Is the Bible too complicated for those who try to read it?

When I was 18 or 19, I finally learned how to read books—not just skimming the words, but really understanding them. Before that, my reading had been limited to things like restaurant menus or football scores on TV. But then I read a book that I liked, and that changed everything. I realized that reading could be really interesting. From that moment on, I started to get into books, and my attitude changed—maybe reading wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Someone gave me a little book by an extremely intelligent author named John Owen (also known for his knee-high leather boots and too much wax in his hair). I devoured it in no time. Intrigued, I headed to my local Christian store to find more books by the author. I found one called The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, so I bought it and brought it home.

On the very first page I read:

«"To the reader—If you intend to go on, I would ask you to stop a little. If, like many in this false age, you look at pictures or titles and come to books, like Cato to the theater, to go out again—then you have already had your fun; farewell!"»

Let me rephrase that: «If you’re near the idiot end of the scale, put the book back and step back.» One page, one sentence, one line, and they say, «You’ve had your fun; goodbye!» I heard Owen’s voice mocking me from a century later, saying, «Andy, there’s no pictures in this book, it’s too difficult for you, and you can’t handle it. Go back to watching TV.» So I closed the book and didn’t read it again.

Here’s my question: Can the same be said about the Bible? Is the Bible only for professors, brainiacs, academics, and nerds? Is it only for John Owen and not Andy Prime? Is it only for preachers and not church members? Is it only for the middle class? Can it be for people in my neighborhood or in the poor areas of your city? Is it too complicated? Is it beyond the reach of ordinary people and only for a select few?

Word of life

Listen to the word of the Lord from Deuteronomy 30:14:

«"Because this word is very close to you..."»

Here in Deuteronomy, Moses stands before God’s people, taking a deep breath after three huge sermons. No doubt the people were overwhelmed by the sermon overload. But notice that Moses concludes his sermons with a climax that contains four objections in Deuteronomy 30:11-14. Word of Life:

• Not too difficult.
• Not too far (not beyond your reach).
• Not in heaven.
• Not overseas.

God says His Word is not too difficult for you. It is not inaccessible, it is not impractical, it is not impossible to understand, it is not just for the elite intellectuals and not just for your priest or pastor. You do not need to be some kind of spiritual «superhero» to know God and understand His Word. The meaning of His Word is not hidden from most, so that only the very intelligent or those who have read hundreds of books can understand it.

Moses says, «For the word is very near you…» (Deut. 30:14a). This statement is as simple as it is concise. God’s word is truly understandable because He has brought it close to us. Close enough to see, close enough to hear, close enough to touch, close enough to know. «It is in your mouth and in your heart» (Deut. 30:14b).

This is not the first time in the book of Deuteronomy that we encounter the language of «closeness.» We read:

«Remember that I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land where you are going to possess it. Keep and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, »Surely this is a great nation. It is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has gods so near to it as the Lord our God is to us in all that we call upon him for? And what great nation has statutes and judgments so just as all this law that I am giving you today?” (Deut. 4:5-8).

God's nearness shows His greatness and grace. The infinite and boundless God has made it possible for finite and limited people to know Himself. The God of all wisdom has given His good law to a foolish people. The God of the universe makes a small, insignificant people the envy of all other peoples. The holy God draws near to a sinful people.

The context of Deuteronomy shows that Moses knew that the people would fail. Indeed, this was expected; not because they could not understand God’s commandments, but because they did not want to keep them. But along with the expectation of failure, the context also shows the making of a promise. Deuteronomy 30:6 says, «The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, that you may live and love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.» The true response to the law was not simply «superheroic» obedience. Life was about trusting God’s promise for the future. To choose life is to trust that God has drawn near through His promises.

The Word of Christ

If you quickly turn the pages of the Bible, through the years of salvation history, you will see the fulfillment of this promise in Romans 10. Here we find Paul using the language of Moses to make a similar, but slightly more developed, point. From the clarity of God’s words, he moves to the clarity of Christ and salvation. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30 to succinctly convey the essence of the gospel. Just as having the Law in your mouth and having it in your heart was not available only to the «superhumans» in Deuteronomy 30, so salvation is not available only to those with superhuman abilities in Romans 10.

The greatness and grace of God are revealed in His Word, because in His Word we clearly see the Savior, the fulfillment of God’s promises of the past. In Romans 10 the camera automatically focuses on a high-quality image of Jesus. You don’t have to go up to heaven to know God, because God came down to earth in the person of His Son. That’s how close He came. You don’t have to go down into the abyss to be saved, because God in Jesus entered the grave to rise and bring life. That’s how clear it all became.

Paul emphasizes that salvation is not in our persistent efforts to keep the Law. That is too difficult for us. Instead, it is in His grace. We are not «superheroes with supernatural» powers—and we don’t need to be. God has drawn near to us through the God-man, His Son Jesus Christ. This Jesus, who was obedient when we were disobedient, died, cursed by our disobedience, so that we might live in the blessing of His obedience. In Him salvation has come near, made accessible and available to all without exception. The importance of the clarity of Scripture lies in the clarity of the Savior. The glory of the clarity of Scripture is the nearness of the Savior.

Why is this important?

Why is this doctrine important in ministry? Many people in your neighborhood may read more than you or I. But some people will be illiterate. Realizing this, we cannot escape the fact that God has revealed Himself—perfectly and definitively—in the Book.

So when we interact with people who have little experience or desire to read, with those who have no experience or desire to read the Bible, we can be sure that when we open its pages, God will be near and Jesus will be clear. Of course, there will be much that they—and we—will not fully understand. The Westminster Confession declares, «Not all things in Scripture are equally clear in themselves»; that is, some parts are harder to understand than others. The apostle Peter even admits this about Paul’s writings: they are difficult, but never impossible, never unattainable.

So, our ministry is a ministry of the Word. Our task is to preach and proclaim the Word of God so that He, by the Holy Spirit, may open the eyes of the blind, remove the veil, and remove the speck from the eyes of those who listen.