Dear Church Family,
Why are confusing passages in the Bible? We looked at one of those this past Sunday when we studied the topic of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. There are others to be sure. As always, if you ever have questions, feel free to call or email. But the bigger question is why are they there?
First, I’m not sure they’re as confusing as you may think. They probably made a lot of sense to the original readers and the confusion of history and worldview has made them appear confusing to us. It’s not that we can’t understand them, but that we have to work harder to do so.
Second, I think part of the reason God gave us these texts is to stay dependent on Him. If we have it all figured out, can systematize our theology and pigeonhole every word of every verse, then we don’t have much need of a relationship with the God who wrote every word of every verse. But just as the Spirit inspired the Bible, so He must illuminate the Bible so we can really get it. And the good news is that you don’t need a PhD in Greek or Hebrew to do that. The Spirit can make it plain and He has seen fit to provide tons of free resources that help us understand it.
Hard texts are there. And they keep us humble. Even Peter commented about how difficult and brain-exploding some of Paul’s arguments were. But studying hard, praying hard, thinking hard all leads us to become the kinds of people God desires us to be. So stay in the Word, even when it doesn’t make sense. There’s profit to be had there.
Kingdom…
Trent
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