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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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INTRODUCTION TO
INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
WHAT IS IT?
(Click
to skip the intro and go directly to OBSERVATION) |
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Do you long for a relationship with
God, but feel lost when you open your Bible, not even knowing where to
begin?
Or perhaps you begin each year with a
resolution to read through the Bible, only to give up in frustration,
wandering about somewhere in the "wilderness" of the book of
Numbers?
Or do you read passages of Scripture
and find that only moments later you can't even remember what you just
read?
Are you frustrated that there are so
many different opinions about what the Bible says on a given subject and
you wonder which one is true?
Or do you doubt whether it's even
possible for you to understand God's Word, since you're not a pastor, an
elder or a degreed theologian?
If any or all of these questions
describe you, then take heart, beloved, for you are about to embark on a
journey called "Inductive Bible Study" (IBS), one that has
the potential to truly radically transform your life as you study God's
Word. Inductive Bible Study will expose you to an approach that can
be applied to any Scripture, any time, any place, by any one. All that is
required is the Holy Book, the Holy Spirit and a teachable heart.
As you begin this journey, remember
that the Bible is to be your primary resource "for no (spoken)
word
from God (is)
void of power
(a more
literal
rendering of
Luke 1:37 ASV
then other translations) and "His divine power has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of
Him (found in His Word) Who called us by His own glory and excellence. For
by these (His "glory and excellence") He has granted to us His precious
and magnificent promises, in order that by them (we) might become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world by lust." (see notes
2 Peter 1:3-4)
Beloved, if you are not convinced on
the sufficiency and power of the Bible as your guidebook for abundant,
supernatural life, you might consider performing a simple study on the
inherent
Power of God's Word. You must
understand and believe that the Word of God not only is sufficient for
every need but that it is a "love letter" from God, because it is! "God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John
3:16) Your objective is to
learn to read the Bible as if God were personally speaking to you. Why?
Because He is! B. B. Warfield once said
The Bible is the Word of God in such a
way that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.
Allow the Author to speak directly,
personally and powerfully to your mind and also to your heart. Beloved,
many saints are sitting under the Word today in Bible
believing churches, but they are not in the Word for
themselves. The psalmist writes that the blessed man or woman who
flourishes like a tree by water is the one who delights not under
but "in the law of the LORD, and in His law
meditates (see
Primer On Biblical Meditation) day
and night." (Psalm
1). The great need for most
believers is to "get into" the Word for themselves. Instead many are
sitting in pews growing older, but not growing "in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (see note
2 Peter 3:18).
Inductive Bible Study is profitable...
not just that we should know
but that we might grow!
IBS is not a method to fill our head
with Biblical facts and make us "smarter sinners". The ultimate
goal of all IBS is the transformation of our lives from glory to glory,
daily becoming more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you ready to get into
the Word so that the Word can get into you in a way you
never previously thought possible? Then, my friend, get ready for the joy
and adventure of Inductive Bible Study.
|
Your
Primary Resource:
THE BIBLE |
|
GOD
SPEAKS
V
THROUGH HIS WORD
V
DIRECTLY TO YOU
V
NOW YOU ARE EQUIPPED
TO STUDY OTHER
RESOURCES |
After observing the schematic, you
still may not appreciate the basic premise of Inductive Bible Study
so let's illustrate two different approaches to Bible study using the life
of a frog as our subject of study.
If you wanted to learn about frogs, you
could go to the library and check out a book entitled "The Life of Frogs"
(or in today's web savvy world you might "Google" the term "frog's
life"). But how would you know that the so-called frog expert had really
given you an accurate interpretation of a frog's life? You wouldn't if you
relied solely upon that one source. On the other hand you could go to a
nearby pond, sit by the water's edge and begin to observe and write down
what you observed about the local frogs - how they gathered food,
what they liked to eat and not eat, where they liked to sit,
how they mated, where, when and how they laid
their eggs, what transpired when the eggs hatched, and how
long it took tadpoles to grow into adult frogs. Then you could take one of
the slimy green creatures back home (not to your kitchen though), dissect
him and observe how he was constructed in great detail, even observing the
interrelationships of the innermost parts under a dissecting microscope.
Now, let's be honest. Reading a
reference by a "frog expert" is easier and more aesthetically pleasing
than sitting by a pond and (heaven forbid) even touching one of the little
green critters. And besides, you could glean the salient frog facts in a
fraction of the time it would take you to perform your own
observations of the frog's life cycle. So
what's the point? In the first method, you might remember what you read
for a few days, but with the second method you would likely be able to
recall your observations months, even years later. And which method
provides the potential for the joy of self discovery? Which method "costs"
the most (in time and effort)? I'm sure you can see the clear distinctions
between these two methods.
In terms of Bible study methods, you
can study someone's else's study or you can study the Scripture for
yourself. The inductive method provides you with the skills and
familiarity with the tools which make it possible for even beginning
students (and even children) to confidently study the Scriptures on their
own.
Dr Howard Hendricks eloquently
sums up the differences in the two contrasting approaches to Bible study
writing that
"Knowledge that is self-discovered is
stored in the deepest part of the mind and remains the longest in the
memory. There is no jewel more precious than that which you have mined
yourself."
From the frog illustration, you can
easily see that the key difference in the inductive approach is personal,
active involvement in the process. As someone has said...
"I hear and I forget"
"I see and I remember"
"I do and I understand"
Instead of studying resources about the
Bible, inductive study focuses first upon the Bible. You need to be
willing to lay aside your preconceived notions, pet interpretations, ready
references, study notes, sermon tapes, etc, coming to the Scriptures as
for the first time. Your primary resource is God's Word, then other
secondary resources. The tendency for many Bible students at the beginning
of a study is to rally secondary resources that will do the "observing"
and "interpreting" for the reader. It's quick but is it correct? How can
you know if you don't make your own independent
observations
and arrive at your own
interpretation based on those
observations? And why even go to the
Scriptures if you almost immediately forget what you've just read?
Research show that we learn more and retain more, the more actively we are
involved in the learning process.
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PERCENTAGE
REMEMBERED
COMPARED to METHOD of LEARNING |
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1 |
10% |
Of what we read |
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2 |
20% |
Of what we hear |
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3 |
30% |
By watching a
demonstration |
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4 |
50% |
Combining #2 and #3 |
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5 |
70% |
Combine #4 with writing
out what you learn |
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6 |
90% |
All of the above plus
application or practice |
The key to effective, fruitful inductive
Bible study is personal involvement and learning how to
carefully, prayerfully observe... not sitting by a pond, but sitting
at the feet of Jesus, allowing the Spirit of Christ to lead you into all truth.
Give me the insight, Lord,
As I read Your Word today,
So I will truly understand
Your message and Your way. —Monroe
Inductive Bible study has as one of its major
goals to give the student the knowledge and tools to allow them to "fish for
themselves" so to speak. The Bible is a remarkable book. Millions of copies
are bought each year. It has been the number-one bestseller for decades. But
tragically, the Bible is said to be the least-read bestseller of all time!
J. I. Packer is surely correct when
says that...
"If I were the devil, one of my first aims
would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible."
Alan Redpath (past pastor at Moody
Bible Church) once advised believers to "wreck" their Bible every 10
years! Do you use your Bible every day until it eventually falls apart? If
you've never studied your Bible inductively, then you are about to experience
that it is a wonderful "tool" by which you can wear out your Bible! Remember --
a well-worn Bible is a sign of a well-fed soul, and a Bible that's falling apart
usually belongs to someone who isn't!
The treasures of the Word of God
Are great beyond compare;
But if we do not search them out,
We cannot use what's there. —Sper
The godly missionary
Amy Carmichael
indirectly alluded to the value of
inductive Bible study warning all saints to...
"Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well,
not from the streams that flow from the Well ." |
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INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
IS IT "BIBLICAL"? |
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You may be asking "Did anyone in
Scripture study inductively?" It's a very relevant question.
In the book of Acts we encounter a
group of saints often referred to as the "Bereans" who seem to
approach the Scriptures with an
inductive mindset.
Luke records that as a result of
jealousy, the Jews stirred the city of Thessalonica into an uproar which
prompted...
the brethren (to) immediately
(send) Paul and Silas away by night to Berea and when they arrived, they
went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these (Jews at Berea) were
more
noble-minded than
those (Jews) in
Thessalonica,
for they
received
the
word with
great
eagerness,
examining
("searched" KJV) the
Scriptures
daily to see
whether these things were
so. Therefore many
of them
believed.
(see notes
Acts 17:10-12)
The New Living Translation has a good
paraphrase of this verse writing that
the people of Berea were more
open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to
Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on
Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.
The Bereans were open to the Truth, but
as any good inductive student would do, they searched the scrolls for
themselves which may explain why Dr. Luke referred to them as
noble-minded. This Greek word (eugenes, Strong's #
2104
from eu = good, well + génos = race, family) can mean "of
noble birth", but in context conveys the idea that these men and women
were open-minded, unbiased and characterized by a willingness to learn and
evaluate something fairly. This is the attitude we should have as we begin
to explore a passage inductively. The moment we come to a passage and say
"I know what this one means", we are in "trouble".
Needed:
Men and Women
Boys and Girls with...
A Berean Mindset!
To experience the most fruitful
inductive study, we need a "Berean mindset". We need to approach the Word
of God "as if for the first time" and avoid approaching it with our mind
already made up. We also need to approach the precious Word with teachable
hearts that continually exhibit a willingness to allow the truth of the
text to transform and renew our thinking if such a change needs to
transpire. This supernatural transformation of one's thinking upon
confrontation with the Word of truth is at the very heart of
Application,
the third aspect of inductive study.
As you have noted in the above passage
two key verbs are highlighted in
blue
and merit further analysis by looking briefly at the original Greek words.
As you will learn later Greek word studies can be a valuable,
illuminating component of inductive Bible study.
Receive
The Word
The first verb is
received.
What did they receive? Who did they receive it from? (Begin
to practice the habit of "bombarding" the Scripture with these 5 W's
and H type of questions) In the context of (Acts
17) clearly the
Bereans received the spoken word from Paul and Silas. The verb received
(dechomai,
Strong's #1209)
describes a deliberate and ready acceptance. It means to receive kindly
and to take to oneself what is presented or brought by another. It means
to welcome as one would welcome a teacher, a friend, or a guest into one's
house. In modern day terms, you get the picture - the Bereans "put out the
welcome mat" for Paul's teaching!
What was their attitude?
How did they receive Paul's message? Luke says with "great
eagerness" which is literally "all eagerness". How much? Not just
"some" or "partial" but "all eagerness", which the NAS
translates (see
Bible Versions) as "great
eagerness". Eagerness is the Greek word
prothumia
(Strong's #
4288,
a compound derived from pro = forward and thumos = heart or
spirit) which conveys the picture of a ready and willing mind, a forward
spirit (forwardness), or an eager mindset (such a person is moved by a
strong and urgent desire or interest, with the implication of ardor and
enthusiasm). In short, they didn't approach study with a sense of drudgery
but with a wholehearted sense of excitement and anticipation.
Dear saint, does this attitude
describe the way in which you approach the Word of Life?
If not, keep reading and then begin practicing the inductive technique. If
you persevere you will be pleasantly, profitably surprised by the joy of
self-discovery and the spiritual growth which you experience! Remember
that God feeds the birds, but He doesn't throw the food into their nests!
Examine
The Word
The Bereans were not content with
simply hearing Paul, but continually sought to check out what he said by
daily (How often?) personally
examining
("scrutinizing", Wuest) the Scriptures. The Greek verb (anakrino
from ana = up and
down, again + krino = judge) (Strong's #
350) paints an interesting picture as it
literally describes a process of "judging up and down". One can almost
picture the Bereans "carefully sifting" the Scriptural scrolls, their eyes
going up and down the pages, prospecting as it were for the truth as one
would for pure gold and then (on the basis of the truth gleaned) forming
an opinion regarding Paul's message. The Bereans had discovered the
timeless principle that it is amazing how much light personal study of the
Scriptures will shed on the commentaries on the Scriptures.
Anakrino has an interesting secular
association in that it was used of one who meticulously examined legal
evidence. In a related use
anakrino
also described an
investigation for the purpose of passing sentence in a judicial setting.
These secular uses emphasize the careful, exacting nature of the Berean's
approach to the Scriptures. For the Bereans, God's Spirit along with God's
Word was their final "judge" which enabled them to assess the authenticity
and accuracy of Paul's "commentary". As good "IBS" students the
primary goal of the Bereans was to know what "saith the LORD", a goal
they achieved by practicing the art and skill of careful
observation.
Although the Berean approach is not
specifically called "inductive Bible study", I think you will agree
that their approach to the Scriptures closely parallels the approach
described in this section.
Paul also used the verb
anakrino
in writing to the saints at Corinth explaining that as believers we
have each received
not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us
by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom,
but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with
spiritual words
and this is in contrast to
a natural (psychikos from
psyche = soul; that part of immaterial life in common with the
animals; Latin Vulgate translates it "animalis" - in
context
the contrast is between the "spiritual" and the unregenerate natural) man
(who) does not (absolutely does not) accept (dechomai
- accept readily, welcome as a teacher, "put out the welcome mat for") the
things of the Spirit of God (why not?) for they are foolishness (moria ~
"moronic") to him and he cannot (does not have the inherent ability to)
understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (anakrino)
(1Cor
2:13-14) |
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INDUCTIVE
BIBLE STUDY
CALLS FOR CONTINUAL
DEPENDENCE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT |
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The Bible is our primary Source and the Holy
Spirit is our primary Teacher. John reminds us that the Spirit abides in us in
order that we might be enabled to distinguish truth from error.
"And as for you, the anointing which you
received from Him (in context referring to the Holy Spirit) abides in you, and
you have no need to have anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you
about an things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you,
you abide in Him" (1Jn 2:27).
John teaches that the Spirit of God,
Who lives in each believer, is our personal, private tutor. To be sure, God has
given us pastors and teachers for our edification (1Cor
12:28, see notes
Ephesians 4:11;
4:12), but remember that they are in
addition to and not a substitute for the Holy Spirit. And so the humblest
believer in Christ may be taught of God through His Word, even when human
teachers are lacking.
The Lord Jesus makes it abundantly clear in
these words,
"When
the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth for He will not
speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and He will
declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take
what is Mine and declare it to you" (John
16:13,14).
The apostle John quoted
Isaiah 54:13 recording Jesus' promise that
"THEY
SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father,
comes to Me" (Jn 6:45)
adding that
"It is the Spirit Who
gives life; the flesh profits nothing"
(Jn 6:63)
The Scriptures must be read in dependence
upon the Holy Spirit. This axiom is important to remember in Inductive Bible
Study, where we diligently seek to read the Scriptures objectively. The
danger is that in so doing, we might become "mechanical" and divorce ourselves
from the necessity of illumination of the Scriptures by the Spirit.
The great 19th century preacher, Charles
Spurgeon put it this way...
It is one of the peculiar offices of the Holy
Spirit to enlighten His people. He has done so by giving us His inspired Word,
but the Book is never spiritually understood by anyone apart from the personal
teaching of its great Author. You may read it as much as you will and never
discover the inner and vital meaning unless your soul is led into it by the Holy
Ghost Himself. You may have done well to learn the letter of truth, but you
still need the Spirit of God to make it the light and power of God to your soul.
The Holy Spirit has inspired the Word and He
alone can bring illumination as we read the Word. When we devote ourselves to
the study of His Word, with a keen awareness of our need to continually depend
upon our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, we will experience the joy of self, Spirit
led discovery of God's Truth, Truth that will set us free so that we might be
free indeed!
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INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
CALLS FOR A PROPER
ATTITUDE |
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J I Packer rightly reminds us that
One of the many divine qualities of the Bible
is this: that it does not yield its secrets to the irreverent and censorious.
And so, as you begin this journey, inductive Bible study
may seem somewhat labor intensive or academic, but if you desire to learn how to
rightly divide the Word of Truth, you will need to persevere and exert effort (click
incredible illustration of desire and effort). Bob Smith in his
practical book
Basics
of Bible Interpretation writes that...
God wants everyone to be able to understand
the Bible, for its message is essentially how we can have and enjoy the greatest
kind of life, free from the futility of pointlessness, free from the limitations
of our human, earthly thought patterns, free from the fear of death and dying.
Not everyone understands it this way. In fact, many are so convinced they can't
understand the Bible that they never give it a second look. It's strange how we
will study most any other subject with diligence only to have the acquired
knowledge perish with us. But the words of the Bible are words of life!
You too may have approached the Bible as "snack food"
out of fear that deeper study was only for the "professionals", but in inductive
study you will come to learn that you too can experience a veritable feast at
the King's banqueting table (because you are!).
As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said...
What you bring away from the Bible
depends to some extent on what
you carry to it.
And so in order to experience effective, profitable inductive Bible study we
need the right attitude as emphasized by the following Scripture. The
apostle Peter writes...
Therefore (term
of conclusion),
putting aside
all malice and all
guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babes,
long for
the
pure
milk of the word, that by it you
may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of
the Lord." (See
notes
1 Peter 2:1;
2:2;
2:3)
Did you notice the order?
Putting
aside the perverse precedes practice of the positive. The
Greek verb for "putting
aside" was used to describe taking off one's old dirty clothes!
Sin in one's life will destroy one's appetite for the Word and needs to be cast
off by confession and repentance (cf
1John 1:9). So first seek a "clean slate" as did
David who prayed
"Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me
and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead
me in the everlasting way." (Ps
139:23-24;
Spurgeon's notes v23,
verse 24)
Peter uses a figure of speech ("newborn
babies") to draw a poignant comparison between the appetite of a baby for its
mothers milk and the appetite the believer should have for Gods Word. He
commands us to
long for pure milk, to desire it earnestly, to long for it greatly,
to intensely
crave possession of it and to have great affection for it. David wrote "As
the deer
pants for the water brooks, so my soul
pants for Thee, O
God." (Ps 42:1
-
Spurgeon's note)
where the word for
pants
is the same word translated
long for in first Peter.
Spurgeon explains the idea of panting...
As after a long drought the poor fainting
hind longs for the streams, or rather as the hunted hart instinctively seeks
after the river to lave its smoking flanks and to escape the dogs, even so my
weary, persecuted soul pants after the Lord my God. (Spurgeon)
The meaning of this word picture is obvious.
Sinners bought with the precious blood and made into new babes in Christ are to crave the spiritual milk of God's
Word just like babies crave the bottle.
And just as the Bible is to be our primary
source in inductive study, Peter instructs us to make sure the "milk" we partake
of is
pure,
genuine, without guile or deceit, unadulterated and not mixed with anything
else. When you "eat" the Bible inductively, you want to do so without any
"additives". (See related messages by John Piper -
Long for the Pure Milk;
Sweeter than honey;
Meditate on the Word;
Open My Eyes That I May See;
Thank God for an Inspired Bible;
Wonderful Things From Your Word)
Why does Peter insist on a healthy diet of
pure milk? What is his goal? It is nothing short of growth! Spiritual growth,
which is only possible when one takes in pure milk. No intake of God's Word will result in
stunted spiritual growth and the off shoot, spiritual
maturity. Test yourself -- How long have you been a Christian? How would you grade your spiritual
growth over the months, years? Are you growing up in Christ or simply growing
older?
Remember the principle - No regular intake of the Word = No spiritual growth!
Howard Hendricks adds that (1
Peter 2:1;
2:2;
2:3)
"tells us: in order
that you might grow. Please note, it is not that you may
know. Certainly you can’t grow without knowing. But you can know and not grow.
The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to
Christ’s image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the
Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to
transform your life." (Ibid)
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Search the Scripture's precious store
As a miner digs for ore;
Search, and you will surely find
Treasures to enrich your mind. –Anonymous |
Francis Bacon once remarked that
"some books are to be tasted, others
to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."
When you open your Bible, ask the Author to open your heart.
(Ps
119:18, Luke 24:45,
see notes
Ephesians 1:17;
1:18)
Surely the
Word of Truth and Life is to be "chewed and digested" so that it becomes part of our
innermost being, not merely informing us but transforming us. Such was
the approach of the weeping, downcast prophet Jeremiah who declared
"Thy words were found and I
ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I
have been called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts." (Jer 15:16)
German theologian Johann Bengel
(1687-1752) said,
"Be like a maker of a well
who brings no water to his source but allows the water he finds there to
flow freely without stoppage, diversion, or defilement."
|
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THE BENEFITS OF
INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY |
|
If you're still not convinced that
Inductive Bible Study is worth the investment of your time and effort, glance
over a few
of the benefits listed below.
(1) You will learn how to
carefully observe the
Scriptures and in so doing you will be enabled to "rightly
divide the Word of Truth" (see exposition of
2 Timothy 2:15)
and you be equipped to accurately interpret God's Word on your own.
President Teddy
Roosevelt rightly declared that
"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth
more than a college education."
(2)
You will no longer be dependent on commentaries, devotionals, pastor's
sermons, conferences, etc. Please do not misunderstand. Believers should sit under a godly teacher of the Word, but this
should be a stimulus, not a substitute for getting into the book for ourselves!
(3) When you encounter differences
between interpretations in commentaries, which you frequently will, IBS enables
you to discern which comment represents the most accurate interpretation.
(4)
You will increase in the knowledge of God and His ways, growing "in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (see note
2 Peter 3:18)
Phillips Brooks
said that...
"The Bible is like a telescope. If a man looks through his telescope,
then he sees worlds beyond: but if he looks at his telescope, then he does not
see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through, to see that
which is beyond; but most people only look at it; and so they see only the dead
letter.”
(5)
Your personal faith will be greatly
strengthened for "faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ."
(see note
Romans 10:17)
As D. L. Moody said...
"The study of God’s Word brings peace to the
heart...light for every darkness, life in death, the promise of our Lord’s
return, and the assurance of everlasting glory."
Henry Ward Beecher wrote that...
"The Bible is God’s chart for you to steer
by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbour
is, and how to reach it without running on rocks and bars."
(6)
You will become increasingly aware of what it means to be "in Christ" (click
all uses) and to "be holy for I am holy" (Lev
11:44,
1 Peter 1:16 [note]) for Jesus prayed
Sanctify them (His disciples) in the Truth. Thy Word is Truth.
(Jn 17:17)
The NLT paraphrases it
Make them pure and holy by teaching them Your words
of truth.
It has been well said that
"This book will keep you from sin
or sin will keep you from this book."
Howard Hendricks adds that
Dusty
Bibles lead to dirty lives. In fact, you are either in the Word and the Word is
conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ, or you are in the world and the
world is squeezing you into its mold. (ibid)
Henry Ward Beecher
wisely said that...
"The Bible is God’s chart for you to steer
by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbor is,
and how to reach it without running on rocks or bars."
(7)
You will develop an increasing assurance that you are believing not what someone
else teaches but what the God's Word truly teaches. And since we behave on the
basis of what we believe, we can be certain that we are
"walking
(living) in a
manner
worthy
of the
Lord,
to
please
Him in
all
respects,
bearing
fruit
in
every
good
work and
increasing
in the
knowledge
of
God"
(see note
Colossians 1:10)?
So you can see why it is critical that what one believes about God is in fact
truly what God says and not what someone else's "systematic" interpretation
teaches, no matter how authoritative and respected the source. And make no
mistake -- this attitude is not one of arrogance but one of prudence! Howard
Hendricks once asked a group of businessmen
"If you didn’t know any more
about your business or profession than you know about Christianity after the
same number of years of exposure, what would happen ?
‘One guy said, “They’d
ship me!" to which Dr. Hendricks replied
"Thank, you, sir, for the
honesty"! (Ibid).
(8)
You will learn a method of independent Bible study that can be passed on to
others who in turn can go out and teach others. (cf note
2 Timothy 2:2).
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The
Bible gives us all we need
To live our lives for God each day;
But it won't help if we don't read
And follow what its pages say -Sper |
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