The Ethiopian nobleman was interested enough in God’s Word to read the Scriptures as he traveled. What a privilege it is to have access to the very Word of God, the Creator of the universe and of man! And, God has always blessed the person who has an open Bible and a receptive heart. As the nobleman read from Isaiah, Philip ran to him and asked, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” (Acts 8:30)

The Possibility of Understanding the Scriptures.

In His love and mercy, God has made His Word understandable to man. Were the Bible not understandable, it would be a reflection on God. It would reflect on His goodness if He could, but would not make it understandable; it would mean He is not infinite in goodness. Man can understand the saving Word of God. Jesus himself said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32).

There are some who would say, “You understand the Bible one way and I will understand it another way.” That is not possible. If two people are not in agreement on the teaching of the Word, at least one of them does not understand the Scriptures and perhaps neither of them. If two people understand the Scriptures, they understand them alike. Truth is harmonious, never contradictory.

The Importance of Understanding the Scriptures.

We are commanded to understand. “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Our being judged according to the Word (John 12:48) necessitates our understanding the Scriptures. Terrible consequences will result from misunderstanding the Bible. In life, tragedy is often the result of misunderstanding. Because of a misunderstanding, many lives were lost in the sinking of the Titanic. How tragic, but even more disastrous was the loss of the souls of people on board that ship who misunderstood God’s Word. It is a far greater tragedy to misunderstand that which pertains to our souls (Matt. 16:26) than to misunderstand anything in life relative to the physical.

Understanding the Scriptures and having the hope of salvation brings true and lasting happiness. When the nobleman obeyed the Gospel, “he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). This is a perfect portrayal of our Lord’s words, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The Essential Elements to Understanding the Scriptures.

We must recognize and reverence the Bible as God’s inspired Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). A person may be caused to read the Bible out of curiosity or out of a desire to be critical, but the individual who knows the Bible best is the one who accepts it as the inspired Word of God. The Bible is God breathed; that qualifies it as profitable.

To know Truth, it is necessary to have an honest heart and a sincere desire to know Truth. Honesty toward God’s Word is opposed to the “so what” attitude which is held by many, and also to the mind that is prejudiced toward Scripture. “Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2).

We are to obey every commandment of God’s Word. (Matt. 7:21-23; Jas. 2:10; 1 John 5:3; etc.), not just those parts that we want to obey, that agree with our choice of life-style. We are not to take the “buffet” approach to the Bible. Christ said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). The Ethiopian nobleman was honest in searching the Scriptures. He was determined to find and understand Truth. Understandest thou what thou readest?

Andy Cates
(The Forest Hill News, June 1, 2004)