Why You Should Know Your Bible
There are many reasons that we have for why we should know our Bibles. Here
are some of the points we recently discussed on a Wednesday evening.
1.*To increase our faith. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from
the word of God.
2.*To provide examples of courage and inspiration. In Hebrews we see many people
of God who acted by faith. The important part is that God recognized them not
for having faith, but by doing something by faith.
3.*To learn about God. It is true that God is revealed by His creation as we
read in Romans 1:20. And we understand that it is by faith we realize the world
was made by God (Hebrews 11:3). His heavens declare His glory (Psalm 19:1),
and because of His creation He is to be glorified by His creation.
4.*To know how we are to respond to our God. Just because God exists, and we
have confirmation that there is a God, we still need that God to tell us what
we must do to please Him. Mankind seems to have a desire and need to worship
a deity greater than himself. But often, man choose his own methods. Our God
has revealed His desire and what He wants in the way of worship, daily conduct,
and our various relationships.
5.*The Bible has the words of life that come from God. Hebrews 1:1 tells us
that in the past, God spoke through various methods, but vs 2 tells us that
now God speaks through Jesus Christ, and His designated authors guided by the
Holy Spirit.
6.*So that others will have confidence that we know what we are talking about.
There are many people in this world that have memorized the Bible, yet do not
understand its meaning and message. Some have written about the evidence that
the Bible is true, accurate, infallible, and can be trusted to provide everything
we need concerning salvation (2 Peter 1:3), yet they still teach doctrines foreign
to God*s word.
7.*So that we can teach others effectively. It becomes quite obvious when one
tries to teach something they do not know.
8.*So that we can learn how we are supposed to treat others. After all, the
judgment scene described in the bible informs us that how we treat others will
be one of the measurements we will be judged by.
9.*So that we can rightly divide the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). Many false
teachers and doctrines seem to mix up the old with the new. Sometimes, people
seek justification for a practice because it was done in the Old Testament days.
We also have people who push the gospels into the Old Testament, but they have
an agenda they want to promote to justify such teaching.
10. Because our soul depends upon it. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us everything we need
has been granted to us by the Scriptures. What we need to know in order to go
to heaven is revealed in the Bible. No source of any kind tells people how to
be saved other than the Bible. The books and pamphlets that tell people how
to be saved are just condensed points that come from the Bible.
These are some of the various reasons we need to know our Bibles. Over the years,
people have complimented me of my knowledge of the Bible, and said something
to the effect *I wish I knew my Bible like you know yours*. My response has
always been the same. Start reading it. Even I recognize that I do not know
it as well as others I have known in the past, and that motivates me to increase
my knowledge. Paul mentioned in some of his prayers that he wished his readers
would gain a greater knowledge of God*s will. And we are commanded in 2 Peter
3:18 to *grow in the grace and knowledge of God*.
Over the years, people have asked me what books they need to learn to teach
the Bible. I respond by telling them to read one book. You guessed it, the Bible.
Read it over and over until you cannot contain the knowledge you have acquired,
and when you have to tell others about what is in the Bible, you are ready to
teach it.
While many people seek knowledge of all sorts, it cannot be impressed enough
the need to learn your bible so that you can live a life pleasing to God.
By Carey Scott
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