One of the great questions is how people can read the same Scriptures and derive different conclusions, or even doctrines, from them. We have likely all said things that someone would interpret the exact opposite of what we meant, and this happens to the Lord and His Words as well. One question many have is: Why would the Lord allow biblical prophecies to sometimes be so ambiguous or seemingly conflict the way that they do?

     One reason is that the Lord obviously has a purpose in separating the real seekers of truth from the pretenders. In short, He does not want them to be easy to understand—He wants those who are trusted with a depth of understanding to have a resolute searching heart that will not give up because they value this understanding enough to persevere through any obstacle. As the Lord told His disciples, this is why He spoke to the people in parables. 

     When I was a young believer and started reading The Bible, I was profoundly astonished at its depth and brilliance. I had spent years reading Marx, Freud, Jung, May, many of the great philosophers, and ultimately leading to the existentialists like Camus and B.F. Skinner. I concluded quickly that the wisdom of The Bible trumped the most brilliant human wisdom by an insurmountable distance. Yet I had tried to read The Bible before, but it did not make sense to me. After my conversion, I could hardly believe it was the same book. The difference was not the book, but me, and the eyes that I was looking through.

     Even so, the first few times I read The Bible there were things I could not understand, and things I thought were contradictions. As I gained knowledge of the Lord, His ways, and matured myself, these went away. Certainly I would not claim that I now have perfect understanding of the Scriptures, though they have been the main focus of my study for 40 years now. I have probably read The Bible more than 50 times, but I’m still a student, not an expert. There is one simple factor that determines whether we can discern God’s Word accurately, and it is found in John 7:17-18:

     “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak    from Myself.

     He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

     The first principle of discerning truth and accurately interpreting God’s Word is that we must be willing to do His will regardless of what it says. If we approach it with preconditions, we will never know the truth. If God is God, then to see Him as He is we must resolve that regardless of whether we understand or agree with it, His standards of righteousness are righteous, His standards of justice are just, and the main goal of our lives must be to do His will and obey Him.

     Then the next verse is what will keep us on track. The word that is translated “glory” here is the Greek doxa, which could have been translated “recognition.” If we are going to be true witnesses and stay on the path of the righteous, not just our main purpose, our entire purpose must be to glorify the Lord and honor His name, and never try to use our message to make a name for ourselves. We will only be true to the degree that we keep this as our motive.

     Here’s a glitch though—I don’t know how well I’ve done at this. I’ve tried to keep it as a core purpose of my life since I first read this as a new believer, but I would never presume to have done it perfectly. I am constantly challenged by self-seeking motives that rise up, or self-preservation, so I’m sure I have not been perfect and may not have even followed this very well. On the other hand, I may have done it well. I really do not know. I think this is what Paul meant in I Corinthians 4:1-5:

     "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

     In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

        But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do        not even examine myself.

        For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

        Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God."

   I sometimes feel that the Lord continues to give me challenging, controversial prophecies and issues to address that are bound to be unpopular. I think He may do this to help me stay on the course with my motives because they surely will not be popular with men. Then sometimes the things I thought would bring the most wrath turn out to be most popular and vice versa. I honestly have not figured out how things will be taken, so I just try to focus on simple obedience.

      It is my experience that the things I do that take the most faith and courage and I think are the most righteous and just, do seem to bring the most wrath from the religious community. The things I do that require little faith, courage, or devotion and obedience, seem to get the most accolades from the same. This is why I quote Galatians 1:10 to myself almost every day—“If I were still trying to please men I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

      I do not claim to be the most righteous, just, or even a good example of a good bondservant, but I know that when the opinions of others get mixed into my motives, the confusion is unbearable, and I can’t live that way. It is also noteworthy that the greater the works Jesus did, the more the religious community opposed Him. When He started raising the dead, they felt it was time to kill Him—go figure. We are the greatest of all fools and will be tormented our whole lives if we live in the fear of man. True peace and joy can only be found in obedience to God, and it is found in Him regardless of what people think of us.