Difficulty Interpreting Scripture? I John 5:12

Some times people tell me that the Bible is very confusing and difficult to interpret. Indeed there are verses and passages that I am still uncertain about even after many years of prayer and study. Having said that, if anyone is honestly and openly seeking to understand the Bible, the central themes and truths are not that hard to grasp. As Mark Twain used to say, "it's not the difficult passages in the Bible that upset me, it's the ones that are clear!"

The other thing that I hear people say from time to time is that one can interpret the Bible just about any way a person desires. Now it is true that a lot of scripture can be understood many different ways, but there are certain important verses and passages that just can't be interpreted more than one way. A good example is I John 5:12 which says, "He who has the Son has the life, and he who does not have the Son does not have the life." I like to toss this verse out to people who say either the Bible is too difficult to understand or it can be interpreted any way one wants. Usually there is shunned silence or quiet agreement. There is really not a whole lot here to misunderstand or misinterpret. Either we have the Son, which is the "Son of God" (v 10) and we have "the life", which is "eternal life" (v 11) or we don't have the Son and we don't have the life. It can't get much easier or clearer than that. If one asks what it means to "have the Son" the very next verse tells us that it means to "believe in the name of the Son of God" (v 12). Those who believe, that is, put their trust in Jesus Christ, have eternal life. We may or may not like what we read in the Bible, but it is very clear from I John 5:12 that the most important question for everyone is, "Where do you stand in regard to Jesus Christ?"