Is the Bible only for the less educated?
Question:
Dear Jeffrey,
I recently came across a paper written by a preacher of a brotherhood Church of Christ, and here is what it says: “The Bible was not written for the highly educated, but rather, for the simple (I Corinthians 1:26-27)." It does puzzle me, and I would like to hear your view on that statement, as well as your thoughts on the use of 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 to support that argument.
To add background to this. I completed my PhD education due to job needs. With a PhD, I consider myself highly educated. This statement would mean the Bible is not written for me. I like to hear your views on this.
Thank you.
Answer:
"For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord'" (I Corinthians 1:22-31 NAS95).
The person who wrote this was an educated man, taught by the finest Jewish scholars. His point is that God's message is not sophisticated. People tend to place emphasis on education and believe that a highly educated person knows more about the Bible.
Just a few days ago, I was talking to a young man who was about to graduate from a seminary because he wants to be a "pastor." He was asked which denomination, but his answer indicated that he didn't care. He just knew that people would hire someone with credentials, so he was getting a degree. Which group hired him didn't matter in his mind. As we discussed various subjects, I noted that he often cited books he had read, but rarely did he turn to the Scriptures to support his points. He was interested in accuracy. He was more fascinated by various theories about why there were so many denominations and their origins. The pride in his education blinded him to the truth.
Because men, through their concept of wisdom, do not arrive at a knowledge of God (John 1:10; Romans 1:20-21), God was pleased to select a method that appears foolish to men to save men through belief (Luke 10:21). The reason men reject God’s teaching is that it isn’t what they were expecting. Jews tended to demand miraculous signs, although even when signs were shown, they rejected them because they did not align with what they wanted to believe (Matthew 12:38; 16:1; Luke 11:16; 12:54-56). The Greeks tend to demand deep philosophy (Acts 17:21). While deep discourse does exist in the gospel message, it is also rejected because it does not match what the philosophers demand (Acts 17:32). However, what God gives men is a message concerning a crucified Savior. To Jews, this was a stumbling block because they refused to accept Jesus as their Savior (Isaiah 8:14-15; Matthew 21:42). To the Greeks, this was foolishness because this isn’t how they imagined the world could be saved.
Yet to people who respond to the message, Jews and Greeks alike, the Gospel is seen as the power of God (Romans 1:16). One message brings a division between the worldly and the spiritual, thus demonstrating the wisdom of God. In other words, Paul is stating that what both the Jews and Greeks were seeking is found by believers to exist in the Gospel message. What appears to be foolishness to men instead demonstrates the wisdom of God’s method. What appears to men to be weak instead demonstrates God’s power to save men (II Corinthians 13:4).
The wisdom of God’s method is seen in the response it gains. When we examine who responds to the gospel message, we often don’t see great intellectuals, the wealthy, or influential people submitting themselves to God's will (James 2:5). This demonstrates that God’s ability to save does not depend on human intellect, wealth, or power. It does not mean that no intellectual, rich, or powerful man could be saved. Paul is only pointing out that few in these categories wish to be saved. God purposely selects methods to save people that do not require or appeal to the intellectuals, the rich, or the powerful to emphasize that man cannot save himself (Psalm 8:2).
God used the apparently foolish, the weak, and the despised to overthrow the current order of things created by men (Acts 17:6). God creates things from what did not exist before (Romans 4:17), which is often why He takes men off-guard, such as with the saving of the Gentiles (Romans 9:25; I Peter 2:10). The result is that man cannot take credit for his salvation; the glory belongs wholly to God (Romans 3:27; Ephesians 2:8-10).
But Christians are in Christ because of God. And Christ is our source of wisdom from God. Thus, Christians do not claim to be wise in and of themselves, but rather that they are taught wisdom through Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:1-3). Christ is our source of righteousness. Again, Christians do not claim to be righteous in and of themselves, but that they learn righteousness through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25-26; II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9). Christ is our source of sanctification. Not that we are holy in and of ourselves, but that we are taught holiness through Jesus Christ (John 17:17-19; Ephesians 4:24; 5:26). Finally, Jesus is our redemption. Not that we can buy ourselves back, but that we gain redemption through the efforts of Jesus Christ, our Savior (John 11:25; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19). Therefore, none of our glory is in ourselves or other men. All glory belongs to God (Psalms 115:1; Isaiah 45:25; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 3:3).
Question:
Dear Jeffrey,
Thank you for your detailed response. I fully understand your point and agree with it. However, in my view, none of these negate the need for highly educated people to humbly study and learn from the Bible and practice God’s word. Paul is highly educated. Luke is a physician and requires a high level of education. Matthew a tax collector should be educated. It is mutually exclusive. To say that the Bible is not written for the highly educated would be telling them not to even bother to study the Bible, because it is not for them.
Best regards
Answer:
I, as an adult, can easily comprehend a children's storybook. But a child struggles to understand an adult book. At the same time, many adults dismiss children's books as too childish and without important meaning. It doesn't mean they can't read a children's book, only that they don't want to spend the time.
A similar thing happens with the Bible. God designed it to be appealing to those who desire Him, but those who depend solely on themselves reject its message. Paul never said that no educated man should study the Bible. He said it doesn't appeal to many who are worldly wise, mighty, or among the elite. That is because the Bible's message is one of humility and submission. The worldly wise, the mighty, and the elite tend to be proud. Some grasp the message, but not many. The educated need the message, but it is usually rejected because it doesn't further their cause. God isn't going to change the message to make it acceptable to the worldly.
