I Needed to Learn to Study the Bible

I guess that for many people, even people of faith, the
prospect of learning to study the Bible leaves them with a
lot of questions, and perhaps the foremost question is: Why
even bother?  There are a lot of things that we need to do
in our lives every day, and the Bible was written a very
long time ago.  There are a lot of different opinions about
the meaning of the Scriptures, so many different
denominations and sects, why even make the attempt?  That's
a good question, and I think that it deserves a solid
answer.

The Bible's Uniqueness

One of the first spiritual discoveries that I made in my
life was that the Bible is a totally unique writing. I have
read the literature and teachings of many different
religions, and as far as I am concerned the content of the
Bible is completely different from all the rest.  Even
looking at it from the vantage point of literature, it's
uniqueness is well-known.  How many millions of people have
been comforted by reading the book of Psalms?  Our modern
day society has been impacted in tremendous ways by the
message of the New Testament. Both Mahatma Gandhi and the
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. were both greatly
influenced by it.

The Bible Is a Revelation from God

For those people of faith who consider themselves a part of
the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Bible is much more than
a collection of masterful writings, we believe that it is a
special message from the creator of the universe to the
human race.  Both Christians and Jews believe that the
Bible contains authoritative teaching about God, and
Christians, in particular, believe that the teaching of the
Bible points us to personal salvation and eternal life
through the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth. This is
a part of what we mean when we say that the Bible is a
revelation from God;  it speaks as an authority (for some
of us the ONLY authority), and we trace in its message the
call of God our lives, to hear and to obey His teachings.

Can't I Just Read the Bible?  Why Do I Have To Take Time to
Study It?

Many people believe that it is simply okay to read the
Bible, but it is not necessary to take time to study it.
Many of these people will read a verse or two, here and
there, and then close the book and wonder why they don't
understand it very well.  That's because when we read and
not study, we will not take the time to probe the inner
meaning of what we are reading; we will be relying on the
message that we get close to the surface.  There are no
shortcuts, however: if we want to really know this book,
know it well, we will have to take the time to study it
thoroughly.

Many people believe that to involve oneself in a study of
the Bible would be the most boring activity imaginable. I
will not take the time to try and refute that attitude, I
would simply invite you, the reader, to experience the
study of the Scriptures for yourself.  All that is required
is a willingness to stick to an organized plan, and be
intentional with your objectives, just as a student would
be who would study chemistry or mathematics or any other
subject.  It will take time, and as I said, honest effort,
so you will need to be patient with yourself.  But this is
an effort that will never be wasted; it will bear beautiful
fruit in your life.

The Bible Is the Key That Unlocks All Doors

I have said that if you take the time to study the Bible
thoroughly that you are going to come to know God better;
why is that?  Simply because the Bible not only unfolds
God's message, it unfolds God himself -- remember that God
is a person, and when we get to know more about what he has
said (his message), then we will also be getting to know
more about the one who has said it (his person). This means
that the most joyful experience in life will come to us, a
closer and more intimate relationship with the one who is
our Creator.  Because we come to know God better as a
result of studying the Bible, we can say that the serious
study of the Bible is a major key to growing spiritually.

Here Is How It Will Help You

You believe in God?  Good. But if you ever wondered what
His will is for your life?  Have you ever thought about
whether your life has an ultimate meaning or purpose?
Studying the Bible will help you to get answers to these
questions.  I have noted in my own life that Bible study
helps me to come to know God better; as I come to know God
better I am encouraged to be more obedient and carry out
His will in my own life.  When I do this, I will begin to
draw even closer to God, and the result is that I will have
an even stronger desire to obey him and learn more about
him.  This, in turn, will feed my desire to learn even more
about the Scriptures; this becomes a repeating pattern
which can have dramatic impact on the course of our life.

To summarize: we take the time to study the Bible because
it is the most unique writing ever produced.  We take the
time to study it because we will never fully understand it
unless we do.  We take the time to study the Bible because
we believe that it is a key, perhaps the key, to spiritual
growth and development.  Finally we take the time to study
the Bible for ourselves because as our life comes in
contact with its teachings we will be changed forever, for
the better.

 

Many people today would like to be a better student of the
scriptures, but don't know where to begin.  We invite you
to stop by our website at http://www.Bible-Study-Tools.org
for more useful information.  We are not affiliated with
any religious group or organization -- nor do we operate
and e-commerce site.  Our total purpose is to provide you
with the best information that we can -- so why not pay us
a visit?  We think you'll like it.