"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)
In the first six parts of this series, we have looked at some of the principles behind effective Bible study. We have considered some of the mechanics involved in study, some of the tools to use, and some of the resources to consult. In the final two parts of this series, we will look at what to do after we have studied.
Our purpose for Bible study is of the utmost importance. Why are we studying the Bible in the first place and what do we hope to accomplish by it? Some examine the Bible out of mere curiosity, some to attempt to find fault or error in it, while others undertake the study of God’s Word as an academic pursuit. There are those who study the Scriptures with all of the passion and conviction of one perusing a mathematics textbook. They evaluate its contents, not in an effort to conform their own lives to its precepts, but to determine which portions, if any, are worthwhile or trustworthy. It always confounds me when I hear about a “Bible scholar” who is shocked that a recent archaeological find confirms the Biblical record. It is almost as if they are expecting Science to “disprove” the Word of God.
Until we come to a place where we acknowledge the Bible’s veracity, recognizing its credibility and subjecting ourselves to its authority, we will never get very much from Bible study. Oh, we might learn more about the words on the page, but we will not grasp their spiritual implications.
“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a [mirror]: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (James 1:23-24)
The Bible is God’s Word to man and its purpose is to show us our own condition, much as a mirror reveals the appearance of our face. A mirror will not deceive us, it will show us every flaw and imperfection, but it is up to us whether or not we will do anything to change what it shows us. The mirror will show us if our hair needs to be combed, but we must choose whether or not to accept what it is telling us and respond accordingly.
But what would happen if we decided that we couldn’t be sure if the mirror was really accurate or not? What would happen if, instead of pulling out the hair brush, we pulled out the Windex in an effort to make sure the mirror could really be trusted? Or what if we decided that the problem was with the mirror, not us; what if we instead took a marker and began to draw a new hairdo on our reflection, a hairstyle more to our liking? This would be silly, of course, but some treat the mirror of God’s Word in exactly this manner.
If our time spent in the study of the Bible is to be meaningful, if it is to accomplish its intended purpose, then we must respond to what we learn there. The study of God’s Word is not a mere academic endeavor, an undertaking that gratifies the intellect while leaving the heart unaffected. Our purpose for examining the Scriptures must never be simply to learn more about the Bible, but to let the Word do its work in us, to let the Spirit of God have His way in our lives. We must not just be hearers of the Word, but doers.
If your own study of the Bible has become stagnant, if you are not seeing things in the Word of God the way you once did, ask yourself: “How did I respond to what God showed me from His Word before?” If we do not obey what God shows us during our study of the Scriptures, then it is unlikely that He will continue to show us much else. God’s Word is meant not just to be studied, but to be obeyed, to be followed, to be acted upon. Our purpose for studying the Bible is to let the Holy Spirit speak to us from His Word so that we might become more like Christ (Rom. 8:29).
Next time, Lord willing, we will conclude this study with the final part of the series: Teaching others. May the Lord bless you richly.
To God goes all glory. In service to Him,
Loren
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Thanks, Loren
I very much like the analogy of drawing the image we want to see. :-) Funny thing is, we can draw whatever we please but that will not change the truth of what is really there! His word remains unchangeable, time tested and proven true!
“Our purpose for examining the Scriptures must never be simply to learn more about the Bible, but to let the Word do its work in us, to let the Spirit of God have His way in our lives. We must not just be hearers of the Word, but doers.”
Amen.
We can know it cover to cover but unless we apply the Word to our hearts, we remain as callous as ever.
We are currently in a series called `red letter living` … it explores the words of Jesus and encourages personal application. I am excited to be doing that at the same time you are doing this series. Looking forward to what He does in our lives as a result of how much we are willing to invest!
Blessings,
ann
Hi Ann,
“We can know it cover to cover but unless we apply the Word to our hearts, we remain as callous as ever.”
So very true! It is sad how many people miss the purpose of God’s Word, all the while learning and memorizing verses with great dedication, yet living unchanged lives. They come to know a great deal about the Word but nothing about the One Who wrote it.
“Red letter living” sounds awesome…I have gotten behind again and haven’t gotten over to read the last week or two on all of my favorite blogs…hope to get some time to do this week, can’t wait to read your series :)
God bless you, Ann, and thank you so much!
This is just so good, Loren. Thank you!
It is also a little convicting. ha! And that’s good too. I have to be careful that as I continue at what I think is His desire for me to pull a devotion/poem from each chapter . . .that it doesn’t become all about that. . .having to find something. Having to write something.
I wrote a devotion a day thing before I was blogging and noticed that during that time especially. It’s kind of ironic to be studying God ‘s word but then missing the whole point of it.
God bless you as you help us seek Him in His word for all the right reasons!
Hi Deb,
It’s always hard to find that balance between the time we spend in the Word for our writing and our own personal time in Bible study. I know for me, I tend to get caught up in spending so much time “finding the message” to write about that I neglect my personal devotion time. For a while, it seemed like I was sub-consciously taking everything the Lord showed me and trying to make a message out of it to write. He showed me that some of those things are what He is wanting me to learn at the moment, not for me to try to put into a post!
I am now spending my own devotional time in a totally different portion of the Bible (I’m in Psalms right now). It seems to be helping a little bit because I can sort of separate between studying to find a message and just studying for my own edification. I can definitely relate to what you are saying :)
Thanks, Deb, God bless you!
Oh Loren . . .that’s a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing how you spend personal devotional time separate from where you are studying to post! :)
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