The universal textbook

[theophilus]

To give prudence to the simple,  knowledge and discretion to the youth.  Let the wise hear and increase in learning,  and the one who understands obtain guidance.
Proverbs 1:4-5 ESV

Schools use different textbooks for students who are at different levels in their education. First graders who are just beginning to learn arithmetic don’t use the same texts that college students studying higher forms of mathematics would use. A college math textbook would be completely incomprehensible to a first grader and a college math student wouldn’t find any useful information in a text written for first graders.

Because the Bible is inspired by God it isn’t subject to the limitations of books written by human educators.  It can be read and studied profitably by four groups of people: the simple, the youth, the wise, and the one who understands.  Everyone fits into one of these categories.

No matter how little a person knows he can still understand enough of the Bible to read it profitably. And no one can ever become so well educated that he can’t learn something new from reading the Bible. I have been a Christian for over 50 years. When I was first saved I began reading the Bible regularly and was able to understand it and use is as a guide for how to live. I know a lot more about the Bible now than I did then but I find that as I study it I still learn things that I didn’t know before. No matter how long I live I will never reach a point where I can’t find something new in the Bible.