I used to wonder why God did not make scriptures clear and non-controversial in doctrinal interpretation. Sometimes, it seemed like he communicated his word to different readers as multiple-choice scripts instead of closed statements. He put the Holy Spirit in the mix as an interpreter and catalyst.

One day, I read a scripture that helped to partially resolve my wondering:

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2 AMP

I have discovered that sometimes God deliberately hides things, so people can make an effort to find them. However, it takes a certain nobility of soul to do so. Literalists reduce information to its basic form. Nobles seek for meaning. They focus on the spirit and not the letter.

Nobles educate themselves on language, culture and context. If education was not important in understanding scripture, the word of God would have been transmitted as oral tradition and not written text. At the very least, you must know how to read to readily access scripture. It then stands to reason, that the better your understanding of language, the easier it is to understand written scripture.

Another thing is, your ideology typically determines your approach to scripture. If you embrace grace, you will approach scripture from a place of love and relationship. If you embrace the Law, you will approach scripture from a place of fear and commandments.

God, being omnipresent, has the capacity to carry on parallel relationships with each Christian exclusively. He does so within the same time frame and across disparate cultures. As God is having a conversation with me in English in Nigeria, he is having one concurrently in another language, with someone else in another country.

A major step to developing a thriving relationship with God, is to first break limiting mindsets and beliefs. If you believe God to be unapproachable, do not be surprised if he becomes that to you. After all, that is what your faith has produced.

[bctt tweet=”A major step to developing a thriving relationship with God, is to first break limiting mindsets.” username=”subomiplumptre”]

[bctt tweet=”Your ideology typically determines your approach to scripture. ” username=”subomiplumptre”]