I’m writing this post in the context of the following verses, where Paul tells us about “basic doctrine” or instructions that are so basic, that if we don’t understand them we are like babies in faith! And of course, as you read through the list of things that he has told us are foundational, many of us start thinking about how well we know the topics he’s describing and thinking to ourselves: “Wait, do I know this? How could this be basic?”
Hebrews 5:11-14, Hebrews 6:1-2
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
And as you are indebted to be teachers by this time, again you have a need that one teach you the beginning elements of the words of God; [*]
and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat…
For this reason, we having left that beginning of the word of Christ unto completeness, [*]
let us be carried forward, not again the laying of the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God, [*]
of instruction in baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [*]
[*] I have translated these verses from the Greek, as I find the KJV translation misleading. The rest is exact KJV.
Let’s pull out the list of items we’re given here:
And the four instructions:
- Instruction in baptisms
- Laying on of hands
- Resurrection of the dead
- Eternal judgment
I’ve linked up all the studies I’ve done on these foundations, it’s not as clear in the English but the Greek shows us that there is one foundation made up of faith towards God and repentance from dead works, that is made up of the rest of these instructions.
And if you see my studies, these are not just clear cut teachings where we go to one or two chapters and learn what we need and we’re ready to go. These are deep themes, the resulting conclusion of longer arcs of Israel’s history, things that we see most clearly when we’ve studied and internalized biblical patterns across our entire Bible.
So how can that be basic according to Paul?
The Context and Perspective of Your Bible
The first thing we need to understand is that your Bible is not written for just anyone to read. It’s written for the children of Israel.
Romans 11:25-26
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
“All Israel shall be saved,” we need to pause and think about verses like this, was all the country of Israel saved in our Biblical stories? Definitely not. This is talking about an Israel that consists of believers.
Here is Jesus (יהושוע) speaking to Israeli Pharisees:
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Unless they repented, they were not saved. This “saved Israel” consists of those who have faith in God and Jesus (יהושוע).
Galatians 3:26-29
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
In my study on faith towards God, I explain in detail what faith is and how it consists of a belief that changes your actions towards seeking the things of God and your Bible.
And this is the key piece, the Bible is written for the elect, the children of Israel who God already knows will succeed in achieving their salvation. This is not your average group of people, these people are rare and do things differently than the rest of the world.
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Exodus 19:5-6
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
This is God speaking to Moses right before giving the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai. And this has not changed or been done away with, Peter quotes this exact verse in his letter (1 Peter 2:9), still relevant and applicable.
Salvation is completely available to everyone who can make the decision to seek God with everything they have. But it is not common, in our times it is vanishingly rare.
And the Bible, from the ground up is for those people, called Israel. The people who love Jesus (יהושוע) who is the Word of God (John 1:1-5), Who is your Bible.
Who is the Bible For?
John 10:25-27
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not:
the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
That is not to say that the Bible is only written for some elite group of highly intelligent intellectuals and scribes, in fact, the intellectuals on average seem to have more trouble both biblically and in my personal experience.
But it is written for people who are going to ultimately dedicate their lives to God, to use their lives to seek God and do His things. Which for almost everyone, will involve spending a lot of time reading their Bible. And you will receive the Holy Spirit, and it is He who will lead you into understanding your Bible.
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
This is not elitism, remember some of the disciples were unlearned fishermen.
Acts 4:13
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.
You do not need an education, money, technology, software, experience, or even a Bible to receive the Holy Spirit, you just have to love God with your all. However you can do it, it counts and it matters.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
But for many of us who have been given some free time from work and the absolute required responsibilities of life, we should be reading our Bibles and probably a lot. Making any time that we can. Because the Bible is your access to God, how you can understand your Salvation.
And furthermore, when the Holy Spirit is acting in you He will lead you into the love of your Bible.
Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
But I Struggle to Read
Yes! This used to be me too. But remember, I’m really trying to show you this is not about being some elite person.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
The Bible is about God’s power, not yours. If He says He will give it to you, He will give it to you.
Daniel 12:10
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried;
but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand;
but the wise shall understand.
A lot of what is going on is that the entire appears to be under the judgment of God, we have had the processes, the institutions, the Temple, the priests, the teachers taken away from us (and the ones that left, you have to be really careful with). Things are not operating as they should be. Things are tough, and it is shown to us through these drastic divergences in how our Bible describes how things should be.
We are supposed to feel the lack, the need that we have for God’s ways and instructions that nearly the entire world has rejected. We need to be saved, we need help.
And here’s the amazing and beautiful thing, that help, that we so desperately need. That help is in your Bible.
Psalms 107:20
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
And I can personally testify to you from my near death experiences, that God really does mean that literally. You do not need the investment account to protect you, a great job or education, connected friends and you definitely don’t need money, you need the Word of God, through your Bible.
It doesn’t make logical worldly sense, but it’s exactly what your Bible says.
Jeremiah 17:5
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Matthew 19:16-21
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be [complete], go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
We Struggle to Hear and Believe God’s Words
Here is a section of the “Shema”, that is the command to listen and obey, that in Judaism is often read every single day.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
And for those coming from Christianity most would know this verse, the Bible still has you covered too.
Matthew 22:36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
And if you really believe these verses, that’s it, you are good to go. Gospel complete. It is not actually complicated. It’s just really, really hard for us to hear that, and do it and then keep doing it.
There is not a required reading list, you don’t have to have read through your entire Bible to be saved, you just have to believe and do. And keep at it until the end.
Hebrews 10:39
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Remember the verse that we started with Paul telling us exactly that, to a group of believers in better times than ours. It’s not that the Bible is intrinsically very hard to read, it’s that we struggle to believe what it says.
Hebrews 5:11
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
In Hebrew, hearing is the same word as obeying.
The Bible is Way More Interesting When You Believe It’s the Word of God
This was a huge turning point for me, my story is that I had essentially zero Bible exposure until about 5 years ago. No one around me growing up even really shared having a belief in God. When I started reading I believed that God was real and I wanted to know what was going on.
It was very hard, it was very slow. But I did do it, I did take it seriously, I put in some serious hours and learned quickly but it really came from a place of discipline rather than joy, excitement or love. I knew God was real so I was going to “figure it out”.
When I read, I mostly just read through. I’d get curious and try to figure something out, I’d do a study on topics, but it all felt very far away. Like some very general life advice, I was trying to keep the Torah commandments but I had no real connection as to why. God said it, so I did it. Sometimes when it was frustrating when I learned something new and had to make a change, I would always do it but it felt like a burden.
But I was getting very sick during this time, it got to the point eventually where I didn’t walk for 6 weeks then had to relearn to walk. Despite being in bed all day, my Bible time had trickled down to sometimes just a couple verses.
After this most intense period, somehow I got interested in the pre-tribulation rapture, obviously the idea was extremely appealing to me given the pain I was in. But I had a smart Bible friend who would discuss it with me and tell me there is no rapture. I wasn’t seeing what he was saying but despite being quite knowledgeable about my Bible (I had essentially memorized the majority of it to the point of being able to reference most of the concepts in English) prophecy was incredibly confusing to me.
So I started watching videos about the rapture, taking the theories and verses that people had and investigating them in my Bible. Now I was motivated, I really wanted to know if it was real, if I had a way out of my pain.
And I kept going at this, finding better prophecy teachers and memorizing in detail the major prophecy sections of the Bible. Pages and pages of notes, tracking different aspects and proofs. I found two teachers in particular whose teachings stood up to all the scrutiny I could throw at it (and a mountain of teachers whose teaching fell apart). And they were talking about many other sections of the Bible, and I would check it out in great detail, and a lot of it was holding up.
I was becoming more adept with my Bible in general, despite being in bed the majority of the day I was able to maneuver my Bible like a teacher to check if teachings were true. I really cared what it said now, it had started with trying to verify my rapture escape plan but I had started to really get to appreciate how precisely written my Bible was. The perfection of it, the fact that I could always reliably find my way through these prophecy questions and doctrine questions if I cared enough to do the work.
So I started to think up better questions to learn about, what is the point of prophecy? Why is my Bible written the way it is? How do I know for sure I’m saved?
And I really cared, I wanted to know that I was saved, and now that I trusted my Bible could give me answers, I had the experience to see how perfectly God had taught all these different topics. How could I get God to heal my suffering?
And I started treating the Bible as my source of information, how I would get help. I had really wrestled with a terrible depression and so I studied and studied, and came up with a plan. I asked a friend to come over and to help me pray and confess and cast out any demons.
Yeah I know, a desperate man doing desperate things stuck in his room all day. No! It worked. God is real and He’s ready to act in our lives, have faith. Try things, even if they seem foolish.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
I have not suffered anything close since that day, and it’s even progressed to me feeling a near constant peace and joy in my day-to-day life in the face of many challenges. Did it work because I had cracked the Bible code? No, I think it worked because I finally mustered some real faith that God in His mercy would save me and not the doctors, the supplements or anything else. I had a living faith coming through in my actions.
2 Chronicles 30:18-20
For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves,
yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written.
But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God,
the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
God is looking to encourage us! He wants us to see His power, but it’s in obedience to His Word and His plan, not our way.
I did not go about it in some idyllic way, during that time I was motivated by getting out as soon as possible. But in the way that I could at the time, I really looked to God for my salvation.
You see how it was my belief, that is my faith, that caused my eventual relief? I changed my actions. I had read my Bible diligently, but I didn’t trust it. It was like my work to make sure I got the reward. That is not faith and that is not loving God. And that type of relationship with my Bible did not work and I think it does not work in general.
But when I started to actually understand God, to search out His plans, the details, the veracity of it; I got to learn about who He really is. How He really is. How my Bible actually worked, and that I really could really trust its words, that they will and are happening right now. And when my actions had changed, when I changed how I spent my time and my energy, in a moment my depression was gone; by the power of God.
Not because I was technically proficient with my Bible, but because I had started to obey Him in the messy and weak way that I could muster at the time, I started to give my life to Him.
Your Bible is Amazing
Reading your Bible is not a chore, it is an incredible blessing. It holds true and genuine power, it is wisdom upon which the earth is founded and functions to this day. The world and everything in it works the way your Bible says it does. It is not easy to see these things, but it is true, you can’t just pop it into a couple of Google searches and then go back to what you were doing.
The Bible is an open call to everyone who can receive it, but many parts of it are for the dedicated few who are seeking God with all that they have.
I can tell you now, I don’t even want to spend time on other things, I am not tempted by social media, video games and all the other time wasting things I used to do. It is not hard, because I love God way more than I ever loved those things and now reading my Bible is a joy, the best part of my life.
And I genuinely believe that it is available to everyone in some similar capacity.
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Reading your Bible is not a burden, if you have access to it and time to do it you are incredibly blessed. And if you feel that it is burdensome, I think God is just giving you a nudge, a push in the right direction. You might just need a bit more faith before He pours out the guaranteed blessings and gifts written about in your Bible.
Matthew 13:16-17
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Keep Going, Go Further
Isaiah 28:9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
So I haven’t addressed many of the challenging aspects of reading your Bible, the fact that it’s primarily written in biblical Hebrew and Greek, that we might need other books and resources like lexicons, dictionaries, concordances to access all of it. That prophecy teachers seem to create a whirlwind of confusion and misinformation. That’s before we even start to think about the manuscripts, translation and different versions and archaeology.
I mean yeah, all that is true. God actually literally writes things mysteriously intentionally. It’s not an accident that there is a lot that goes into understanding your Bible.
Proverbs 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings* is to search out a matter.
* You’re supposed to be a king Rev 1:6.
God’s instructions are not just readily available in a checklist for you to print out and keep on the fridge or desk, and it didn’t happen by accident because the texts are really old. God is in control, He has power over every aspect of this. The way that it is, serves His purpose.
It keeps people out who just want the information but don’t love God, aren’t willing to give Him their life. Just like how I told you I used to be.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
And what is truth but the Word of God?
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And how do we love the Truth?
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
But What if You Can’t?
You actually aren’t responsible for your success in reading and whatever else you try to do for God. If for some reason you’ve figured it out and you know that you’re going to fail. You can’t do it, it’s impossible for you to read your Bible and understand it. I think many believers feel that way. But you don’t need to be successful, you just need to be faithful.
I would just recommend you do something, anything to get more of your Bible. Even if it costs a lot, even if it seems like it will cost everything. Trust me I do understand that it is not easy, I was in my bed alone waiting to die for years.
But if you’re going to go down, go down faithful until the end. And I believe if you’re willing to do that, just like what happened to me, God can bring you back and give you another chance.
Job 33:22-26
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.
If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth:
He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
I can’t tell you that everything will work out in some ideal worldly life that you are imagining, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Paul tells us not everyone speaks in tongues, not everyone receives every gift (1 Cor 12:29-31), some of us die for the Word of God including many prophets, Peter, Paul and God’s Son.
But if you try, if you show up and put your faith into action, showing you believe by trying to do something. God has it covered.
John 10:28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
And some of us will work miracles, do healings, cast out devils and speak in tongues. But it all comes from faith in your Bible. In what it says, believing it is real, and that is the Truth.
John 8:31-32
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
In a way, I think reading your Bible is sacrificing your life. People are out there, growing their careers, spending time getting things, achieving things they can leverage and you’re putting time and energy into this book that most people do not care about, and even think less of you for believing in.
When I first started telling people in my life about my new faith and what I was learning in my Bible, and the external reactions I was receiving from others were nearly all negative. I lost business contacts, a lot of old friends and family don’t seem interested in talking any more.
And there I was, just reading more verses on the rapture, checking out another teaching in my Bible, lining up all the verses. Trying to find some way, any way to get people to listen to something true about the Bible. And spending time with the poor, who couldn’t do anything to help me.
It really is a sacrifice, you’re giving up the life that you had, changing your value system away from the life that most people seek, to read and do the works of your Bible. To care about that little doctrine, to piece together Israel’s history and lessons, to decipher what God is doing in this amazing book.
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
But it is the Truth, it is wisdom and I cannot tell you how glad I am that I kept trying to get more of my Bible. I was not the person who was capable of reading the Bible like this, and yet by God’s power I am doing it and you can too.
Psalms 145:18-19
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
So that’s my advice, even if it is hard, find a way to read your Bible. It saved my life and now I can genuinely say that I love God and His Word. It’s my reason to get up in the morning, my peace and my joy. My fortress in the time of trouble.
Psalms 118:14
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.