Why Should We Study The Bible?

.....Why should we study the bible? The simple answer is because God in His word tells us to. (2Timothy 2:15) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We are exhorted to preach the word and to be able to defend it. (2Timothy 4:2) Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and teaching. Scripture is the tool God has given us and it is our duty to study it, know it, and apply it. (2Timothy 3:16-17) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I have listed some of the benefits to studying God’s word:

.....Studying the bible develops an appetite for God’s word and allows for spiritual growth:

.....(Matthew 4:4) But He answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." We must nourish our physical body with food. Without food our body begins to grow weak and can not function to its fullest potential. In this condition we can not properly perform our duties at home or the work place. We become ineffective and worthless. As our physical body needs nourishment, so does our spiritual part. If we do not take in a regular intake of bible doctrine, we become worthless as servants to God. To be strong spiritually and be good stewards we need a steady diet of His word. (1Peter 2:2) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, By feeding on God’s word we will become mature Christians. As believers we have a hunger that can only be satisfied by God’s word, anything else will leave us feeling hungry. (Job 23:12) I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

.....Studying the bible gives us the opportunity to know God and to reveal His character:

.....God is not an inanimate object but a living God. As believers we should know God on a much more personal level then the world. We learn through His word that He is a loving God offering comfort, peace, and mercy. He is our hope and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our savior. The attributes of God and His love is probably a endless list but by studying His word we will develop a greater appreciation and a thankful attitude toward God as we see Him unfold in the scriptures. If we do not know God, how can we love and appreciate what he has done for us? (Ephesians 3:19) to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

.....Studying the bible helps us know the truth:

.....As students of the bible, we must not trust the authority of man, but search the scriptures to see what God says. We must study the bible with diligence and prayer. (Acts 17:11) These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

.....It is important to have prayer and communication with God so that the Holy Spirit can teach us. (1Corinthians 2:13) These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Truth is important, especially when it is God’s truth. If we study God’s word, we will know His truth and we will be able to recognize a lie when we hear one. (1John 4:1) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Discover the truth and do not be carried down the path of deception. (2Peter 2:1) But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. Studying God’s word protects us from traveling down this road.

.....In summary studying the bible allows us to be better workman for God. It equips us with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) so that we can quench the fiery darts of the devil and be more than conquers in Christ. (Romans 8:37) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

.....Remember our citizenship is not on earth but in heaven and while on earth we are to represent Christ in everything we do. That is our job to represent Christ to the world and to preach His saving message. By studying His word we will be able to give reasons and to prove by the Word to the lost why Christ is our hope. The word of God will set you free, so discover His truth in the word and enjoy the freedom and peace it brings. (John 8:32) "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

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Growing In Grace!

.....Jesus Christ paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. The Cross truly demonstrates God's love. The Bible says: Love conquers all, and also, that Love covers a multitude of sins. God clearly demonstrated His own love for us in the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is no greater act of love than to give your one and only son for the world. There is no F.E.A.R. in Love. Perfect Love drives out F.E.A.R., because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in Love, (1 John 4: 18).

.....Today, we are free to grow in Love for Him by the grace, (The Unmerited Favor) He has given us, that we may serve Him with joy, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices. Not presenting ourselves to an enemy whose motives and purposes are suspect at best, but to a Living God, a wise, loving, and powerful Heavenly Father, who's motives and purposes for us are founded in His perfect goodness.

.....The Law could never produce true growth in grace and actually worked against the process. 1 Corinthians 15: 56 says, " The power of sin is the Law." As long as people are kept under the Law, they are kept under the power of sin. Romans 7: 7-8 says, "I would not have known what sin was except through the Law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the Law had not said, Do Not Covet. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the Commandments, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the Law, sin is dead."

So, is the Law bad?

.....No, because in 1 Timothy 1: 8 it says, " The Law is good if one uses it properly." In it's proper use, God uses it as a mirror to show us the truth about ourselves, so that we will see our need for total dependency upon Jesus Christ. In it's misuse, it produces an "Outward Conformity" with an absence of Faith, Hope and Love. This results in a total lack of Christian maturity.

An example of this is a contrast between:

A City Dog, and A Country Dog.

.....I personally have had one of each, and the Lord revealed this to me through the Spirit while in my personal studies with Him. Have you ever had a dog that you kept in the house, or penned up in the backyard? What happens when there is a momentary crack in the doorway or fence? The dog takes off like a bolt of lightning! Give it a glimpse of freedom and he's gone. You end up chasing him up the street, constantly calling his name. Does he stop? No way! He would actually turn and seem to grin at you, and keeps running. The more you chase him, the faster he runs.

.....On the other hand, have you ever had or seen a country dog? Picture "Old Duke." There are no fences, but only miles of pasture and woods to run in. He can go wherever and do whatever he wants. But where is he? Right smack on the front porch of your house, sleeping, and resting contently. He is happy to hang around the house, waiting for his master to come and play or take him for a walk.

.....People are the same way. They can't stand to be in bondage! They remain in captivity if there are enough strong threats, persuasive deceptions, or peer pressure, but if you give them a crack of freedom in this situation, they are out there like a city dog.

.....This is what Christians do who have been kept penned up by legalism. Without a personal understanding of the Grace and Truth found in Jesus Christ to guide them, they see freedom only as an opportunity to indulge the flesh.

.....Christians are all too quick to condemn people who are so called, "Rebelling Against God," without first looking more closely and asking, "What are they really rebelling against?" Usually, people are actually rebelling against "Legalistic Religion," brought about by man's traditions, that has kept them in bondage, not against God Himself.

.....Do you really think the city dog is running from his master? No, he is running from the fence. He loves his master. He just hates being penned up. These kind of rebels are some of the most excited, dynamic believers, once the errors of legalism have been corrected in there lives.

Let's emphasize what God has added above and beyond the removal of the Law.

.....God's method of releasing us from the Law is by replacing it with His indwelling Life and Spirit. That is why the country dog stays near to the front door. Because he knows and loves his master, His freedom is not freedom from bondage, but freedom to be with the one he loves. In the same way, we grow to know and love Jesus Christ more intimately, and find ourselves experiencing incredible freedom, hardly ever thinking about the Law at all. The issue is not what I can or cannot do. I'm Free to know my Heavenly Father in an unhindered personal relationship. Then, through that relationship, God teaches my mind to think His thoughts. When I am wrong, He uses Grace to remind me who I really am, so that I can return to a dependancy upon Him. He doesn't just lock me back behind the fence. He is faithful even when we are not. Hebrews 13: 5 says, " He will never leave us nor forsake us." We may get deceived sometimes, or feel beaten down, but His Love and Grace continue to draw us to Himself as He continues to fulfill His Promise in Phillipians 1: 6 which says, "He who began a good work in you, will carry it out onto completion until the day of Jesus Christ. John 3: 30 says, "He must increase, and I must decrease." That is a good way to describe what growing in grace is like.

.....Through our trials, tribulations, and personal failures, we come face to face with our own inadequacy, and are forced to turn to Him for His total adequacy. He then lifts us up, and then we see that He still loves, and accepts us, even if He hates what we did. This causes us to be drawn to love Him, and to trust Him more, as we continue our walk through life.

.....In closing, I want you to know that God truly cares about you and me. There is nothing we can give Him, no service we can perform, no self discipline we can apply that He wants more than just us. He wants to reveal Himself, and His Love to us, and wants us to grow to love Him in return. This is how we grow in grace, abiding in the Truth of God's Word, especially the Truth which deals with our total acceptance, forgiveness, righteousness, and life in "The Finished Work Of The Cross." Within the Truth, we have the boldness to approach God, and get to know Him in a personal way. Through, a relationship, not religion.

We must abide in His Grace, in order to grow in His Grace.

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