“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…Thy word is truth” (John 8:32; 17:17).
The point of this inspired language is that, for an accountable person to be saved, he must intelligently understand and obey the Gospel of Christ (cf. Rm. 1:16). This means that the Gospel can be understood, since God does not require the impossible. Yet, it continues to be misunderstood by many people. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Paul told Timothy to be gentle with those who “opposed themselves” (2 Tim. 2:22). At other times, those we may have come to trust may do us a disservice. Paul wrote to the Galatians that teachers were “hindering” them from obeying the Truth (5:7). Consider some ways we may hinder our understanding of God’s Will (and thus our salvation).
We can hinder our understanding of God’s Word simply by not studying it. The truth is revealed now via the written Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17), not by dreams and visions (Gal. 1:6-9). Since it is in a Book, there is simply no way to understand it without individual diligence and effort (2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 17:11). The expression, “Nobody can understand the Bible,” does not convey any idea found in the Bible. Such an attitude usually suggests that one has not put forth consistent effort in trying to understand it. We must be willing to exercise effort and self-discipline to come to understand God’s Word.
We can hinder our understanding of God’s Word by approaching it with preconceived ideas about what we think it teaches. Some say that “it doesn’t make any difference what a person believes anyway,” but this does not harmonize with what the Master said (cf. Mt. 7:21-23). We will have difficulty understanding such important topics as the deity of Jesus, the resurrection of the body, baptism, the one church, worship, the organization of the church, the purpose of life, and how to become a Christian if we have decided what we believe before we ever pick up the Bible. We have to let God tell us what to believe.
We can hinder our understanding of God’s Word by allowing the god of this world to blind our minds (2 Cor. 4:3-4). This life’s cares, riches, and pleasures choke the Word of God to death in the hearts of many people (Lk. 8:14). If we’re too busy making a living for this life to think about the next, we’re hindering our salvation. Some are also blinded by prejudice (Rm. 10:13) and others by popularity. These would rather be popular with men than enjoy the fellowship with God (John 12:42-43).
What a fearful thing it is to fail to know, understand, and obey the Truth (2 Thes. 2:10-12). “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23).
