Let me be blunt to get things going here: the Bible is mysterious.

I’m not suggesting that the Bible is unknowable, or that God is unknowable. What I’m suggesting is that there is always more to learn and understand about God; there is always more to learn and understand about the Bible. And we’ll never understand it all (at least not on this side of heaven). This is a wonderful and beautiful reality! Isn’t it fantastic that we can’t completely know God?

Think of it this way: One of the best things about being in a dating relationship or a marriage is discovering new things about each other. If we completely knew each other, the relationship would get stale and boring. It’s the lifelong pursuit of knowing each other more and better that keeps a long-term relationship fresh.

And our amazing God is more than we can understand. When we communicate (by saying it, or by implying it) that the Bible is easy to understand, we insult God. And we set up a demotivating disconnect between that message and the reality our youth live in every day.

Embrace the mystery of scripture with your teenagers!