said about the white stone and be edified by that. Revelation 4-5 describes 24 elders before the throne of God. It is interesting to try to figure out exactly who they are, but the bottom line is that we aren’t given this information for sure, so our focus must be on exactly what that passage says. Another example is the attempt to harmonize the life of Christ in the four Gospels. God did not chose to give us a perfect timeline of Christ’s life, so it is not possible or necessary to harmonize every event with certainty.

​(Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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