Why Study the Bible?

Keep in mind, studying the Bible is not an end in and of itself. We don’t get to go to heaven because we spend a lot of time studying the Bible. We study the Bible so that we can learn the heart and will of God.

“Create in me a pure heart,
O God, and renew a
steadfast spirit within me.​

Do not cast me from your
presence or take your
Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy
of your salvation...” 

Psalms 51:10-12  (NIV)

At first glance... the Bible may seem a bit daunting.  It’s a big book!  Your first question is probably, “Where do I start?”  If you want to get started right away, and I hope you do, I would suggest starting with one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This site also offers a ten part Bible study called "10 Day Bible Study".  Each video is about 30 minutes in length. The lessons will give you a good bird's eye picture of the overall story of the Bible.​

The Bible is a unique book.  It awakens something deep within us.  A yearning to know God. A yearning to know more about ourselves and the meaning of life.  Many books ask questions about these things.  Only one book has the answers. 

The most exciting thing about the Bible is that in a world of shadows and illusions, it offers real hope. It boldly declares that there is a God and that he can provide us with everything we need to live rich and meaningful lives.

It's critics claim that it is just wishful thinking. But upon investigation you will see that the Bible appeals to the whole man;  heart, mind and soul. Some of the greatest minds in history have given testimony to its integrity.

In nature, God reveals his existence and his glory. But only in the Bible do we get to know God on a personal level. What is God like? Why did he create me? What does God expect of me?  We are full of questions, the Bible is full of answers. In its simplest terms, the Bible can be broken down into four parts:​

1. Creation

2. The Fall of Man

3. Redemption (God lifts man back up)

4. New Creation (Heaven)

Yes, that's really the whole story of the Bible wrapped up in four points. God made us, we blew it, God fixed us but we still live in a broken world, and someday He’s going to give us a whole new world to live in. He’s going to fix everything!​ Of course most of the Bible deals with number 3, "Redemption". How God accomplishes this is the main theme of the Bible.

How 2 Study the Bible is designed to empower you to study the Bible for yourself. If you get your faith from other people and don’t study the Bible for yourself, you could end up with someone else's “baggage”.  By “baggage”, we simply mean beliefs and practices that are based on someone else's beliefs and traditions rather than the Word of God. 

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.”
Matthew 15:8-9 (NIV)​

It is only by getting back to the Bible itself that we can start to discard our baggage and keep the pure and undefiled truth of God’s word.  No matter how impressive or how well meaning someone may be, we must never allow someone else to stand between us and the Word of God.

Prepare to be changed ! 

​“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” - Hebrews 4:12  (NIV)​

If you stay the course on your journey through the Bible, your life will be changed forever. The Bible will inform you, it will inspire you, and at times, it may even frustrate you. But it will never disappoint you. It will cause you to see things in a whole different light. It will cause you to see yourself in a whole different light. If you open your heart and mind, the word of God will remake you into something beautiful; something with purpose and value.

Learning to Obey

Love, Joy, Peace, Hope. 

These are some of the words that come to mind when we think of the Bible. But did you know there's another word in the Bible that often gets overlooked? Obedience is the most foundational concept in the Bible. But it's also one of the most overlooked. Without obedience none of those other words would be possible.

Satan has convinced many people that if they just wear the Christian badge and do a lot of Christian things, like service and worship, they will be acceptable to God.  Worship and service are important, but obedience comes first. Jesus said,

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  - Matthew 7:211 (NIV)

The key to this passage is found in the first verse: “only the one who does the will of my Father…”. 

These people were convinced that they were in good with God because they were cheering for Jesus and making great sacrifices for him. They had even convinced themselves that God was working miracles through them. But there was something very important missing: obedience. In the Old Testament the prophet Samuel told Saul, 

“To obey is better than sacrifice,”  -  I Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

Test every spirit.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

I John 4:1 (NIV)

How can we test to see if what people are teaching is true if we don’t know for ourselves what is in God’s word? Luke reminds us of what Jesus called “the greatest commandment”. The first part of this commandment begins:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength and with all your mind…” Luke 10:27 (NIV)

How can we love God with “all our mind”,  and not bother to study his word?

"Test every spirit." (I John 4:1 ff)

You are not on your own when you study the Bible. You have the greatest copilot anyone could ask for: God. When Jesus said, “Seek and you will find”, (Matthew 7:7) he is not saying “Seek and you might find”. He’s not even saying “Seek and you will probably find”. He is saying that if you truly seek with all your heart, you will find! He guarantees it!

Praying for God to guide you in your studies is imperative. In the New Testament (Acts 10) a man named Cornelius, the first “Gentile”, (non-Jewish) Christian prayed regularly. As a result of his prayers, God sent the apostle Peter to him and he became the first Gentile Christian.