WHY PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE ALIKE
If you listen to preachers on
television and on radio, you probably wonder where some of these preachers get
their messages. Charismatic preachers strongly support modem divine healing.
They even argue that physical healing is involved in the atonement. Christ's
sacrificial death means that every human being on earth can be forgiven and
given the promise of eternal life if we believe and obey the gospel. Does
Christ's death also mean physical healing for everyone? If the Charismatics
were right in their interpretation of the scriptures, why do any of them ever
get sick and die? Is it because they do not have strong enough faith?
John MacArthur's book, Charismatic
Chaos (Grand Rapids: ZondervanPublishingHouse,
1992), tells of hearing a woman on television who reported that "her flat
tire was healed." One woman claimed to have "taught her dog to praise
the Lord with an unknown bark" (p. 15). Jan Crouch of Trinity Broadcasting
Network "told a live audience in
Non-Charismatics deny that miraculous
healing occurs today. Generally speaking, they believe in the miracles of
Christ and of the apostles. But they believe supernatural healing ceased with
the end of the apostolic period. Why do the Charismatics promote modem miracles
while non-Charismatics deny them? Are they not reading the same Bible? Of
course, there are people who argue: "You can prove anything by the
Bible." If that were true, the Bible would not be worth the paper on which
it is written. It not only would be a worthless book; it would be a deceptive
and destructive volume.
Many of the preachers on radio and on
television preach the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation by grace alone through
faith alone. Although I have never heard Ron Rhodes speak on radio or on
television, I know he promotes Calvinism. In his book, The Challenge of
the Cults and New Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2001), Dr.
Rhodes states: "Salvation is said to be by faith alone close to 200 times
in the New Testament, for example, John 3:15; 5:24" (p. 275). Charles
Stanley, a very prominent denominational preacher and R. C. Sproul, a
distinguished Calvinist scholar, both have books on the doctrine of faith
alone.
Preachers among churches of Christ,
including your speaker, vigorously oppose the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation
by grace alone through faith alone. Incidentally, some of the Calvinist
preachers, like Dr. Norman Geisler, are beginning to have second thoughts about
some of the doctrines of Calvinism. Two professors, Jerry Walls and Joseph
Dongell, of Asbury Theological Seminary at Wilmore, Kentucky-a Methodist
seminary-have published a book with the title, Why I Am not a Calvinist
(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004). These two authors insist,
"that the truly fundamental dispute is not over (God's) power but rather
over God’s character" (p. 8). They argue: "The initiative here is
entirely God's part; the sinner's part is only to respond in faith and grateful
obedience.... It is possible to begin a genuine relationship with God but then
later turn from him and persist in evil so that one is finally lost" (p.
11). Why do some preachers teach one doctrine of salvation and another group of
preachers teach a different doctrine? Or does it make any difference what we
believe and teach about salvation, so long as we are honest?
I have mentioned two areas where there
are widespread disagreements in the religious world. If time permitted and if
it were expedient, I could give you dozens of other examples. But I have a
question for you to consider. Why do we not all understand the Bible alike? There
are many people in the religious world-including a few left-leaning preachers
among churches of Christ-who see no particular harm in the different views of
scripture. In fact, some people seem to think that it is a healthy and
desirable situation, although I have never heard one of those preachers explain
just how much we may differ and still enjoy biblical fellowship. In their book,
The Jesus Proposal: A Theological Framework for Maintaining the Unity of
the Body of Christ (
Before I outline some of the reasons
we do not see the Bible alike, I must read to you a very important verse. As
you know from your own reading, the church in the city of
I do not claim to know all the reasons
for the disagreements that exist in the religious world, but I believe I know
some of them. I have absolutely no doubt that ignorance plays a vital role in
the differences among professed believers in Christ. There are millions of
people who do not understand because they have not made the effort to
understand. Paul believed and taught that we can understand. In his
great letter on the church, the apostle Paul informed the Ephesian Christians:
"For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if
you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God toward you: how that by
revelation he made known unto me the mystery (or secret); (as I wrote before in
few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ)" (Eph. 3:1-4). Is there any doubt in your mind that
Paul expected his readers to understand what he had written? If we do not understand
the Bible alike, is it not evident that somebody does not understand it at all?
We cannot have two or three or more understandings of a Bible verse and all of
them be legitimate. That would violate the law of non-contradiction.
Ignorance of the scriptures not only
applies to unbelievers but also to some devoutly religious people. Have you
ever had this experience? You were talking with someone about the Bible. You
read to that person a verse to which he responded: "I did not know that was
in the Bible." I remember receiving a letter from a seventeen-year-old boy
who declared emphatically: "The Bible nowhere says that baptism
saves." Was that what his preacher told him? Had he not read: "The
like figure whereunto baptism does also now save us (not the putting away of
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Christ" (1 Pet. 3: 21)? How can we ever come to any
agreement if we have not read and studied the inspired word of God?
There are dispensationalists like Tim LaHaye
and Jerry Jenkins who think the
I am fully aware that most of us have
developed a plan B or many plan Bs for our lives. There have been many times in
my life when I had started in one direction but had to change because of my
lack of preparation and lack of skills. But does God have a plan B? It is
insulting to argue that any behavior is a surprise to God. For example, God
knew the Jews would reject the Savior when he came into the world. Had the Jews
known their own scriptures, they would have known that many of them would
reject Christ. A careful reading of Isaiah 53 would have kept them from being
ignorant about the coming Messiah.
Matthew records a very intense
confrontation between Christ and some Sadducees. I know you remember that the
Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They invented a story to try to
trap our Lord. They asked about a man who married and then died. His brother
was supposed to marry the dead brother's wife and bring up children to his
brother. The second brother died and five other brothers died and then the
woman died. They asked, "In the resurrection, who wife shall she be of the
seven? For they all had her." The Sadducees thought they had caught Jesus
between a rock and a hard place. Please take careful notice of our Lord's
response to the Sadducees. "You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor
the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the
resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by
God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Mt. 22:23-32)?
The Sadducees were rich and powerful
rulers among the Jews. Do you suppose they were offended because Jesus Christ
accused them of not knowing their own scriptures? In his commentary, The
Interpretation o/St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1943), Dr. R. C. H. Lenski, an outstanding Lutheran scholar,
makes these appropriate remarks about the ignorance of the Sadducees. "A
genuine previous knowledge of the scriptures would have made it impossible to
misuse the word of Moses as they did. This is guilty and by no means
unavoidable and thus excusable ignorance on the part of the Sadducees. Their
Old Testament plainly teaches the resurrection of the dead, and in spite of it,
and though they had these scriptures constantly before their eyes, they 'have
not known' what they teach" (p. 871). The Sadducees could have known and
should have known about the resurrection of the dead. Their ignorance did not
excuse their beliefs. Their ignorance prevented them from fully understanding
the Old Testament's teaching. The tense of the verb "knowing" means
the Sadducees had not known and still did not know.
Tragically, there are people in our
world who are simply prejudiced against the New Testament church. Every
thinking person knows how prejudice keeps men from knowing and serving God. The
Bible provides a number of examples of prejudice. Philip located his brother
Nathanael and told him: "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and
the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael
did not dispute Philip's words. But he asked, "Can any good thing come out
of
The apostle Peter was a remarkable
leader in the early church, but like some of his fellow Jews, he was prejudiced
toward Gentiles. In fact, it took a miracle to convince Peter that the new
covenant would include Gentiles as well as Jews. Even after the miracle, Peter
still had trouble with receiving the Gentiles into the
There are people in all religious
groups and in all situations in life who depend on what others tell them they
should believe. In other words, they do not think for themselves. They are
committed to what I choose to call "official interpreters." Have you
ever talked with someone about obeying the gospel and have that person respond:
"I will have to speak with my preacher or my priest or my rabbi?" If
their teachers or preachers encourage their members not to listen to other
views, they will not likely leave error and obey the true gospel. That was
John's reason for encouraging his readers not to believe every spirit, but to
try the spirits to determine if they were from God (1 John 4:1). Your preacher
or your priest or your rabbi will not have to give an account of your behavior.
You are responsible for reading the word of God and deciding on your own what
you must do to become and to remain a faithful Christian.
I remember reading a story about a
prominent preacher. A man approached the preacher and asked him if he had to be
baptized to be saved. The preacher called the inquirer a "
The Bible makes it plain that there
are people who are dedicated to interfering with men's obedience to the true
gospel. When Paul and Barnabas had gone through the
I have one other idea I must mention
before our time expires. A person's spiritual state may keep him from becoming
a New Testament Christian. Do you remember the man who asked Christ: "Good
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Incidentally, there are
preachers who would tell him he did not have to do anything to inherit eternal
life. Jesus instructed him to keep the commandments. He told Christ that he was
already doing that. Our Lord told him: "Yet one thing you lack: sell all
you have and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven:
and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was
very rich" (Lk. 18:18-23). It is obvious that the man was trusting in his
riches. Such people are not going to give up their lifestyle to follow Jesus.
I plead with you today not to allow
anything or anyone to prevent you from becoming a Christian. Believe the
gospel, repent of your sins, confess the name of Jesus before men and be
baptized this very day to have the remission of sins. Then seek first the
Winford Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour
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