Do I have to study the Bible?
by Tim Chaffey, AiG-U.S.
Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Today’s big question: do I have to
study the Bible?
In his two letters to Timothy, the Apostle Paul repeatedly
stressed the importance of maintaining sound teaching. The surrounding context
of today’s verse warned Timothy to stay away from false and idle teachings.
With this in mind, Paul stated how important it is for a believer to be
diligent in studying “the word of truth.”
Far too many people in modern churches have abdicated the
responsibility to study God’s Word for themselves and trust instead in their
church leaders to do the heavy lifting of Bible study for them. This problem is
nothing new. The author of Hebrews admonished his readers that they needed to
progress beyond milk to solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of
milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid
food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews
5:13–14)
Not every believer is called to be a Bible scholar, but we
are all commanded to study the Word of God. The Jews in Berea were commended by
Luke because when Paul preached to them, “they received the word with all
readiness, and search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things
were so” (Acts 17:11).
If you neglect a serious study of the Scriptures then you
risk falling for a vast array of false teachings. Paul told the Ephesians that
Christians should not be like children who are “tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians
4:14). We must mature and grow in our faith, and a key component
of the maturing process is spending time in God’s Word.
The Bible reveals the most important message we could ever
read—the gospel. It is God’s message to us. Yet the Bible teaches us so much
more than learning how to go to heaven. In its pages we read the true history
of the world, beginning in Genesis. We learn who we are, why we are here, where
we are going, and who made us. We can know what God expects from us and how we
can live a godly life. As we diligently study, being guided by the Holy Spirit,
we grow in our relationship with our Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Why would anyone who claims to be a Christian neglect to
regularly study the Word of the God they claim to love?
Today’s big idea: we are authoritatively commanded to study
God’s Word.
What to pray: ask God to give you a strong desire to study and
obey His Word.
