Why Study the Bible?
I am a firm believer that there is no “one size fits all” model for how to study the Bible.
Studying the Bible consists of one’s preferred method to engage the scriptures. Studying the Bible can be done individually or in groups. There are a ton of resources out there, some of which I will share at the end of this post, that are credible ways to help you go deeper into the word of God. While there are many different approaches to studying the Bible, I will address the WHY; Why it is necessary to study the Bible as a believer. Knowing why you study is just as important, if not more, than actual study.
I will walk you through a few reasons I have identified as necessary though this list will not be exhaustive. Let’s begin.
1. To get to know the author.
In my previous blog posts, What is Truth? and Can Jesus be Trusted?, one of the main reasons I pointed out reading the scripture is to get to know who Jesus Christ is. He tells us that all scripture reveals him. (John 5:39) It is in knowing him that we have eternal life. Our purpose is to build a relationship with God through our engagement with the word.
2. To know the will of God.
Jesus came to reveal the Father and His will. He came to demonstrate God's purpose for his creation and every person. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2015, pg.1654) He told us he did not come to the world to do his own will but the will of the Father. When the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father, he told them, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, for he is in the Father and the Father is in him. Jesus tells us that anyone who wants to do the will of God will be able to discern if what he is teaching comes from God or if he is speaking on his own. Knowing the will of God begins in the heart before it does in the scriptures. When one wants to do God’s will and seeks to find it, he will make it known to them. The Bible gives us the revealed will of God so that we may partner with him to align our lives to what he wants for us.
3. To understand the will of God.
In the Book of Acts, chapter 8:27-28, Phillip, sent of the Lord, encountered an Ethiopian eunuch. He was a man of prestige, in charge of the Kandake's treasury (queen of the Ethiopians). He had gone out to Jerusalem to worship, and in route back home, he was in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet aloud, which was a common practice in those days. Individual scholars suggest that Phillip may have heard the eunuch reading the scriptures aloud. (Crossway, 2001-2021)) God strategically positioned Phillip to meet this eunuch on what I like to call his journey to salvation. While on this journey, Phillip asked the eunuch in verse 30, "Do you UNDERSTAND what you are reading." Jesus opened the minds of his disciples so that they may understand the scriptures. Both examples show that understanding what you read helps you to apply the word of God to your life correctly; we first must learn how to divide the word of God rightly. It is the beginning of your transformation journey. Understanding builds confidence around what you believe and why.
4. To know who you are.
Every person on the planet wants to discover who they are, why God created them, and for what purpose. Studying the Bible helps you to learn these things. Your resurrected life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Christ is your life, which means that the life that you now live, you live to reveal him. You who are now a partaker of his divine nature, created to be his likeness and image, who you are then is no longer about discovering self but about discovering Christ.
By studying Christ, you are learning who you are created to be LIKE. In this world, we are like Jesus. (1 John 4:17) God did not create us as a stand-alone but to be a representation of who he is. Yes, we have different graces through which we reveal him, but everything we do should flow from the understanding that it is for God's overall purpose to reconcile all things under the authority of Christ. God has chosen us to be His ministers of reconciliation. Look what John 7:14-15 says:
"About the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews, therefore, marveled, saying, how is it that this man has learning when he has never studied?” (ESV)
We know that you can learn without studying; experience teaches us this—more than that, this scripture shows us something else. Jesus lacked formal rabbinic training, and so did his disciples, yet he had such command of the scriptures. (Crossway, 2001-2021) Formal training did not qualify Jesus to teach. Jesus's assurance of the scriptures and authority flows from identity; He IS the word. He taught from knowing who he was in God and why he was sent to the world. When you understand who you are, your purpose qualifies you for your assignment, not the other way around. You learn your purpose through your relationship with God. Your purpose is attached to the knowledge of God. The beginning of your discovery for purpose does not begin with performing tasks or carrying out your assignment in the Kingdom, but in knowing the King.
Notice I did not mention that you study the Bible to increase your knowledge of the scriptures. Here is why. While you are learning the scriptures, it is essential not to focus on studying the Bible as "knowledge-based.” The scriptures teach us that knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (1 Co. 8:1). We run the risk of spiritual pride when we take the abilities, we have acquired to present ourselves as one well-learned and not as one approved unto God. (2 Timothy 2:15) Our study should be God-centered, not self-centered. We can become confident in our effort and lose sight of the reason why we seek the Lord. In all that we do, let us do it as unto God.
As promised, here are a few adequate resources that I have found useful in my study:
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (2015). Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.
Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. (2012). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary. (1964,1976,1982,1990,1995,1999,2001,2004,2006,2008,2011). New York: Oxford University Press.
Blue Letter Bible. (v2.77.1 build, 1711). (2020). [Mobile app]. App Store. https://bluletterbible.org.
Stern, D. H., & Stern, O. R. A. M. H. L. A. R. S. D. (2016). Complete Jewish Bible. Macmillan Publishers.
Go Deeper
Scripture references
Phillipians 3:8-10; Romans 12:2; Proverbs 4:7; Hebrews 5:14; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John, 2 John, 3 John
Reflection Points:
1. Prior to reading this post, what was your reason for studying the Bible?
2. Why is it important to establish your "why" as a foundation for Bible Study?
3. Identify 4 additional reason that you can think of for why we study the Bible? Find scriptural references to support your answers.
Resources
Scripture quotations marks ESV are taken from the English Standard Version Bible; Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible : English standard version.
Website: Crossway; www.esv.org (2001-2021)
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (2015). Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.
