You Can Understand the Bible!

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08-05-01

The teenage years are a time of constant transition. From childhood to adolescence, middle school to high school, it is the point when you begin to accept more responsibility and enter adulthood.

While trying to figure out your future, your brain is also in a transition of its own. Scientists have discovered that during these years your brain is being “hardwired” in a way that will affect you for the rest of your life.

If you are heavily involved in sports and science throughout your teenage years, your brain will be better programmed to do them. If you spend a lot of time on art and music, your brain will be set for those. If you sit around watching TV and surfing the web, your brain will also be hardwired for that.

In the same way, if you regularly study the Bible now, searching and digging for golden nuggets of wisdom within its pages, it will be ingrained in you to continue doing so later in life!

This principle is not new. Even though neurologists have recently discovered it through science, this concept was recorded in the Bible thousands of years ago. Consider Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child”—child can also be translated youth—“in the way he should go…and he will not depart from it.”

Knowing that teenage years are a time when your brain is being hardwired for the future—for better or worse—should make it that much more important for you to instill a foundation of correct knowledge and form good Bible study habits.

Reading God’s Word may appear to be a daunting task. Its thousands of pages are filled with sometimes complicated depictions of soon-to-come events, with passages written in outdated language laced with words such as “thee,” “thou” and “shalt.” Most verses seem to apply to adults only, with many teenagers asking, “Isn’t the Bible written only for those with God’s Spirit?”—“Can I really understand the Bible if I’m not baptized?”

When you really dig into the Bible, however, you will clearly see that God’s Word is also written for teens.

Early Instruction

As science and experience prove, when you are youthful, you have the energy, drive, curiosity and mind power to learn quickly. This is one of the reasons God intends that you learn His ways from an early age.

Numerous verses begin with the phrases, “My son,” “Hear, you children” or “Hear, O my son.” This is especially common in Proverbs, which states that one of the primary reasons of the book is “to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion” (Prov. 1:4). The Hebrew word for “young man” can be translated “from age of infancy to adolescence.”

Whenever you see terms such as these, realize that God is talking to you!

Verses written to youth are designed to help them make correct choices. Consider one: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes: but know you, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (Ecc. 11:9).

And another: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecc. 12:1).

Notice the benefits that stem from applying God’s words: “When you go, your steps shall not be straitened [distressed]; and when you run, you shall not stumble” (Prov. 4:12). The wisdom found within the Bible’s pages helps you become a well-rounded individual and avoid making the same mistakes others your age often do.

Biblical Examples

God began to work with many heroes of the Bible when they were in their youth. Their examples can help you learn lessons and encourage you to continue living God’s Way.

David was anointed to be king of Israel at a young age (I Sam. 16:11-13). He knew the power of God’s deliverance in his life (I Sam. 17:37, 46). Just consider the story of David and Goliath! As he grew older, David’s trust in and reliance on God enabled the nation of Israel to have prominence and productivity during his 40-year reign.

Daniel was also used as a youth in a distinctive way. He and three other young men were taken into the court of King Nebuchadnezzar and given unique talents by God: “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17).

Timothy, a New Testament evangelist, also had early knowledge of Scripture (II Tim. 3:15). He grew up to fulfill an important role in God’s Church. By applying the scriptures he learned as a child, he was able to understand doctrine and receive correction and instruction in righteous behavior throughout his life.

The same scriptures Timothy studied—and that David and Daniel helped record—are still available to you to read today!

Hit the Books!

To understand the Bible, you should approach it with the same attitude as you would a favorite subject at school. You must be attentive, have a willingness to learn, and be enthusiastic about delving deeper into it. The following principles will ensure your Bible study is successful.

Study at a specific time every day: You should study God’s Word when your mind is the clearest and most responsive, and strive to do it daily. A quiet place without distraction or interruption will provide the environment you need to succeed. Realize that when studying the Bible, you are in effect allowing God to speak directly to you.

Read the Bible slowly: Carefully examine each and every word of a verse and look at the context of it. This is one of the most important rules of Bible study. Applying this principle will remove almost all confusion and enable you to more fully comprehend a passage’s meaning.

Ask for understanding: Regularly pray to God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding of His Word. The book of James states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally…and it shall be given him” (1:5). Asking your “Teacher”—God—to explain certain concepts to you through His Word will help you better understand and apply them in your life.

Use a dictionary, concordance or commentary: These reference materials will help define certain words that may be unclear in the King James Version, and provide background information about places or ancient customs. For example, if you come across the name of a person or city, a Bible dictionary will help clarify what you are reading, and add color and depth to it. If there is a specific word or subject you want to study, a concordance can pinpoint all the occurrences of it throughout the Bible. Aside from the library, many Internet sites offer free online Bible dictionaries and concordances, such as e-Sword and blueletterbible.org. (While helpful for historical context, note that many of these are largely written by people who do not know the truth and will sometimes contain doctrinal errors.)

You may even want to type your findings, print them out, and add them to the back of your Bible in case you ever want to refresh yourself on that particular topic again.

Meditate on what you read: After reading the Bible slowly and clarifying certain words, meditate on a specific passage. Ask yourself: How does this apply to me? What must I do to fulfill God’s will in this matter? Why is this principle important?

Prove God’s Word: Practicing the physical principles you read in the Bible will help you prove to yourself that His Way works. Consider: “A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1). When you notice a heated argument is about to begin, apply God’s method of using a “soft answer” and do not allow yourself to become caught up in the moment. Applying this principle in your life, and those from other scriptures you read, will reap blessings.

Follow living examples: Church members who serve others by providing meals and hospitality are examples of Scripture in action. Helping others in the Church move, buying a meal for a widow at the Feast, sending a “get well” card, or providing an elderly member with a ride are all loving acts.

You can do the same. Proverbs states, “The glory of young men is their strength…” (20:29). Gentlemen, you can be living examples of this verse! Use your muscles to help move furniture or set up the hall at services. Shovel the snow at a sick member’s house, open doors, carry food items, run errands—be a doer.

Ladies, the Bible does not leave you out! Proverbs 31 describes the kind of woman you should strive to become: “She stretches out her hand to the poor; yes, she reaches forth her hands to the needy” (vs. 20). You can show your concern by helping cook for an elderly member or sharing extra clothes with someone in need, as well as through other acts of kindness.

Opportunity to Grow

Understanding the Bible requires application and action. If you apply the Scriptures you will “…find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man” (Prov. 3:4). This should be the goal of every young person.

Remember, when you are young, you have the energy and mind power to understand and comprehend as at no other time in life. It is during this period that your mind is most receptive to receiving and forming habits, including the importance of studying.

God tells young people through the Proverbs that examining the Bible gives them vital knowledge: “My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (4:20-22).

There is no time like the present to search for and find spiritual treasure within the pages of the Bible. As a young person in God’s Church, you have access to more understanding than at any time in the history of mankind.

Cherish this opportunity while you are still young. Open your Bible—and dig into God’s Word!

Also in this issue…

• Earning the Keys
• Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong?