Some people say that the Bible is too hard to understand.  It may be simpler than they realize.  A person who was skeptical about religious things was once given a Bible.  One day, out of curiosity he started to read it.  After a few days he remarked to his wife, “If this book is right then we are wrong.”   

Wondering what else the Bible might say, he continued to read.  After a week he said to his wife, “If this book is right then we are lost.”  By now he was beginning to have second thoughts about ignoring God, so he read on.  Before many days had passed he called to his wife and said, “If this book is right, then we can be saved.” 

No one will ever understand the entire Bible.  But we can all understand that ignoring God’s laws and plans messes up our lives and separates us from God.  And, if we are looking, we can all see from the Bible that God loves us and wants to forgive us, change our lives and give us eternal life.   

Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts I do understand.”  In other words, if we just ignore what we don’t understand there is still enough we do understand to let us know that we need to change our ways if we want to please God. 

Many people who say they cannot understand the Bible or that it is irrelevant have never really read the Bible for more than a few minutes at a time.  A young lady I know had to spend a couple of weeks in jail for a DUI she received before she made a deep commitment to Christ.  Naturally, she was not looking forward to it and would have preferred that God had rescued her from her sentence.  But God had other plans.  Here’s what she wrote afterwards, “I just had an experience of a lifetime these past two weeks! I met girls that were so lost and had no hope. I spent 14 days reading my Bible nearly 12 hours a day and I’ve never read it this way before. I understood it, I felt it in my heart and I shared it with girls that said they felt like God brought me to them. It certainly has changed my life! Thank you, God, for giving me courage.”

Whether you believe the Bible is true or not, it would be wise to check it out.  What could it hurt to read it?  Maybe God has a message for you.  It could change your life.

One reason some people struggle with understanding the Bible is that they try to read it in the King James Version or some other version that was translated hundreds of years ago.  There is nothing wrong with the King James Version, and those who love to read it ought to continue to do so.  But for many persons, reading a more recent translation is much clearer.  The version we generally use at the church I pastor is the New International Version.  It is a good translation, but there are many other good translations as well.

What is important to remember is that the Bible was originally written in Greek and Hebrew.  Unless you understand those languages, you will need to read a translation.  When the King James Version was translated in 1607 it was considered so modern that many people rejected it.  The Bible has not changed since then, but the English language has.  Because the Bible is eternal, it cannot be tied to the language style of any era.  Jesus said that his words would never pass away.  They are to be alive and vibrant for all generations.  

The Bible has changed more lives for good than any other book that has ever been written.  It is simple enough that a child can understand the basic teachings and yet profound enough that great scholars never fully understand all it has to say.  Some of it we will never understand until heaven.  But that’s the good news – we don’t have to understand all of it.  We just need to act on the parts we can understand.  It can be life changing.  Why not seek out a church that preaches from the Bible or join a Bible study group?  And most of all, begin to read the Bible for yourself.