Studying the Bible: A Big Undertaking
Sometimes studying the Bible is work.
It’s a big book, and it talks about the most important matters of life. It explores the dynamics of relationships between friends, spouses, parents, children, and enemies. It deals with morality, and spells out for us right and wrong. It speaks of both physical and spiritual life and death. It is full of history and wisdom from the past. It reveals the many complicated issues of humanity. All these deep subjects and more are woven into the words of Scripture and a myriad of different opinions surround it. Scholars from all different viewpoints have argued over different themes and passages in the Bible for centuries. While it is the most popular book ever written, it is also the most controversial.
And besides that, if you have spent any time attempting to understand the Bible, you have probably realized that it’s not always a walk in the park. It can take time, effort, concentration, and perseverance. At times, we must be willing to research and dig into resources outside of our normal reading. It requires teachability and the desire to learn.
We know it’s an important book, but why should we study the Bible when it feels like such a huge undertaking?
So Why Should We Study The Bible?
We are all busy. We have schedules, family, friends, work, responsibilities, and a hundred other details of life all vying for our time. We really need to know why we should be willing to put time and effort into being students of God’s Word if it’s something we are going to invest ourselves in.
Questions To Ask Yourself
If you are wondering ‘why should we study the Bible?’, or doubting if it is worth it, ask yourself these questions.
- Do I want to understand this world that I live in?
- Do I want to understand myself?
- Do I want know what is true?
- Do I want to understand God’s will for everyone, and especially for myself?
- Do I want to understand the purpose of the Church?
- Do I want to understand suffering and evil in this world?
- Do I want to know what my life should look like?
- Do I want to educate myself about all that God has revealed to us?
- Do I want to better understand right and wrong?
- Do I want to know how God has interacted with mankind throughout history?
- Do I want to give God more opportunity to grow me to be like His Son?
- Do I want to better understand my past, present, and future?
- Do I want to know God, the Creator and Father?
- Do I want to know Jesus, the Savior?
- Do I want to know the Spirit, the Counselor and Guide?
The Reward Is Great
I would venture to say that almost every person living in our world would say ‘yes!’ to at least some of those questions, especially those who claim faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Studying God’s Word may be a challenging task, but it is doable. God did not give us His Word to confuse us, but to enlighten us. He revealed the contents of the Bible so that we could gain understanding, not to cast us into uncertainty. We can be confident that we can understand the Bible, even if the task seems intimidating at the outset.
It’s easy for us to miss out on rich, life-changing treasures because we neglect to study the Bible. But the rewards of searching out the Bible make the work well worth it. The effort we exert in seeking to know the Word will be nothing in comparison with the payment we receive back from it.
God has been gracious, kind, and loving. He has given us a way to makes sense of our existence. He has given answers to our questions and an avenue to know Him deeply.
He has given us His Word.
Many of the Psalms sing about the value and importance of God’s Word, and of knowing, treasuring, and obeying it.
Psalm 119 is one of these psalms, centered heavily around the worth of what God has said.
It’s author says,
- “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).
- “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
- “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (Psalm 119:114).
- “The sum of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160).
- “…my heart stands in awe of your words” (Psalm 119:161).
- “I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil” (Psalm 119:162).
- “My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right” (Psalm 119:172).
Let’s be people who are not content to just know about the Lord, but who seek to know Him personally. Let’s live our lives with good morals, yes, but also seek to know the God who has defined that morality. Let’s utilize the marvelous gift at our fingertips, dig in, work hard, and throw ourselves into studying the Word.
The Time Is Now
If you have a Bible, it’s time to take it off the dusty shelf and open it once again. If not, you won’t regret the investment of buying one, so that you can begin your journey of understanding all the God has revealed to us. Don’t wait; God is eager for you to know Him and the treasures of His Word.
For all those who wonder, ‘Why should we study the Bible?’ be assured of this: you will not be disappointed. You will find the rich goodness of what God has given us. You will be able to say, along with the Psalmist, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”.
