The Need for Bible Study: Part 2 Personally
In May of
2014 we posted an article concerning the value of studying the Bible together.
There is a critical need for good teaching and preaching in the church today,
and folks do not need to neglect the assembling of themselves together.
Hopefully you were encouraged in that article to be more intent on getting to
church gatherings where the people of God gather around the word of God. If you
have not read that article, please go back and do so. If you did read it but
need to be refreshed on the subject, please go back and read it again. I am
absolutely convinced of the need for the church to study the Scriptures
together. Music is good, singing is encouraging, worship is necessary, prayers
should be offered, the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated, meals ought to be
shared, fellowship is needed, but none of those things are worthwhile if they
are not flowing out of a clear and convincing understanding of God’s word. The
Bible informs us of all these wonderful things.
In Part 1 of
this discussion we did a little math and concluded that if we were to spend
three hours in the corporate assembly each week setting our minds on the things
of Christ, then we only have three hours to combat the remaining 109 waking
hours of the week that we spend in the “world” with all of its struggles. I
would hope that you would take advantage of those three hours per week and make
the most of them that you can. Come to church gatherings prepared to engage
with the Lord, His word, and His people. I would also recommend that you take
advantage of what the Lord has made available to us today for personal Bible
study.
We have been
blessed beyond the wildest dreams of those from yesteryear. Bibles are
affordable and prevalent. They are all around us. We have superb English translations
and all sorts of tools to use to understand the Bible’s meaning. In the homes
of most Christians, and even the homes of many unbelievers, there are numerous
Bibles. Personally, I have about 20 different Bibles in my office; some are
leatherbound and others hardback, there are several different translations, and
there are several different study Bibles. Of course, I do not even open many of
those Bibles anymore because almost all of them are offered online for free at
places like www.biblegateway.com. There are even several different study tools
and commentaries available online for free. Honestly, there is no excuse for Christians
to not read and study the Bible.
I am
convinced from reading the Scriptures themselves that God has always wanted His
people to hear, read, understand, and meditate on His revealed word. God is a
personal God and has wanted to make Himself known. To do so, he has raised up
prophets and apostles to speak and write His holy word. So, Moses says, “Set
your hearts on all the words. . . . For it is not a futile thing for you,
because it is your life” (Deuteronomy 32). The psalmist also says, “Blessed is
the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he
meditates day and night” (Psalm 1). “Law” there means “instruction.” The Lord
Jesus Himself even quoted Moses saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4). Finally, let me
add the apostle Paul’s famous statement about the importance of Scripture, “All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God [or “God-breathed”], 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.”
(2 Timothy 3). The Bible is useful for all sorts of things. For the Christian,
it is our life and salvation.
While the
saints of ancient times and many around the world today did/do not have Bibles
in their hands, they were intent on hearing, learning, and memorizing it so
that they could live it. If they could put forth that much effort, we should at
the very least be willing to read the Scriptures outside of the church. We can
and probably should read the Scriptures in the morning, during our lunch break,
with our families in the evenings, and before we lay our heads down to sleep.
There are all sorts of ways to go about personal Bible study. You can read
through certain books of the Bible, or you could read a brief passage in the
morning and meditate on it throughout the day. If you don’t know where to
start, why don’t you take the sermon text from the previous Sunday and read it
again, think about it, and pray about it?