“They are without excuse” (Romans 1:20)

When the apostle Paul wrote his letters he made it clear that there was no need for Christians to be ignorant or unaware of many facts such as his personal program (Romans 1:13); God’s plan for Israel (Romans 11:25); how Israel’s history has application today (1 Corinthians 10:1); concerning spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1); concerning his own sufferings (2 Corinthians 1:8); concerning the departed saints at the catching up of the remnant church (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Why is it that many Christians are ignorant of God’s Word and that biblical knowledge in the church appears to be on the wane?

God does not want us to be ignorant. Therefore He has brought into being the Bible for our knowledge, understanding and obedience (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and the Holy Spirit to make this possible (John 16:13).

One problem is that there are teachers and authors who are not first and foremost students of the Bible. Instead of discovering what God has said they start with their own opinions and try and find a phrase or verse that seems to support that view.

A secondary problem is that their students then pass that teaching on as authoritative with little or no scrutiny and comparison with the Bible (cf Acts 17:11). Thus we end up with many who believe a particular doctrine not because the Bible teaches it but because someone with a name said the Bible teaches it.

This practice is common within the Christian community and may be a key reason why many Christians are ignorant of what the Bible really teaches. Many think they know what the Bible teaches when in fact they only know what someone else has said the Bible teaches.

The purpose of the Bible is manifold but its existence must be because God does not want us to be ignorant of what is true. What will prevent our hearts from being troubled (John 14:1)? What will bring comfort to an unsettled heart (1 Thessalonians 4:18)? The only thing that can is the truth clearly stated and rightly understood.

The Bible is written for our knowledge, understanding and obedience and therefore it must surely be written according to the normal rules of literature. Read and study your Bible for yourself, believe what God says in it and you will not be deceived or mislead.