10132024 A Light for Life

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who means everything in life. Skeptics belittle Christians for using God as a crutch. Oh, He is much more than that! He is the center of life, the guide, the stability, the purpose, and the power.

I recently pondered this very familiar verse. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). If I may, let me share some honesty that I suspect you can relate to at some level.

There are parts of the Bible that I don’t fully understand. There are parts of which I feel that I have very limited understanding, little more than a general impression. Sometimes I read a verse or passage, and I am left with a sense of puzzlement or non-comprehension.

Some of the confusion comes on an applicational level. I don’t always understand how the Bible’s truth lines up with my life. Or I read about people from different “flavors” of Christianity, and I puzzle over their experiences and practices; what I read about them seems genuine, but if it is true, it goes against what I have always been taught. I’ve heard sermons and explanations by sound pastors on the same passage with very different interpretations, yet each one sure of his explanation. Can we know what is right?

Some of my more troubling moments have come when men have tried to explain passages or practices through involved sermons (or multi-series sermons) that get deep into the Greek and Hebrew and that link verses in a specific series of progression in order to arrive at a conclusion that at times is a minority viewpoint within Christianity. It might even make sense, but I wonder how anyone could reach understanding of the passage without a great deal of interpretive gymnastics.

These things have made me wonder how much of the Bible we can really understand. I suspect there are passages for which we can have only a minimal understanding. I suspect there are teachings that we can only suggest what we think is the probable interpretation (or possible options) but that we can’t be dogmatic about. God knows what He means, but I don’t think that man can fully grasp the depths of some passages or topics.

Having said all that, let me tell you why Psalm 119:105 was an encouragement to me. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It’s kind of like the opposite of the skeptic Mark Twain, who reportedly said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me. It is the parts that I do understand.”

I realized how thankful I am to be on the opposite side of that statement. Yes, there are parts of the Bible that I don’t understand. That can’t be a stumbling block. Instead, I am thankful for the parts of the Bible that I do understand! The truth is that there is a lot of the Bible that I do understand. There is much that is clear and not open for argument or interpretation. Much of that is true even without focused study, and simple but careful study of the Word reveals even more.

The Bible is the light for life. The truth of salvation turns on the light. The Bible’s overall impression is what illumines the guidance for life. It provides a moral foundation and clear principles and guidance for living. It unquestionably provides the framework for how to live in a manner pleasing to God. The Bible helps me know how to think and how to process what happens around me. The Bible provides light for my present as well as for my future. It provides me light when much of the world is lost in darkness, wandering in dark paths and seeking meaning and purpose in dark alleys.

Praise God for the light that I have in the Bible! Praise God that the Bible eliminates many of the questions that face mankind. Praise God that it illumines my path and my life every day. Yes, even with my limited understanding, the Bible is a bright and dependable light for my path.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA