Make it Plain

All things in Scripture are not equally plain. Some passages are difficult to understand. To paraphrase the confessions, doctrines necessary to know and believe for salvation are so clearly seen and taught that both learned and unlearned people can see and understand them in some place or another in the Bible. If one passage is unclear, there may be 100 more that will shed light on the tricky passage. But, some texts are difficult to interpret. Or as Alistair Begg said pithily, "The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things." In 2 Peter 3:15-18, Peter doesn't say to leave those difficult texts alone, but instead, you need to learn Biblical truth in all the Bible, the right way, to keep on guard against evil people who want to deceive you.

Hard verses are the favorite playthings of those who know the least while also being the foundation for the most unstable ones. Common sense would tell you that if you don't know very much about a subject, the best place to start would be the easy parts. I didn't teach my kids how to read from Van Tillian presuppositional apologetics books. They learned from Dr. Suess, not Dr. Owen. You teach beginners 2+2, not polynomials, rational exponents, and radicals. The unlearned and unstable like to go to the difficult passages because there is a place where a person can seem wise. So why do unlearned and unstable people gravitate toward difficult passages? In challenging texts, you'll find differences of opinions, debate, and argument, always asking questions, but never have any answers. It's the place where there is room for fanciful interpretation. False teachers like to take unfamiliar and twist them until they can convince people of their false teaching. Faithful pastors take unfamiliar texts and explain them. Good preachers try their best to make the Bible plain. 

Twisting Scripture or not knowing the Scripture is the highway to destruction. It's dangerous to be ignorant of the Bible. The Lord has given His people the means to learn about Him, learn about the Bible, and learn about Christian living. He established His church on the Earth, then equipped her with pastors and teachers to equip the children of God to grow in him. Churches with pastors who don't know very much about the Bible are in for a world of hurt. Christians who don't go to church and don't sit under doctrinal preaching are in a world of danger. (Eph 4:8-16). Be aware of how false teachers operate, lest you be led away with their error and fall from our steadfastness. Peter doesn't put a nice spin on false teachers but calls it the "error of the wicked."

Peter urges you to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That means you need to learn more about Jesus. If you are a young Christian, learn more about Jesus. Study the gospel and redemption. If you are a seasoned Christian and add to that knowledge of the Lord Jesus and his work, His person, His promises, and his future program. You already know the gospel, but I can promise you that you don't know all there is to know about the gospel, redemption, how it was accomplished, why it was accomplished, and applied. And never stop. Always look and learn of Jesus.