Puzzling Scripture

There are parts of the Bible I just don’t understand. It can be discouraging. After decades of Bible study, you’d think I could explain it pretty well.

I have a handle on Revelation, speaking in tongues, the impatience of Job, and many Bible sections I used to think would remain a mystery.

If you believe, like I do, that the Bible is the word of God written down by inspired writers, what do you do with sections like the end of I Corinthians 14, where it says women should not speak in church? What about ‘slaves should submit to their masters’? Even ‘remember the Sabbath and keep it holy’ lays guilt on us when we go to a restaurant after church on Sunday.

How do you deal with Scripture that just doesn’t make sense?

I’ll tell you what I do. Maybe it will work for you, too.

First, I’ve concluded that we will always wrestle with the Bible. No one has ever understood it completely. There is a lot of ‘spiritual muscle’ and character to be gained by working to understand it, even if we can’t completely master Scripture or deep parts of our relationship with God.

Second, I will never completely understand God, and that’s how it should be. I am excited to know that God’s ways are higher than my ways. I need God to be beyond me, holy, beyond limits.

Third, Scripture was written down by humans. Their culture and times influenced how they were able to write down what they’d heard from God. My goodness, it seems obvious some of these people were sure the earth is flat! (It’s not, is it?)

Fourth, the Bible is not a history book. It records our spiritual history. There’s a big difference.