<< Previous | Next >>

Bible Study - An Important Component in Being a Christian

Bible study can be fun! When we go to God’s Word to learn, we ought to experience joy because we are engaged in discovering what God has revealed about Himself for us to emulate; learning how to both understand what He is saying to us and also how to apply this new-found truth in practical ways. The better we understand the Word, the better we can understand God’s will for us.

A principle goal of Bible study is to move from the text of Scripture to proclamation. Proclamation can take the form of preaching, teaching, or lifestyle. This proclamation must begin with lifestyle; for what is done speaks louder than words. The proclamation of Scripture is identified by some as the missiological aim of study – the intention of passing on to others what has been discovered. This application is also the basis of our perseverance: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24, NIV). Though the storms come, and they will, when we live by the Word we will remain steadfast and unmovable.

Bible study is an important part of discipleship. The Bible teaches us that to truly be disciples of Jesus, we must be in the Word: “If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32, NIV). The Greek word for disciple is mathetes. It comes from the verb manthano, which means "to learn." A disciple, then, is more than just a follower, but is a pupil who is learning the teachings of the one being followed; an adherent. Christ indeed asked men to follow Him, but He also asked them to learn from Him (see Matt. 4:19; Matt. 11:29). Studying the Bible impacts our lives, and every believer can study the Bible if they are willing to learn how. Since the Bible is the believer’s guide for faith and practice, in order to grasp what that faith is and how we are to live, we must engage in Bible study. The Bible provides the historical expression for both our theological assessment and also our Christian development. The experiences we encounter in Scripture did not occur in a vacuum, but in real life. They also remind us that Jesus Christ came into the real world as a real man and addressed real issues of life. With this in mind, we are better prepared to understand the challenges and opportunities He and His early followers faced, and then, to apply what is learned to our own situation.

Consequently, Bible study will help us better understand what it means to live like Jesus lived – the goal for all believers. It is of ultimate personal significance: 1) It will make us holy (John 17:17); 2) It will transform our minds (Rom. 12:2); 3) It will train us for obedience (2 Tim. 3:16-17; see also Heb. 5:7-10); 4) It will help us appropriate the promises of God in our lives (2 Pet. 1:3-4); and 5) It will guide us in submitting to leaders and to one another (Eph. 4:12-13). The direction of our Christian development, therefore, depends upon it; both the beginning of our Christian walk and also our maturing in that walk. The truths we learn through Bible study help us avoid preconceived ideas about what it means to be a Christian as it lays out the path we are to walk; a path in the footsteps of Jesus Christ (see 1 Pet. 2:21). This objective dimension will help us avoid a spiritualization of the Christian life – an over-reliance on the internal, subjective understanding that is often attributed to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Everything we do and believe must be in agreement with the Word, written and lived, which is our standard.

Bible study will help us understand what it means to fellowship with God. One of the implied results of humanity’s creation was fellowship with God (see Gen. 3:8, 9). This is further evidenced when He takes on human likeness through the incarnation. Scripture connects God’s presence with His truth. The Bible is God’s word, and the incarnation further reveals both who God is and also what His will is. As well, it tells us that Jesus died on the cross to restore that privileged fellowship with God lost through sin. The more time we spend with His Word, the more we get to know Him. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul shares two values of knowing the Scriptures: 1) we can come to know Jesus Christ and receive His salvation (v. 15); and 2) we can grow spiritually, being equipped for whatever God wants us to do (v. 17).

Yet another reason we should study the Bible is because rightly knowing the Word will keep us from error (see Matt. 22:29). With the current rise in popularity of cults, false teaching, and non-biblical philosophies, it is necessary for the Christian to be grounded in the Scriptures in order to discern error from truth (see Heb. 5:13). The need, however, is not simply gaining insight so that we can refute these different teachings and beliefs, but to increase our knowledge of the self-disclosure of God as a solution to the confusion created by these various teachings.

Bible study should be viewed as a cherished privilege for Christians. Only those who have a relationship with God can fully understand what He has said to His own. Paul writes, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). It is only when truth is discovered that it can be applied. Preachers and teachers can consistently tell us what we ought to do and even think, but until we have our own personal knowledge of the truth, we will have difficulty owning responsibility to it. May the prayer of the Psalmist be ours: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Ps. 119:18, NIV).

Currently using Logos Scholar’s Library: Silver Edition, v. 3.0b as well as books from my personal library.

Submitted by David M. Waid