This past Labor Day was an especially enjoyable one. It was quiet, restful, and just a beautiful and warm late Summer day. And it gave me a chance to think.
The question was posed the day before, “Have you ever read anything in Scripture that was just difficult to understand? Like, it didn’t make sense or, maybe you understood perfectly, but accepting it as something that should be a part of your faith-walk seemed impossible?”
Yes. Definitely yes. Almost immediately several scenarios came to mind. They loomed large before me and I had to admit I had struggled with accepting the truth of God’s Word by faith concerning some matters. That’s the nature of human ideology and emotion. And to a degree, those struggles were greater because in each situation I was impacted personally. Would it strain a relationship with someone I loved to share what the Bible teaches about this? Would my circumstances change for the worse if I put this truth to the test? Could God orchestrate the outcome for this situation in a way that makes more sense to me than the way He biblically says to handle it?
God inspired the apostle Paul to teach and write concerning some of these difficult things, and Peter refers to them in his letter.
“...just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
As he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some
things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their
own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:16)
Peter admits that Paul’s letters contained some things that were hard to understand! Peter says this! So I am in good company!
So, the question now is, what to do about it. How do I handle these “hard to understand things”, these biblical concepts, principles and directives that I don’t understand, or seem harsh or irrelevant, or impossible to practice? Well, there is of course the option that Peter explains some chose...twist what you don’t understand, or refuse to accept by faith from a completely loving and faithful God, and do so to your own destruction spiritually, and perhaps even in other ways as your faith-walk takes a turn away from God toward self.
The better option? The better option leads to the vibrant and ever-growing abundant life in Christ. The better option avoids “being led away with the error of the wicked, [falling] from your own steadfastness”. The final verse states:
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be
glory both now and forever. Amen.”
First, just keep growing in grace. Grace is what God gives and makes available to us just because He loves us, along with His wisdom, guidance, protection, provision, joy, resolve, contentment, purpose, peace, forgiveness, value! Give grace a chance to steal over your spirit and smooth out the rough places, the places that Truth grates against. Tell the Lord you are willing to trust Him with these hard things and obey His Word even when you don’t understand. Rely on grace to see your struggle with Truth bring you closer to Christ and more solid and stable in your faith.
Second, just keep growing in the knowledge of your Savior. The more you know of Jesus, the more your understanding will grow. We get to know Him better through His Word. The Scripture reveals the heart of God. He wants to give us discernment and understanding. We grow when we commit to accept by faith what He says to be true and what we can’t necessarily understand.
Here’s an example of someone that had difficulty with understanding and accepting God’s design because of his own ideas. Jonah of old just could not accept that God could possibly want the people of Ninevah to experience His forgiveness and salvation. They were a savage and wicked people, known to have committed gross atrocities against their conquests. They were known enemies of Jonah’s people. It did not make any sense that God would call him to deliver this message, providing them an opportunity to turn to God before His judgment came on them. God never delivers judgment without first giving a warning. But Jonah made the whole thing about him...he was self-focused, and it really was all about God’s love being extended to people that Jonah really didn’t care for or want to have anything to do with. God gave Jonah the chance to be in on this great event, and even though Jonah did deliver God’s message (by way of a stay in the belly of a whale!), he missed out on the joy and blessing of it. He chose to sulk instead.
This is what Peter was explaining in 2 Peter 3. Something like the situation with Ninevah that was “a hard thing” for Jonah, may just be a hard thing for us as well. God is so loving and patient. He desires that people turn to Him in faith, accepting the sacrifice He made for them. He went to great lengths, giving His very life in an unbelievably horrific way, so that we would not have to carry the burden of our own sin to the death and hell it would bring. And this gift, this love, is extended to anyone and everyone. It’s not about what someone has or hasn’t done. It’s about how much God values a soul. His love knows no boundaries. That’s the problem. Ours does. We find it extremely difficult to love when it does not seem to be deserved, or won’t be reciprocated. And more and more we see human life not being valued as it should be.
That’s just one example of some of the “hard things” in Scripture. What I do know and understand is that it is best to trust an all-knowing God with these matters, be grateful for His grace, and just continue to get to know Him more. We can leave the hard things with Him, trusting His great and loving plan and purpose.
There’s no need to “labor” over it!
