The last three Bibles I’ve used for study.
“I don’t understand the point of Bible study. I read it once, isn’t that enough?”
My acquaintance’s earnest question made me laughed out loud.
Um, no.
I’ve studied the Bible since I became a Christian in the dark ages of my teen years. I’ve led, facilitated or taught the book for more than 30 years.
I read it daily.
Scripture never gets old and I’m continually astounded by new insights–I get them nearly every day.
The reason?
Here are five reasons why I study the Bible.
1 As a Christian, it’s important I understand what I believe.
My first Bible.
The Bible is composed of many parts: history (the Old Testament); worship directions (the first five books plus Hebrews); poetry (Psalms); directions on how to live (Proverbs and the Epistles); Jesus’s life and teachings (the Gospels) and prophecies (Old Testament prophets; Book of Revelation).
That’s a lot of information to understand in a single reading!
Since readers need to allow scripture to interpret scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21), I have to read the whole book in order to apply and understand it.
That means I move back and forth among the books to understand just what they say.
Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament is complete without an understanding of the other.
2. I allow my soul to be examined against the standards set by God:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)
I learn something new almost every day.
Why?
Because even though I may know the truth of Scripture, I don’t always follow the guidelines.
Each day I read the Bible through the lens of the person I am that day.
I bring with me the events of yesterday, the hurts, and the errors. I am different each day and therefore, the Bible speaks to me on a specific day with its particular needs.
Oswald Chambers wrote notes in his Bible.
3. God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit communicate to me through the Bible.
The best way to know God is to read what He says.
If I don’t read and study the Bible, how can I possibly grasp what God says?
4. To guard against heresy.
How can I recognize what is the truth and not the truth?
For many years, bank tellers learned to tell the difference between money and counterfeit bills by handling “real” money.
Rather than confuse them with what one counterfeit bill or another felt like, banks had them handle the real thing.
By seeing, feeling, and examining US-backed currency, they learned how to easily spot counterfeit money.
The same is true with the Bible. Only by reading it constantly, meditating on it, and memorizing it, can I recognize counterfeit teaching.
When someone tries to convince me God said something different than what the Bible records, it sounds “off” to my ear.
5. Studying the Scriptures enables them to sink deep into my soul.
Deep in my soul, years of studying Scripture lies, enabling the Holy Spirit to pull it out when I need to be reminded of one truth or another.
During the Vietnam war, American POWs were not allowed any reading material–or a very limited amount.
The men sustained their hope and their faith by the New and Old Testament stories they remembered from their Sunday school classes.
They recounted and sang the hymns and liturgy (often taken straight from the Bible), they remembered and drew encouragement from those words.
Bonus. The Bible has long been the medium of truth and inspiration of art in the western world.
Writer Madeleine L’Engle famously suggested anyone studying English Literature needed to be familiar with the words and rhythms of the Bible (she preferred the King James Version).
As an English major, I understood English poetry better than many in my classes because I knew the Bible stories and imagery.
Even my preschool children could recognize the meaning of Renaissance paintings in the Vatican because they knew the stories.
Biblical ignorance means less of an ability to understand the western canon of literature, art, and music.
For those of you who study the Scriptures, what are your reasons for returning to the “good book,” time and again?
Tweetables
Five reasons to study the Bible. Click to Tweet.
Art, music, literature, and truth: reasons to study the Bible. Click to Tweet
How can anyone understand the Bible in one reading? Click to Tweet
#4 really resonated with me. A number of people expressed surprise to me when I decided to attend Sonoma State instead of one of the many Christian colleges I looked at. It came down to yes, I was sure in my faith, but I knew I’d encounter untruths at some point no matter where I went. I figured it would be easier to spot in a secular school than a Christian one, so I made a choice that I felt would keep me stronger in Christ.
Some friends didn’t think it would work that way, but at least for me, it did. Not to mention that if I hadn’t gone to SSU, I never would have experienced the series of events that led to me meeting my husband!