Some topics in the Bible feel straightforward, but others don’t.
I’ve noticed that sometimes I want everything to be clearly explained, but that doesn’t always happen.
Maybe part of faith is being okay with not fully understanding everything right away, and still trusting.
I am far from being able to give or find clear direct answers in scripture, but I can take things as they are and accept them, some things we are not meant to clearly understand but we give that trust of letting God help us to see and understand, or make things clear in time.
I recall reading a quote by Mark Twain that spoke on this. He said it wasn’t the things in the Bible he didn’t understand that bothered him, but the things he did understand that bothered him.
I have lots of questions too and either God will reveal it to me, or I’ll find out later. I’ve learned to be ok with that, and my knowledge and understanding does grow with time. I figure that God knows and if I need to understand something, He will see to it.
So no. Not everything needs a clear answer.
I truly think there will be some things that we will NEVER know, until we stand with our Lord. I do not think our little brains can understand a small portion of what true reality is. It is when we do not know the foundation of the ground in front of us, yet we take that step; this is where faith comes in.
Peter
Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
With regard to essentials, there is a such a thing called “doctrine of the church”, which is supposed to explain those things which are essentials, for their better understading, and even those things which are not the primary essentials, but various other things. The challenge is that that men are not impeccable, which is clear even from the disciples, but still men would claim at times that they are, and that their understanding and decisions, individual and collective, are impeccable. Which I think, is rather sign of pride, then of humble following the Lord. However, that does not mean that a person cannot consult the doctrines, but he should rather be able to see that one or another doctrine is truly, soundly and also rationally explain the Sacred Scripture. For, after all, what is reading without genuine understanding?
I agree with your perspective up to that point. However, I believe that statement could potentially create an opening for the addition or subtraction of elements from Scripture. It is unacceptable to state, for example, that “John 3:16 says God loved the world so He gave His only Son for us to be saved,” and then to claim, “Well, if you see all these passages about love, and the church teaches this or that, one must conclude that Jesus is not the only way.”
It is crucial to interpret Scripture accurately. We should not manipulate its meaning based on personal feelings or interpretations that contradict its clear message. The Bible is a straightforward guide, meant to be understood and followed. When encountering difficult passages, prayer and diligent study are essential. Seek a deeper understanding through Scripture itself. It is important to remember that our lack of comprehension does not invalidate the Word of God.
The Word of God is the final authority in all things. We would do well to follow what it says.
Peter
God fashioned man as a tripart being, spirit/soul/body. God is a tripartite being, Father/Son/Holy Spirit. If you’ve heard about the Temples that they used to build, the temples were constructed with an outer court, and an inner court, and with the innermost part, the Holy of Holies.
Now think about man and the battle which rages in our minds. What is actually happening is our spirit and our soul are fighting for the control of the body. The Bible says to be led by the spirit. So the understanding mind we have can not fathom the things of the spirit so always wants what the body’s 5 senses want. Whatever smells good, whatever tastes good makes him feel good and so forth. God’s Holy Spirit talks directly to our spirit. So your conscience is how your spirit talks to you. You get tempted some way and your conscience says Don’t do it! If we listen to our conscience and obey it by not doing it, then we are said to have been led by the spirit.
But the soul does not like not getting what he wants, so he usually rises up and gives you thoughts of how to rationalize it and that it’s ok to go ahead and do it…When you give into what the soul wants (to control the body’s actions) and then that is disobeying the spirit, disobeying God and causes a hardening of your heart which desensitizes you to the things of the spirit. So begin today obeying your spirit’s voice in the small things, just for the practice. As you go through the day remain aware of your spirit and what he is saying.
A Tale Of Two Wolves (Cherokee Proverb)
ONE EVENING, AN ELDERLY
CHEROKEE BRAVE TOLD HIS
GRANDSON ABOUT A BATTLE THAT
GOES ON INSIDE PEOPLE.
HE SAID “MY SON, THE BATTLE IS
BETWEEN TWO ‘WOLVES’ INSIDE US ALL.
ONE IS EVIL. IT IS ANGER,
ENVY, JEALOUSY, SORROW,
REGRET, GREED, ARROGANCE,
SELF-PITY, GUILT, RESENTMENT,
INFERIORITY, LIES, FALSE PRIDE,
SUPERIORITY, AND EGO.
THE OTHER IS GOOD.
IT IS JOY, PEACE LOVE, HOPE SERENITY,
HUMILITY, KINDNESS, BENEVOLENCE,
EMPATHY, GENEROSITY,
TRUTH, COMPASSION AND FAITH.”
THE GRANDSON THOUGH ABOUT
IT FOR A MINUTE AND THEN ASKED
HIS GRANDFATHER:
“WHICH WOLF WINS?…”
THE OLD CHEROKEE SIMPLY REPLIED,
“THE ONE THAT YOU FEED”…/
You feed your spirit the Word of God. You feed your body the things of the world.
My point is that the Lord God the Saviour is the only One who saves. But it is self-evident that many people never knew Him while they were in the world. Therefore, we must either assume that they go to hell simply because they did not know Him, or we must assume that they may eventually be saved.
With regard to the latter, admittedly, not much is said explicitly in the letter of the Bible. But there is such a thing as the explanation of Scripture.
Now, regarding “Scripture alone,” tell me: in which Church has there ever been Scripture alone without any interpretation? In the earliest times, there were interpretations by John, James, and Paul, and these differed somewhat. Then there were the interpretations of the early Fathers. Then there were creeds. Then there were the creeds of the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Protestants. Even Luther, Calvin, and Melanchthon differed in some respects, not to mention the debates with Erasmus.
So there is no Church without some interpretation. The real question is: how sound, consistent, and rational is the explanation? How well does it agree with the letter of Sacred Scripture rightly understood, and with its spirit?
I respect your attitude toward the authority of the Word of God. But we need to be honest: this authority lies in the Word genuinely understood. For what is reading without understanding? Even the commandments require particular forms of understanding: their general sense, the broader sense of the letter, the narrower sense of the letter, and their more external and more internal forms.
And what if we ever dare to touch the internal sense?
Take a different approach. Many times, when we decide to pick a topic to study, it doesn’t quench anything, yet in the very moment we picked a topic, we could have just as well searched our soul and picked a question we truly wanted quenched and search the bible and the holy spirit for an answer, and if we wanted a solution for something, we search that. This method puts us directly in front of God with us, in real time.
In my early walk with Christ, I thought I had to understand the Bible, so I got books, lots of books that would help me decipher verses that stuck in my mind, or verses or passages that moved me. I didn’t understand what I was reading sometimes, so I found a few books that helped me break down verses as they were written in the original language.
But I think I was missing the point: I was reading to understand what I was reading, rather than reading to understand God. It took me four times reading the book of Job to find his sin..and it literally jumped out at me when I read the book the fourth time. I wasn’t even looking for it. So, this is what I’ve come to realize in my own reading and study of the bible - God will reveal Himself to me as I go along, reading every day, meditating on a verse or a passage, thinking about the context of the verse, passage or book, thinking about what I’m reading and how to apply it to my daily life, and now, sometimes, I can even pull scripture from my head and recall an obscure verse when needed, or remind someone of the many promises of God when they’re feeling low, stressed, anxious, scared, defeated. I think we’ve all felt these things and then some, so being able to recall things I’ve read and share them has been such a joy for me!
So, no, for me everything does not need a clear answer, because God will reveal Himself, and sometimes the answer, in His time. I just have to remain faithful and trust Him that He will come through, which He always does.
Just my two cents worth 
How to ACTUALLY Interpret the Bible in 2025 - Dr. Bob Utley
The answer is clear.
J.
As I said, I understand your compassion and desire for this to be the case. I would hate to think of someone that I love going to hell. I would want every opportunity for them to be saved. This is one of those things I would love to be wrong about. I’m just not willing to reject the Word of God for my desires. It’s a delicate balance, isn’t it? We yearn for the best for those we love, but we also must remain grounded in what we believe to be the truth as revealed in scripture.
Fair point, however, no matter how many interpretations, there is always only ONE Truth. I’m sure you are not saying that the Truth changes depending on your interpretation
Yes, but we must be careful not to change what it says to fit what we want. Sadly, this happens a lot.
Peter
Sometimes, God allows us to discover the truth for ourselves. It is a learning process.
Peter