The Sing! Hymnal
The Sing! Hymnal
6 Reasons to Study the Bible
The Blessings of Bible Study
I took piano lessons for ten years. On Tuesday afternoons after school, I went to my piano teacher’s house where she would alternately praise the emotion I put into the pieces and criticize my poor understanding of written music. You see, I liked being able to play the piano. I enjoyed the way I could communicate emotions through a piece of music. What I didn’t like, though, was the theory component of piano lessons. Each week I was supposed to complete a section of written work that taught the basics of clefs, key signatures, chord structures, and dynamics. I rarely did the work. It felt difficult, and in my young mind, it seemed to take up too much of my free time. As a result, my piano playing suffered because I wasn’t willing to do the work to know and understand the music on a deeper, structural level.
For many Christians, our approach to Bible study is like my approach to learning the piano. We like having some biblical knowledge. We like the idea of connecting with God in his word. But doing the work to understand the overarching narrative of God’s story or the literary complexities of Scripture can seem too challenging or just plain overwhelming. So we dabble in it—reading a bit here and there but never establishing a consistent discipline of studying God’s word.
My piano teacher encouraged me that learning music theory was worth the effort because it would allow me to understand my music more deeply and communicate it more clearly. I want to encourage you that Bible study is worth the effort because it allows you to know God more deeply and share his truth with more clarity. I have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness through years of regular Bible study. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Scripture itself testifies to the benefits and blessings of diving in and seeking to understand and internalize it. God has given us Scripture to read, meditate on, study, and live by because he knows how much we need it.
Bible Study
Glenna Marshall, Winfree Brisley
This volume of TGC’s Disciplines of Devotion series invites women to stir their affections for God by cultivating the biblical practice of Bible study.
Thou Shalt Study the Bible?
If you’re looking for an express command in Scripture to study the Bible, you won’t find it in so many words. Like many of the spiritual disciplines we employ for interior growth and nourishment, Bible study isn’t explicitly commanded. The implicit instruction to study, however, is garnered from examples and exhortations in Scripture to grow in our love for and knowledge of God, to keep the gospel before us, and to obey God’s commands in order to stay far from sin. Many biblical principles point to the value of deeply examining God’s word.
1. God’s Word Reveals the Gospel
Have you ever watched a spectacular sunset and marveled at God’s creative work? Have you ever stood at the shoreline of the ocean and watched the waves come only as far as the Lord allowed? Romans 1 tells us that we can look at creation and understand that there is a Creator. His divine attributes can be clearly seen in what he has made (Rom. 1:20). This concept is often called natural or general revelation—God revealing himself in creation. Still, a sunset won’t tell you how to be freed from the snare of sin. Crashing waves, as awe-inspiring as they are, can’t communicate that Jesus died to redeem you and make you a child of God. We need the written word of God, also called special revelation—God revealing himself through special means, to tell us the truth about who he is, who we are, and how we can be rescued from sin.
The Bible isn’t merely a list of dos and don’ts and hows. Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that they were searching the Scriptures in order to earn God’s favor through legalism, but it was accomplishing nothing for them. But Jesus said, “It is [the Scriptures] that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). We study God’s word to understand why Jesus came to die for us, to grasp God’s kindness in sending Jesus to save us, and to rest in the confidence of His finished work on the cross. We need God’s word to know the specifics of what we believe as followers of Christ.
2. God’s Word Speaks to Us
Scripture is inspired by God, meaning that every word in Scripture was given by God through men by the work of the Son and the Holy Spirit (Heb. 1:1–2; 2 Pet. 1:16–21). It is inerrant, meaning it is without error, and it is useful for guiding all areas of the Christian life. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul encourages the young pastor to hold fast to the words of Scripture as the means of both perseverance and spiritual growth. He explains that God’s word is able to equip Christians for whatever they face in life, whether it’s suffering, correction for sin, or obedience to God’s commands. He explains, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
Scripture is necessary for the Christian life because it is God’s very word from his very heart. We often want a direct word from the Lord, but in the Bible, we have received everything he wanted us to know! He knows we need specific instructions and encouragement to live as his people who have been changed by his gospel. He has given us the Bible to instruct, train, and correct us so that we are equipped for every season of the Christian life, whether we’re plodding through mundane, ordinary days or persevering through the most difficult trials we can imagine. God’s word speaks to us and upholds our faithfulness. His word in Scripture is sufficient for us.
We All Need Reminders!
In the busyness of life it’s all too easy to forget who God is, what he has done for us, and who we are because of him. Crossway wants to help! Sign up today to receive concise Scripture-filled, gospel-saturated reminders that will encourage you and strengthen your walk with Jesus.
3. God’s Word Helps Us Grow
We’re exhorted often in the New Testament to grow in our faith. Peter encourages us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” as we wait for his return (2 Pet. 3:18). Growing in knowledge of God is one of the ways we live as new creatures in Christ (Col. 1:10). Paul tells us that proving ourselves faithful involves rightly handling God’s word, which requires deeply examining Scripture to understand and wield it correctly (2 Tim. 2:15).
What do these exhortations have in common? Growth and the knowledge of God. We grow as we know God more and more. As a tree cannot grow if it is severed from its roots, so we too cannot grow apart from God’s word. Rather, we must be rooted in his word so that we can be built up in him (Col. 2:6–7; cf. Ps. 1:2–3). When we read, observe, think on, and seek to understand Scripture, our faith is refined, renewed, and nourished.
4. God’s Word Offers Protection Against Error
Have you ever heard a teaching from Scripture and wondered if it was right? The only way to be certain if someone is speaking the truth is to compare the teaching with Scripture. The more we dig into Scripture and study it closely, the more easily we will detect counterfeit versions of the gospel and reject them (Gal. 1:8–9).
When Paul and Silas brought the gospel message to the city of Berea, the people examined the Old Testament Scriptures closely to make sure what they were hearing lined up with truth (Acts 17:10–11). They confirmed the gospel message with Scripture and received it with joy. Like those Bereans, we will grow in discernment when we hear things that are new or different. “Did God actually say?” we might wonder, but we can know for sure when we study God’s word ourselves.
God’s word speaks to us and upholds our faithfulness.
5. God’s Word Brings Conviction
Have you ever felt conviction for sin in your life while reading the Bible? Regular study of God’s word unearths areas of sin we either accidentally missed or purposefully hid. Because Scripture is useful for reproof and correction, studying it can show us where we’ve sinned and teach us how to live as new creatures in Christ.
The author of Hebrews compares Scripture to a double-edged sword that expertly separates our thoughts and motives, revealing what’s really in our hearts (Heb. 4:12). It stings when the text exposes our sin, but conviction is a gift from God and evidence of his kindness. He doesn’t want us to continue living in a way that is both harmful to us and disobedient to him, so he uses his word to offer correction so that we can repent and walk in holiness. Living closely to Scripture will help us see our sin, say no to it, and run after Christ instead.
6. God’s Word Is Our Guide
The Bible on your coffee table or nightstand isn’t a dusty book of rules to feel guilty about. Nor is it a collection of ancient Near Eastern myths from which to derive good morals. No, God’s word is a gift given to us by its author that reveals who God is, the reality of humanity’s fallen condition, and the way of salvation in Christ that guides a redeemed people through this life until we are with him forever in heaven. God didn’t save you and then leave you to your own devices. He didn’t redeem you and then say, “Good luck!” He gave you his living and active word (Heb. 4:12) to guide you like a beam of light on a dark night (Ps. 119:105). He gave you Scripture to instruct you and to give you hope as you endure in faithfulness until you see him (Rom. 15:4).
This is a blessing for all his people. His word guides us from this day until the day when we see him face to face.
A Study of God
We study the Bible not to become smart but to become wise in the things of God. We study the Bible to know the ultimate author, hear what he has to say, walk closely with him, and reflect him to the world around us. When we open our Bibles to observe, take notes, pray, ask questions, and search diligently, we will be transformed as our minds are renewed by the inspired words of God.
This article is adapted from Bible Study by Glenna Marshall.
Related Articles
At times, the Bible is heavy on warnings. That’s the case for the topic of fasting. It can be frustrating to those of us who want a straightforward instruction manual for this spiritual discipline.
Podcast: Real Faithfulness Is the Kind No One Sees (Glenna Marshall)
Glenna Marshall talks about the life-changing practice of Scripture memory, the oft-given advice to give ourselves grace, and the importance of perseverance in the Christian life.
How Can I Get in the Routine of Regular Bible Study?
Choose your time and place and study plan now. Gather your supplies, and put them in your designated location. Then simply apply the Bible study plan tomorrow.
How to Choose God’s Word over Everything Else Begging for Our Attention
We need to be ruthlessly honest about the kind of attention we give Scripture. We don’t grow in our love for something by giving it less and less attention or by being more and more distant from it.
