So, What is the Key to
Understanding the Bible?

For a long time I thought education was the key to understanding the Bible. My rationalization was that Pastors understand the Bible because they have been called to preach and have often gone to seminary to learn more about God’s Word. Additionally, since they have been called God speaks to them so they can share truths about the Bible with others.

However, in trying to prepare a lesson to help my students understand why they should study the Bible, the Holy Spirit revealed a realization that helped to further correct my thinking and it seemed to resonate with my students.

I asked the question, ‘how many of you know more than your grandparents knew at your age?’ Of course everyone raised their hand. So the next question was ‘why is that?’ The answers ranged from ‘we are exposed to more’, ‘we have a better education’, ‘we have the opportunity to finish school’, etc.

My next question was ‘who believes their grandparents know the Bible better than them?’ Again, every hand was raised. If that’s true, wouldn’t that suggest better or higher education is not required to help you understand the Bible since you have a better education than your grandparents? Ahhh, light bulb moment.

You see, education is NOT the key to understanding the Bible. In fact, there are many highly educated people who don’t understand the simple truth of God’s Word, it’s nonsense to them. I remember a friend commenting to me once, ‘I thought you were too smart to believe in that Bible nonsense.’ I’m still praying for Him, but it just proves understanding the Bible is not about your education.

The Holy Spirit is the key to understanding the Bible, not your education. Every one who has accepted Jesus Christ has been given the Holy Spirit, so you have what you need to help you understand the Bible, you just need to initiate the process by opening the Bible, reading it and asking the Spirit to reveal understanding with clarity and conviction.

Click here to learn how you too can invite the Holy Spirit into your heart by becoming a Christian.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” - 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

Spiritual Maturity
For many of us it’s time to grow up spiritually. I know I relied on my grandmothers’ and mother’s prayers and knowledge of the Word to get me through for many years. But when I graduated from college and moved away on my own, God allowed me to get to a place in my life where I had no one to depend on but Him. It was during that time that I developed a relationship with Him and learned how to study His Word.

Like me, you would find it awkward if someone came up to you, handed you a bib and said, ‘it’s time to eat.’ However, that’s how many of us receive our spiritual food. We wait until we get to church on Sunday to be fed the Word of God. We would be offended if someone did that with our physical meals, yet we somehow find it acceptable to go through life spiritually malnourished.

You would never wait to eat physical food until someone fed you once a week, so don’t wait to be fed your spiritual food, get in the Word for yourself. Also, don’t just take everyone’s interpretation at face value - study the Bible for yourself and ask God to reveal Himself to you.

“…it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong." - Hebrews 5:11-14 The Message

So ladies, let’s transition for feeding on the milk of God’s Word to solid food.

The Bible is a fascinating read because new insights are revealed each time you read it. Have you ever read a book and wished the author was there to explain it to you? Well, the author of the Bible is always available to you. All you have to do is call on Him. God didn’t deposit His Spirit in us for nothing, tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and discover the Bible for all it’s worth.

If you're interested in joining an online Bible study, consider The New School of the Spirit.

Discover how to choose a Bible that’s just right for you.
Use this simple three step process to discover how to choose the best Bible for you.

A Practical Bible Study Guide.
Use this Bible study guide to learn practical methods and tools needed to help you study the Bible and increase your understanding of God’s Word.

Christian Prayer - An Essential to your Relationship with God.
Learn the secret to Christian prayer and why it is important to make it an integral part of your day