Why can't we understand the bible?

The average Christian today, if they would be honest with themselves, would tell you that they really do not understand the bible.  They could have been saved for decades and they may still not have the confidence of TRULY understanding the bible.  But why is it that if you read a book every day you still cannot grasp the meaning of what it's talking about?  If I asked you what is  2+4 everybody would confidently answer 6.  You would be confident in your answer because of some very simple rules:
The number 2 ALWAYS means 2
The number 4 ALWAYS means 4
The + sign ALWAYS means to add
And 2+4 WILL ALWAYS EQUAL 6

You can comfortably come to the answer because the answer NEVER changes.  The answer is the same if you went to grade school, high school or college.  The answer doesn't change if you are a doctor, lawyer or theologian.    The answer is the same if you live in Zimbabwe, Japan or The Bahamas.

Okay let's look at sentence structures.  If I said to you:

John walked up the hill.

The average person would be able to understand the sentence.  They would be able to tell who walked, where he went, and which direction did he go.  These things are simple to understand.

Now transport to your local church and ask your typical SPIRIT FILLED Christian the question, 'What is the gospel that Jesus preached?'and even though they might have been in church for decades they STILL would NOT give the answer JESUS would give.

So why can't we understand the bible? It is because of a very simple reason.  We cannot understand the bible because we are TAUGHT that we cannot understand the bible.  By whom are we taught that we cannot understand the bible?  We are taught that we cannot understand the word of God by our pastors.  WHAT!!!?? You may think this utter rubbish as you exclaim that our pastors teach us HOW to understand the word of God.  Well do they really?  Have you ever heard your pastor teach and say:

Let me tell you what that verse REALLY means...
Okay, this verse doesn't really mean...
You use to think this verse meant...

These may seem to be invitations to a higher understanding of the word of God, but what is really happening is
1- you conclude that the word of God is ALWAYS changing
2- that indirectly the pastor is causing you to rethink what the text is PLAINLYsaying.  

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING THAT CHANGES.  
Unlike 2+2 it seems as though there is ALWAYS some deeper understanding that you do not know.  This in fact keeps the pastor in his job, because we keep going back to learn some new thing that will help us on our Christian journey.

RETHINKING THE PLAIN TEXT
Since they teach us that the plain text does not mean the plain text we develop the mindset that in order to understand I must go to this pastor (who for the most part really don't know any more than you) to understand this word.

These two factors cause you to lack confidence in YOUR ability to know the word of God.

The problem with this is that the pastor will claim that he is fulfilling some mandate to teach God's people.  He gets that from the following:

Ephesians 4:11
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

This is true, but what is the purpose of these offices:

Ephesians 4:12-14
 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

The PLAIN text of this verse tells us that their job is to MATURE the saints.  Well let me ask you this $2 million dollar question: are you matured? HOW CAN YOU BE IF YOU STILL CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GOD, HOW CAN YOU BE IF YOU STILL SEE YOUR SELF AS A BAPTIST, METHODIST, PENTECOSTAL, EVANGELICAL, OR ONE OF THE OTHER 42,000 denominations in the world? (By the way that fact that there are 42,000 denominations of the Christianity in the world is proof positive that we are 'carried away by every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men.'

Jesus spoke for 3 years and in that time he taught the disciples ALL they needed to know. ( PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN HE LEFT HE TOLD OF THE SPIRIT TO COME AND HE SAID THAT HE WOULD TEACH THEM ONLY WHAT HE ALREADY TAUGHT THEM) How is it that we can be decades in church and STLL learning?  THAT IS NOT MATURITY?  If this was in the worlds system we would go to school for a masters degree and we would never graduate; 40 years later we would STILL be working on our masters degree.  A MATURE TREE NO LONGER NEEDS TO BE FERTILIZED!!!  Yet every Sunday we go to hear the word of GOD so that we can grow.  A tree needs to be fertilized (which is the job of the pastors and others) UNTIL the tree reaches maturity?  By the way do you know when a tree reaches maturity?  A TREE IS MATURE WHEN IT CONSISTENTLY BRINGS FORTH FRUIT?  Notice I did not say a crop this year and none for the next two years, but consistently.  What is this fruit:

Matthew 13:23
 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and UNDERSTANDETH it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Luke 6:46
46And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

When we understand the word of God we begin to DO what Jesus said and this DOING is what becomes our fruits of righteousness.

BUT you CANNOT mature if there is CONSTANTLY something you do not know!!  This is what happens when we go to church; we are EVER learning and NEVER maturing.

Consider the beauty of God's prescription:

He gives us pastors, apostles etc to MATURE us.  Once we would have reached maturity we would bear fruits of obedience to JESUS and this fruit is what the world would see.  These mature people would then meet together TO ENCOURAGE one another since the job of the pastor WOULD BE COMPLETE to them and he would either become ONE within the group or move on to find OTHER IMMATURE christians to which he could begin the process of maturing.

MEAT NOT MILK!