The Bible is for Everyone

Many people have this misconception that the Bible cannot be understood by common men and women, but can only be understood by renowned Bible scholars and theologians. Firstly, the people who pass such comments are individuals who haven't read the Bible completely, and who have no clue what God's Word is saying. If they are individuals who have read the Bible completely, then they would know the truth that God's Word itself says that the Bible is for everyone. The Bible says:

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” - 2 Peter 1:20

The person who wrote the above verse in his letter, is none other than Apostle Peter, who was an uneducated fisherman. The Holy Spirit has chosen the right person to say the above words, because when people read the above verse, they would know for sure, that these are not the words of Apostle Peter, but rather these are the precious words of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says:

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” - Acts 4:13

There are people who would still comment saying that, some things common men and women can understand, but there are some doctrines in the Bible which only renowned Bible scholars and theologians can understand, and those are things that cannot be understood by common men and women. When we read Apostle Peter's letter completely, we would notice how he concludes his letter by saying:

“even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” - 2 Peter 3:15-16

Notice, that Peter does address this issue saying "there are certain things in scripture which are hard to understand". If we stop here, then we would be quoting a verse out of its original context. We need to read it completely to understand the context, because Apostle Peter doesn't stop here either. He continues saying "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction". Who are "they" that are "unlearned and unstable"? Remember Peter himself is unlearned, and he was, once upon a time, unstable, which made him deny the Lord 3 times, but later was humbled by the Lord's Grace. Apostle Peter, here is talking about people who have no idea about God's Word, and who are ignorant about it, and people who distort scripture by taking words and verses out of context, without rightly dividing, and are ultimately destroying themselves. Apostle Peter is referring to wicked people who seek excuses saying "only renowned Bible scholars and theologians can interpret God's Word". How do we know for sure that Apostle Peter is talking about such people? Keep reading further as Apostle Peter is about to conclude his letter:

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” - 2 Peter 3:17-18

Now Apostle Peter is addressing believers in Christ who are aware of God's Word, calling them "beloved". In the King James version, "Thou" and "Thee" is singular, whereas "Ye" is plural. Apostle Peter is instructing to all the people who are aware of God's Word, who know these things, who read the scriptures, to beware, lest all of them would also be led away with the error of the wicked, and will fall from their own steadfastness. Apostle Peter finally concludes his letter by saying, instead of falling into the errors of the wicked, grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The word "knowledge" here is the Greek word "gnosis" relating to the "written Word of God or scripture knowledge". Apostle Paul uses the same word "gnosis" in his letter to the Church at Corinth, saying:

“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit” - 1 Corinthians 12:8

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” - 2 Corinthians 4:6

The Corinthian Christians were the most carnal believers, to whom the Lord had entrusted Apostle Paul to shepherd. The Corinthians were not renowned Bible scholars, and neither were they theologians, yet Apostle Paul talks about God given knowledge from God's Word. The Corinthians were everyday common men and women, who had become believers in Christ by their faith in the blood shed Gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

Nicodemus who was a Pharisee, a renowned Bible scholar, theologian, and a ruler of the Jews, came to meet our Lord Jesus at night, for fear of him being seen with Jesus by his fellow Pharisee colleagues. To him Jesus never revealed himself to be the Messiah. Jesus rather explained to Nicodemus that all have to be born again. When Nicodemus questioned Jesus as to how can a man be born again, Jesus answered saying:

“... Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” - John 3:10

On the other hand, our Lord Jesus Himself walked up to Samaria in broad daylight, in the afternoon, sat at the well, and waited for a sinful Samaritan woman, who has had five husbands and was committing adultery with the sixth one. To her, Jesus revealed Himself to be the Messiah. We see this in the Gospel of John:

“The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” - John 4:25-26

Nobody knows whether Jesus's encounter with Nicodemus, and He meeting the Samaritan woman happened one day after the other in chronological order, but yet the Holy Spirit has placed these two incidents back to back in chapters of John 3 and John 4 to show that our Lord Jesus comes down to our level of understanding and reveals Himself to us. These two chapters contrasts the Lord's revelation between a renown theologian who was a Jew, and a common sinner who was a Gentile (non Jew). The Bible says:

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” - 2 Peter 1:2-3

Whether you are a renowned Bible scholar or a theologian, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as a person and His finished work on the cross, then you are only practicing a religion and not a relationship. On the other hand, if you are a common man or a woman, and you are walking with the Lord in a relationship, the Lord comes down to your level of understanding to reveal Himself through the scriptures by the Holy Spirit. Whatever may be our background or profession, God's Word is for everyone.