Lesson No. 6

Lesson No. 6 How To Understand the Holy Scriptures

Due to the complexity of the literary structure of the Holy Bible and the different features and characteristics of the language in which it was originally written, some of its passages are difficult to understand. For these reasons, the unlearned and unstable, as the apostle Peter declares, twistthe Scriptures to their own destruction. See Second Peter chapter 3: verses 15 and 16.51

However, the Bible itself teaches us how to understand its sacred writings. Let's see what the following passages tell us:

John chapter 5: verse 39: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”.51

On another occasion the Lord said to His disciples: These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. (Luke chapter 24: verses 44 and 45)”.51

Now consider the following passages:

First Corinthians chapter 2: verse 11: “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God”.51

John chapter 14: verse 26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”.51

According to the first of these biblical quotes, it is quite clear that one of the essential factors in the correct understanding of any text of the Holy Scriptures consists of scrutinizing it, that is, reading it carefully, making an investigative analysis about the cause and the objective of the text in question. It is also recommended to compare it with other biblical passages that deal with the same matter, taking into account the historical-cultural context, and in some cases, due to certain variants in translations, it is suggested, as I said before, to compare it with the text in the original language.

Now, according to the other passages read, let's consider the following examples: if someone wanted to learn the mechanism of any complex machine, who better than the inventor could provide the necessary instructions for it? Similarly, if a builder did not understand some data of the plan of a complex building, for example, who better than the architect who designed it could give the accurate instructions?

If we consider the logical argument related to these examples and remember that the Holy Scriptures were inspired by God through His Holy Spirit, who influenced His holy writers, we can understand that no one better than Him through His Holy Spirit can reveal the correct interpretation of them, enlightening our understanding so that we can comprehend it.

Therefore, it is necessary to understand that, in order to correctly discern the Holy Scriptures, we need to examine them very well, asking God in prayer to enlighten our understanding and reveal to us through the Holy Spirit His interpretation, in order to put His divine teachings into practice.