Why do so many people doubt the authenticity of the Bible; the Word of God and claim that the Bible contradicts Itself? Why do so many people find it hard to understand the Bible or find the Bible boring? Why do only a few Christians apply the Bible to their lives? While so many Christians say they believe in God and in His Word? Why are there so many differences and discussions going on among believers, while according to the Word, the believers should be a unity in the Spirit? For whom is the Bible intended?
Not every software works on every computer
When you buy a computer program for windows and try to install it on your OS X computer, you will soon find out that the program won’t work. You shall not be able to install the program and use the program. The software you bought is useless. Unless you install software that allows you to run windows and windows applications on your computer. Otherwise, the software remains useless
The Bible is a spiritual Book
It’s the same way with Christianity. As long as you stay the old man; the old creation, who is carnal and walks after the flesh, which means that you are led by your senses, emotions, thoughts, feelings, lusts, desires, etc., you will not be able to understand the Bible. Let alone, apply the Word of God in your life. If you remain the old man, you shall not be able to walk in faith and do what the Words say, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. The flesh and the Spirit can’t go together, one of them has to die.
The Word of God is not an intellectual (academic) book, but the Word of God is a spiritual Book. It is Spirit, and therefore you can only understand the Word of God if you have been born again; when your spirit has been raised from the dead and has become alive.
The flesh will never understand the spiritual things of the Kingdom of God. Therefore the flesh (the carnal mind and human intellect) will never be able to understand the Bible.
The Bible is a spiritual Manual for every believer, who is born again. The Bible is the only Book on this earth that can feed your spirit.
There are many religious books available, that you might consider useful, and can help you on your way and provide carnal methods, steps, and technics, and temporarily motivate you. But these books will only feed your soul and not your spirit. The results of reading Christian books are often temporary and not permanent.
The Bible is the only Book that is transformed from the Spirit into the natural and is tangible. If you want your spirit man to grow up, then the only Book that will do the job is the Bible.
As long as you stay carnal and keep walking after the flesh, you shall struggle to read the Bible, let alone to study the Bible. You shall become tired and sleepy and consider the Bible boring. You shall be distracted by your own thoughts while you try to read the Bible.
The carnal believer will understand most stories in the Old Testament and the four gospels to a certain level, but the prophets, the letters of the apostles, and the Book of Revelation will remain vague and incomprehensible.
The Bible is not boring
But the Bible is not boring at all! It is only not meant for the old man; the old creation, who is carnal and walks after the flesh, because the carnal mind is darkened. The Bible is intended for the new man; the new creation; who is born of water and Spirit and walks after the Spirit.
Only by the Holy Spirit the Word of God; the Bible is comprehensible. That is because the Word of God is a spiritual Book, inspired by the Holy Spirit. He is the Author and not people.
When you love God above all, then there will be a desire in you to spend time together with Him in prayer and in His Word. God speaks very clearly through His Word. But it’s up to you, if you want to spend time with Him and if you want to listen to Him or not (Read also: ‘Religion or Relation?‘).
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom
The flesh shall always be in rebellion against God and shall always strive with the Spirit. God has put His will; His law in the hearts of the new creations, through His Holy Spirit. Therefore every new creation, who has received His Spirit shall walk according to His will and shall walk in His commandments and please Him.
The old man, who walks after the flesh, has a carnal mind and can’t and won’t submit himself to the law of God, to His commandments and the Spirit. The old man has his own rules and rather pleases himself and his flesh than God.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:7-8)
But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14)
God is Spirit, His Kingdom is Spirit. And as long as you stay the carnal old man, you shall not be able to understand or comprehend the things of the Kingdom of God. You can’t apply these in your life, because they won’t work. First, the ‘old you’ has to die, before the ‘new you’ can arise.
The old man belongs to the unfaithful generation
The old man belongs to the unfaithful generation and constantly needs proof, miracles, signs, and wonders. Therefore the old man is not able to walk in faith. You can say that you believe, but saying and doing are two different things. If you say that you believe, then you will keep His commandments and walk in His will (Read also: ‘First see then belief or first believe and then see?‘)
How many ‘believers’ are there, who walk according to what they see, think, find, feel, find, etc. instead of what the Word says.
Only when you become born-again; born of water and the Holy Spirit, you will enter the Kingdom of God and belong to the Kingdom of God.
When you are born again, you are transferred from death; the kingdom of darkness (world) into life; the Kingdom of God.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)
You must become born again before you can walk in faith after the Spirit. When you become born again and start walking after the Spirit, only then will you be able to comprehend the Bible and apply His Words to your life.
You shall understand the Word, believe the Word, and walk in the commandments of the Word. You’ll speak in new tongues to edify yourself, and the signs and wonders of the Kingdom of God will follow you. You shall seek those things which are above, instead of seeking those things which are on this earth. You shall endeavor the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walk in these gifts.
The Word shall not work in the life of the old man
As long as you keep applying the Word to the old man, who walks after the flesh and belongs to the world, it won’t ‘work’. When you are still the old creation and experience miracles, wonders, and prophetic words in your life, you should earnestly ask yourself, from which source they come.
The devil can also do signs and wonders. He also has beholden God from face to face and he also lived with Him. Yes, the devil knows God very well, maybe even better than most believers. The devil is an imitator of God and imitates miracles, signs, and wonders from Him. The devil can even work through people to predict the future.
Take a look at fortune tellers, witches, witch doctors, magicians, occultists, illusionists, fakirs, etc. They can predict the future, make themselves invisible, float, fly, heal, and do all kinds of other miracles, and signs and wonders. People are amazed at what they see. But these people don’t do all of these miracles and signs and wonders out of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not their source but the devil is their source. Therefore they do these miracles from the kingdom of darkness.
If someone in the church does many miracles, signs, and wonders, but lives like the world and bears the same fruit as the world, then you should earnestly ask yourself from which source this person is doing all of these signs and wonders. Only when a person becomes born again and walks after the Spirit, a person will operate in the Kingdom of God. The person will walk in the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and will bear the fruit of the Spirit.
For whom is the Bible intended?
God’s Word; the Bible is a Manual for born again believers. Born again believers can’t live without the Word. Because how else can they feed their spirit and grow up into the image of Christ Jesus. Without the Word, a believer’s spirit shall starve, and shall not spiritually mature.
When you buy a new camera or a microwave, you will receive a user manual. There are only a few people, who will actually read the user manual first before they use the new camera or microwave.
Most people immediately take the camera or microwave and use them without reading the user manual first. Many times, they encounter problems and come to the conclusion, that they need to read the manual to fix the problem.
But the people, who read the user manual first and try all the functions on their camera or microwave, will get the most use out of their camera or microwave.
It is the same way with a born-again believer. As long as the new creation; the new man, doesn’t read and study the manual for the new man, which is the Bible, the new man will not walk and live as the new creation, as God intended the new creation to be.
Most of the new creations will stay spiritual babies and keep walking after the flesh and always need other believers. They are led by their senses, emotions, feelings, thinking, lusts, desires, etc., and never spiritually mature and grow up into a mature son of God.
A death letter or a living letter?
For many believers, the Bible will always remain a written word; a dead letter instead of living words of God that will come alive in their lives.
When you read the Bible in the Holy Ghost, only then shall you be able to understand the Bible and apply the Bible to your life. Every word that you take, shall be a spiritual seed, that will be planted into your spiritual man (new man). As long as you protect these seeds and apply them to your life, they will bring forth fruit and life. You shall bear the fruit of the Spirit (Read also: ‘The fruit of the Spirit‘).
But you have to take care of the seeds and prevent the seeds; the words of God to be choked and become unfruitful. What will cause the seeds to be choked and become unfruitful are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts and desires of the flesh, and other worldly stuff (Read also: The parable of the sower; the 4 kinds of believers‘)
Stay loyal to the Word. Take the words of God and let them become alive in your life so that you shall bear the right fruit; the fruit of the Spirit.
“Be the salt of the earth”
