Why Study the Bible?

Understanding why we do something is a great motivator and it helps in continuing to do it.

This is especially true when it gets tough. For example, I run, mostly for the enjoyment of running, some days though it is really just my goals that get me out of the door. I want a sub 4 hour marathon time, and I want to hit certain distance targets for the year. On days where I don’t feel like it, these goals, these reasons, get me out of the front door. The result is normally a run I’ve really enjoyed and I’m feeling better at the end of it.

Studying the Bible can be like this. We will have days where every word seems to leap off the page and be full of life, and we’ll have days where it is hard work. Days where it is hard to get started, and days where it is even harder to stop.

When it is hard we keep going and, much like the run, we will often find we can feel better for having persevered. Knowing why we study helps on these harder days.

Here are my top reasons for studying the Bible:

1. It is how I get to know God

2. It prompts worship

3. It boosts prayer

4. It is how we weigh prophecy

5. It is inexhaustible

What reasons do you have for studying scripture?

As John Gresham Machen said:

“The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more child-like will be our faith”

What a great summary of why we should study the Bible; it is how we know God.

We are also encouraged to study the Bible by the Bible.

In 2 Timothy 2: 14 - 15 Paul encourages us to study and handle the word well:

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Peter encourages us also in 1 Peter 3: 15:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

Jesus, throughout his ministry uses scripture, a beautiful example of which is handling the temptation in the wilderness in Luke 4: 1 - 13.

If we look in the Psalms (Psalm 119) we see some great reasons for studying scripture.

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, Lord;

teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

Or perhaps verse 45:

I will walk about in freedom,

for I have sought out your precepts.

What is the Bible

That’s why we study, let’s consider what the Bible is.

It’s vital to remember that the Bible is a collection. In it is history, prophecy, song, and biography.

It is translated. We are generally reading in English, but that is not the original language. Consider the Gospels, these were written in Greek, and Jesus was speaking Aramaic. So when we read the words of Jesus in English they have been translated twice.

We must also consider, as we read, that the Bible was written at a particular point in history, and we will look at that in more detail in a later session. That historical context means a different society, a different way of understanding the world, we need to be aware of that as we read and study.

The Bible is practical. It is full of promises, and full of useful instruction that we can live by today. However, it is not a magic 8 ball. It does not have a direct answer to every question we may face. The Bible can help you in any situation but you are not going to find your exact question in there with a nice, neat answer.

How to Study - practical tips

We’ve looked at what the Bible is, albeit briefly, and we’ve considered why we should study it. The question is how?

Let’s get down to some quick tips for this opening session.

Regularly

Often a big hurdle is finding time. There is no right or wrong time to study the Bible. No particular time of the day is better than any other.

Personally, I prefer first thing in the morning, as soon as I wake up. Others will find time throughout the day or into the evening better. That’s fine. The key is to find a time that works reliably. Making it a habit that fits the rhythm of your day is key.

Prayerfully and meditatively

Before reading the Bible we should pray. Ask God to reveal Himself to you through scripture, ask the Spirit to breathe fresh life into you and bring new understanding as you read.

As you read, pause, think about the words. It is often in this space that God highlights new meanings, or fresh understandings.

Tim Keller tells a story that really highlights this point.

“At one point I went to a conference for Bible study leaders. I’ll never forget one of the exercises. The instructor gave us one verse, Mark 1: 17 (ESV) “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’” She asked us to spend thirty minutes studying the verse. She warned us that after five or ten minutes we would think we had seen all there was to see, but she challenged us to keep going. “Write down at least thirty things you see in or learn from the verse.” Ten minutes into the exercise I was finished (or so I thought) and bored. But I dutifully pushed on and kept looking. To my surprise there was more. When we all returned she asked us to look at our list and circle the most penetrating, moving, and personally helpful insight. Then she asked us a question: “How many of you discovered your best insight in the first five minutes? Raise your hands.” No hands. “How many after ten minutes?” One or two hands, “Fifteen?” More. “Twenty?” a large number now raised their hands. “Twenty five?” Many of us now raised our hands, smiling and shaking our heads.”

Keller, T Encounters With Jesus p x -xi Hodder and Stoughton 2013

There are no chapters in the original

We are used to seeing chapters, verses, section headings. These are not there in the original, they were added later on. They are very helpful, and enable us to make sure we are all reading the same part.

What this means is that the original audience, particularly of Paul’s letters for example, would have read them/heard them straight through. It is a useful practice to read through a book in one go.

As I mentioned earlier we will have memory verses for each session, that encourages the ongoing meditation, but I encourage you to read the context. Look at the build up to the verse, look at what comes next. This plays into our understanding of the verse in question.

Taking a verse in isolation can be a dangerous thing, it can lead us to all sorts of misunderstandings. We need to read around to understand the fuller narrative.

Small words are important

For example Philippians 4: 4 - 7:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus..

There are a few small words here that are vital to the meaning of these verses.

We are to rejoice IN the Lord. Not because, not through, but IN. That has a different meaning, it brings us closer to God and speaks of the relationship we have with Him.

Prayer and petition are done WITH thanksgiving. These are not separate activities. We don’t bring our petitions, then our thankfulness. We can bring both together to God at the same time. This is practical advice, bring your petition to God with thanksgiving.

We also see NOT and BUT. These are significant words that change the meaning of the verse. It is good to pay attention to these words.

Other little words that crop up are:

• Will; particularly where may would have worked

• Has; often show a certainty and brings power to a statement

• So that; we should consider the before and after of these two little words, it’s often linking an instruction with a reason, e.g. Titus 1: 9

An example from the Psalms, Psalm 34: 8

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

The Lord IS good. Not does good, or is a good God. Simply the Lord IS good. A statement of absolute, foundational, unshakeable truth.

Word order is important

Philippians 4: 9

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The “God of peace will be with you”. This order here is intentional. Paul has already said the “peace of God” earlier in the chapter, so this is deliberate. This conveys a bigger promise, this is saying that God will be with you, and that God is a God of peace. It is more than the previous statement of the peace of God will be with you in verse 7.

The order of these words is important.

Changing Emphasis

As we read we naturally apply emphasis to certain words, this is normally a completely subconscious act. However, we can slow down our reading and play around with this emphasis, this can often highlight new meanings and bring fresh understanding.

Take for example Matthew 5: 14:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5: 14

We can try reading this with a forced emphasis on different words. Remember this is Jesus speaking, so when it says “You” it originally meant the one hearing, and in our case it means the one reading.

Perhaps we can read it as:

“YOU are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5: 14

Or maybe:

“You are the LIGHT of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5: 14

This works for all the words, not just the seemingly important ones, for example:

“You ARE the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5: 14

Each time we do this we get a different emphasis on the verse, and different strength of application. Doing this as we study scripture can really help us to understand the impact God’s word can, and should, have on our lives.

Let’s have a go

Now it’s time to have a go, read Mark 6: 45 - 56

Take time now, or in the coming days, to use the tips shared so far and see what you can find, take time to hear God speak. Remember it is good to share what you find with someone you trust.