Reading the Hard Parts of the Bible

What should we do when we find passages of the Bible that frighten or confuse us? Today, R.C. Sproul encourages us not to avoid the hard passages of Scripture, but to fix our attention on them for our growth.

I say, when you read through the Bible and you come upon a text that bothers you, you don't have to just be paralyzed, and stop there and stay there forever. Move on, but mark it. And I say, if you find a passage you don't understand, put a red mark next to it. And then later on, come back and focus on those red marks. Say, "Here's a portion of Scripture I don't understand. I'm going to devote special attention to trying to understand these passages that are difficult." What a great way to learn. If you focus on the obstacles to your progress, and remove them one by one, you'll have this augmented understanding.

But even more importantly, are those texts that jar your emotions. And you read that and you say, "I don't like what the Bible says here." Put a big mark next to that one, to those passages in Scripture that offend you. That, at first, glance you disagree with. Now, those are the ones you really need to put your focus, and your attention upon if you want to grow rapidly, because one of two things will happen. You may discover that the reason why that text offended you, or annoyed your sensitivities is because you didn't understand it. And after you delve into it, and examine it, read the commentaries on it, come to a better insight of what it means, now, your problem is resolved and you can move on. And, in the meantime, you've gained new insight and new understanding.

But suppose you check all the commentaries, and you're careful in your examination of the text, and you find out that you understand it exactly right, and it still makes you mad, and you don't like it? "Wives submit yourself to your husbands, I don't like that," you say. Well, put three checks next to that, because that means one of two things, either there's something wrong with the author of Scripture who wrote those words, there's something wrong with Paul's thinking, and Paul ought to change. Or what? There's something wrong with my thinking because here, while I'm being critical of Scripture, Scripture is being critical of me. And if you want to grow in grace and in sanctification, find those places where you are critical of God. It might just be that these are the places where you need to change your thinking and change your life.