February 3, 2003
LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 16
There are numerous reasons to study the Bible
___ Psalm 19:714; 2 Timothy 3:1417
___By Rick Willis
___First Baptist Church, Roscoe
___By one estimate, 92 percent of American households possess at least one copy of the Bible, but the percentage of Americans who read the Bible outside church services is 37 percent. For many people, the Bible is a quaint remnant of a bygone era. In the competition for attention, it loses to the quick-fix self-help section of the bookstore, or to the thrills of Hollywood production.
___For Christians who have been captivated by God's guiding touch through the Bible, however, it is a cherished connection to God's truth in Jesus. Taken in faith, the Bible lays hold of us for good. The texts in this lesson give strong reasons to study the Bible.
___Grounded in
___God's revelation
___Study the Bible because it's the surest standard for really knowing God.
___The beginning of Psalm 19 extols the wonders of creation as witnesses to God's glory (Psalm 19:16). But what we can see in the world has a very limited value for knowledge of God. The New Testament says creation makes plain God's "eternal power and divine nature," enough to make all humans accountable (Romans 1:20). But the specifics of God's saving actions are not declared by the sunset and the lightning flash, the daffodil and the deer.
___Nobody ever sat gazing at a brilliantly colored sky as the sun was going over the horizon and exclaimed, "Wow! I bet God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life!" Although the "voice" of creation goes everywhere (Psalm 19:4), the witness of nature alone is insufficient.
___The second part of the Psalm praises God for the specifics about him and his will that we know through the Bible (Psalm 19:711). The psalmist referred to God's law, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances in these verses. All the synonyms stood for the Torah--or the books Genesis through Deuteronomy. But by extension these references apply to the whole Bible.
___The psalmist's confidence in God's written word came from the same root as that of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed." A painting can tell you something about the artist, but it's not like being as close as his breath.
___The description of the Scripture as "sweeter than honey" (Psalm 19:10) probably indicates delight in repeating texts out loud. Cycled and recycled through the Bible itself is assurance that it is the surest standard for faithful knowledge of God.
___Attested in God's people
___Study the Bible because trusted friends or family direct you there.
___Paul addressed Timothy as one who learned and became convinced of the gospel through both Scripture and relationships with believers. Timothy was di-rected to the writings as a child, presumably by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 3:1415; 1:5).
___Rarely does someone just accidentally pick up a Bible with no idea what they hold. We come to the Bible based on someone else's testimony. Our parents model love for the Bible for us. Our church gives us a Bible as a gift when we are still infants. Maybe as adults with little exposure to Scripture, a close Christian friend helps us to choose a Bible suitable for us to begin reading and studying.
___Furthermore, we learn how to hear and understand the Bible through someone else's teaching and help, like Philip and the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:3031). One theologian has cautioned against the attitude "me and my Bible, and especially me." God used a whole assembly of writers to bring the Bible into our history, and God continues to bless the Bible through group study and the preaching office of the churches.
___Confirmed in God's results
___Study the Bible because when you study it and practice what it says, you get results.
___The Bible is "able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). The Bible doesn't save, nor does faith in the Bible save. The Bible, by God's power and grace, opens our eyes to the light of Christ who saves us by faith in him. This is the greatest result of the Bible.
___A dictionary defines "wise" as "marked by deep understanding, keen discernment and a capacity for sound judgment." What better place to deepen the understanding than in the pool of God's word written? Familiarity with God's story in the stories of the faithful of Israel and above all in Jesus provides sound judgment for living.
___It is "profitable" (2 Timothy 3:16 NASB). The claims that the Bible makes for itself hold up in practice. From generation to generation and all the world over, the Bible validates its usefulness "for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (3:16), giving "joy to the heart," "light to the eyes," warning and "great reward" (Psalm 19:8, 11).
___Questions for discussion
___ Who first introduced you to the Bible?
___ What does 2 Timothy 3:16 mean by "God-breathed"?
___ What results in your own life have come from studying the Bible?
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