Why People Reject the Bible
More copies of the Bible exist in the world than any other book. It has been translated into more languages, distributed in more countries, and made accessible to more people than any other publication since the invention of the printing press.
And yet, the majority of people who own Bibles don't read them or refuse to follow the teachings that the Bible gives.
Well, today on Bible Talk, we're going to try to understand why people continually reject the Bible and its teachings. So I invite you to stay with us as we try to answer this very difficult question. We'll be right back, right after this.
Scripture Reading
All right, I think we're ready for our Bible study today. I want you to take your Bibles out to Romans, please, in the New Testament. And if you people at home have a Bible, please take it out and open it to Romans chapter 10. We're going to read a Scripture to begin our lesson today, verses 16 and 17.
Here Paul is talking about the gospel, and he says:
6But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
- Romans 10:6-7
One of the things this Scripture teaches, among others, is this: the only way that people will come to salvation, will come to faith, will come to believing, is by hearing the gospel–the Good News. That's another way of saying the gospel.
In other words, you're not born with faith like you're born with two eyes and two ears. Faith is not something you're born with. Faith is learned. You learn it. And that's what Paul is saying here. You cannot learn about faith–you cannot learn the facts about faith–unless you hear the information. And that information is contained in the gospel, the Good News, and the Good News is contained in the Bible.
Why Do People Reject the Bible?
Since I've been a Christian and since I've been a preacher, I've had a lot of Bible studies with people, either in groups or alone. I often hear reasons why people reject the Bible.
They say, "Well, I don't reject the Bible. I just don't believe it," or, "I don't accept it because..." and then you can fill in the blank.
Today I've gone into my drawers and pulled out the very best excuses I've heard in ten years for why people refuse to accept the Bible.
It Depends on Your Interpretation
Here's the first one. They say, "I reject the authority of the Bible because it depends on your interpretation. That's just your interpretation."
The argument goes like this: they see fifteen different church groups taking the same Bible and teaching a hundred different things. You go to one group and ask a question about a Bible subject, and they give you one answer. You go to another group with the same Bible, and they give you another answer. Eventually, people get fed up and say, "I guess it's just your own interpretation."
The unfortunate thing is that people get into their minds the idea that the Bible itself teaches different things about the same subject. That's just not so. The Bible teaches the same thing about one subject from beginning to end.
Let's look at Ephesians chapter 4. Paul says:
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
- Ephesians 4:4-6
Paul wrote that two thousand years ago. Christians in the first century understood that there was only one particular teaching about God, about Jesus Christ, about the church, about baptism, and so on. There weren't fifty different teachings about Jesus Christ.
The apostles didn't go to different towns teaching contradictory messages. Everywhere they went, they taught the same thing: that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Lord, God, the Savior; that He died and was resurrected.
There was only one teaching.
Jude verse 3 reinforces this idea:
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
- Jude 3
That doesn't sound complicated. He's saying you were given a body of teaching one time. Your job is to understand it, preserve it, not change it, and pass it on to the next generation.
Too Complex
Some people say, "It's too complex. I can't understand it."
They say the Bible is full of symbols and parables and too difficult for their minds. That thinking comes from the Middle Ages, when people were told they couldn't understand the Bible for themselves. It's just not true.
When I first started reading the Bible, someone said to me, "If you keep reading the Bible, you're going to go crazy." But I don't think so.
I even saw a headline in a major newspaper: "Man kills wife and commits suicide after reading Bible." That's nonsense. The Bible teaches love your enemies, bless those who persecute you, forgive others, live a holy life. That kind of teaching does not drive someone to violence.
People don't want others to read it because the minute you start reading the Bible, you begin to move away from traditional religious ideas and replace them with truth.
Prisoners of Religion
Why do people say it depends on interpretation or that it's too complex? Because they've never bothered to read it for themselves. I've asked people who argue about the Bible, "Have you ever read it?" Often the answer is no.
Another reason is that the people teaching them are prisoners of those same ideas. Many religious teachers treat the Bible as an object to kiss, bless, kneel before, or display on a coffee table–but not to read.
People buy huge decorative Bibles and place them on their tables like ornaments or lucky charms. But they haven't read them.
Is the Bible Too Difficult?
Paul says to Timothy:
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
- II Timothy 2:15
Paul doesn't tell him to stay away from Scripture. He tells him to study, to apply himself, to understand it so he won't be ashamed before God. That doesn't mean it's effortless. But if a person can learn to be an electrician or a television director, he can learn to read and understand this book.
In II Timothy 3:15, Paul reminds Timothy that he learned the Holy Scriptures as a small child. The Scriptures made him wise unto salvation.
We don't start out wise in spiritual matters. We grow in understanding as we read God's Word.
How to Study the Bible
Is there a way to study? Of course. Some people dive into Leviticus without ever having opened the Bible before. There's a better way. If you want to understand a subject, go to the passages that talk about that subject. Read them all. Note the information. Put it together and form an overview. Let's use baptism as an example.
Matthew 28:18–19
Jesus says He has all authority and commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. So we learn that everyone is to be baptized.
Mark 16:16
"Those who believe and are baptized will be saved."
Belief plus baptism equals salvation.
Acts 2:38
"Repent and be baptized... for the forgiveness of your sins."
Baptism is connected to forgiveness.
From just three Scriptures, we learn that everyone must believe and be baptized, and that baptism is tied to salvation and forgiveness of sins.
Final Encouragement
That's all the time we have today on Bible Talk. I encourage you to become daily Bible readers.
Here are a few tips:
- Read every day at the same time.
- Read from both the Old and New Testaments.
- Pray for understanding.
- Set a goal to read the Bible through in one year.
Remember what we learned: the Bible teaches the same truths consistently. There are no contradictions. From the beginning of the New Testament to the end, Jesus Christ is described as the Son of God.
Finally, the Bible will be the standard by which we are judged. As Jesus says in John 12:48:
He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.
- John 12:48
So it is important that we know it. That's all the time we have for this week. We hope you've enjoyed your study with us, and we hope you'll be back next week for another edition of Bible Talk.
