I’m Confused…

Sometimes when we read the Bible, we get confused. Maybe something does not make sense, or perhaps we start to think, “Is that true?” In those moments, it can be easy to become frustrated. But instead of frustration, there are many great options!

Today I want to touch briefly on three things we can do when we are confused by the Bible.

1.) Pray

We should always pray when we are studying God’s Word, but when we get stuck, or when we feel confused, we can take a few minutes to pray and ask God to help us understand His Word more. God’s Word is given to us to be a guide for us (Psalm 119:105) and we can have confidence that God will help us to understand it more fully.

2.) Consider the Context

When we read a passage of the Bible sometimes, we do not understand the context. Many times, this also comes up when we hear something that does not make sense and is being presented as an objection to the Bible. But, the context matters. The context for the Bible is significant and there are two aspects of context for us to consider.

First, we need to consider the context of a verse or passage within the larger scope of scripture. If I am struggling with a specific verse, I should consider what the other verses in that chapter are saying. By considering scripture in context, we can better understand what is meant by a specific verse.

Secondly, we need to consider the context of when the Bible was written. The Bible was not written in 2025 A.D. Because of that, there are times when something might feel out of place, or like a detail is missing. We need to consider the culture at times to help us understand what is going on. For instance, at the end of Ruth, Boaz gives another man his sandal. If we read that without context we are very easily and understandably confused! But if we understand the context, then we understand that this was the equivalent of a handshake. Context matters!

3.) Ask a Question

Sometimes context does not help and sometimes we still might be wondering what we should do to understand scripture. This is a great time to ask a question. We might look something up online on a website like “gotquestions.org” or we could ask a friend that we trust or we could ask someone who is discipling us, or we could ask our pastor! But when you are confused and struggling to understand something in the Bible, whatever you do, do not isolate yourself! Ask someone and you can talk through your question together.

Pastor Daniel