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Why
you should
STUDY
THE BIBLE
What
does the Bible say?
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"Blessed
are they that keep his
testimonies, and that seek
him with the whole
heart." (Psalms
119:2)
Jesus
said, "But seek ye
first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added
unto you." (Matthew
6:33)
 WHY
SHOULD I STUDY THE BIBLE?
The
Bible is the supreme
revelation in print of God's
will towards us.
Studying the Bible is
essential for us to understand
the will of God and the plan
he has for us.
The
basic plot of the Bible is
very simple - it is the theme
of redemption that is
available to all humanity
through Jesus Christ.
WHY
IS BIBLE STUDY SO IMPORTANT?
God
promises to be our Father, if
we believe His Word and live
by it. It would not be
possible for us to live by the
Word of God if we have not
read it, studied it and
understood it.
It
is vitally important to study
the Bible for the following
reasons::
because God calls us through
the gospel
because studying the Bible is
how we obtain spiritual knowledge and
wisdom
because studying the Bible
helps us to become strong and
able to do the work
of God
because God will only attend
to our prayers if we are righteous,
and we cannot be righteous without learning his
commandments, statutes and
laws, all obtained
by reading the word of God.
THE
BIBLE IS NO MERE BOOK - BUT
THE BIBLE IS
THE LIVING WORD OF GOD
"The
Bible is no mere book,"
Napoleon Bonaparte is reported
to have said, "but a
Living Creature with a power
that conquers all that oppose
it." HE SPOKE
MORE THAN HE KNEW.
Many
scientists, philosophers and
wise men have concluded that
the universe cannot explain
itself. This is why we
should study the Bible.
The Bible, when studied and
properly understood reveals
"secret wisdom",
that shows God had the plan in
place for eternal life long
before time began. (1
Corinthians 2:7)
The
Holy Bible contains 66 Books
and the central figure in the
Bible is Jesus Christ.
Many years after the dramatic
death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ, one of his
disciples spelled it out very
clearly in the following
verse:
And
many other signs truly did
Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not
written in this book: But
these are written, that ye
might believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing ye might
have life through his name.
(John 20: 30-31)
God
did not tell us everything we
would want to know. But
he did tell us those things
that were vital for us to know
if we are to enjoy eternal
life. Eternal life in
and through Jesus Christ is
the clear thrust of the Bible
and of the message of its
central figure, Jesus Christ
of Nazareth.
JESUS
CHRIST IS THE PIVOT OF THE
WHOLE BIBLE
Jesus
Christ, the pivot of the whole
Bible, is the axis of the plan
of salvation. This was
stated crisply by the British
expositor William Barclay:
To
be a follower of Jesus, to
know who he is and what he
means, is to have a
superabundance of life... When
we walk with Jesus, there
comes a new vitality, a
superabundance of life.
It is only when we live with
Christ that life really
becomes becomes worth
living and we begin to live in
the real sense of the word.
(Daily Study Bible: John, vol.
2, pg. 60).
Jesus
himself said centuries ago:
"I am the gate;
whoever enters through me will
be saved. He will come
in and go out, and find
pasture" (John 10:9).
THE
BIBLE IS THE LIVING TESTAMENT
OF CHRIST
Jesus
once replied to his hostile
critics: "You diligently
study the Scriptures because
you think that by them you
possess eternal life.
These are the Scriptures that
testify about me, yet you
refuse to come to me to have
life" (John 5:39).
Author
and theologian James Parker
stated:
One
who fails to read the Bible is
at an enormous disadvantage.
Rightly are Bible-reading and
Bible-based meditation seen as
prime means of grace.
Not only is Scripture the
fountain-head for knowledge of
God, Christ and salvation, but
it presents this knowledge in
an incomparably vivid,
powerful and evocative way....
On
top of that, the fellowship of
God with man to which it
testifies is the most
momentous reality we can ever
know, and the power of the
Bible in its readers' lives, a
power springing both from its
precious subject-matter and
from its unique divine
inspiration is
overwhelming. (God Has Spoken,
p. 13)
THE
BIBLE DOES NOT COMPROMISE
The
Bible
is clear in its teachings that
if we do certain things, God
will bless and prosper us! And
if we do not, there will be no
blessing! The Bible does
not compromise.
The
Bible has the proven ability
to speak to our hearts as well
as our heads.
Noted
Bible defender Bertram Ramm
eloquently wrote about the
Bible's proven ability to
change human lives..
Statically speaking, the
Gospels are the greatest
literature ever written.
They are read by more people,
quoted by more authors,
translated into more tongues,
represented in more art, set
to more music, than any other
book or books written by any
man in any century in any
land....They are read more,
quoted more, loved more,
believed more and translated
more because they are the
greatest words ever spoken.
The
Bible says, "Looking unto
JESUS the author and finisher
of our faith; Who for the joy
that was set before him
endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne
of God." (Hebrew 12:2)
The
Bible instructs: "But
sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear:" (1
Peter 3:15)
"Behold,
the LORD'S hand is not
shortened, that it canot save,
neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear."
(Isaiah 59:1)
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Bible
study scriptures / verses on
IMPORTANCE
OF BIBLE STUDY
Matthew
6:33
Jesus
said, "But seek ye
first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness; and
all these things shall be
added unto you."
1
Peter 3:15
The
Bible instructs: "But
sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts: and be ready
always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is
in you with meekness and
fear."
1
Timothy 6:17-19
"Charge
them that are rich in this
world, that they be not
high-minded, nor trust in
uncertain riches, but in the
living God, Who giveth us
richly all things to enjoy;
That they do good, that they
be rich in good works, ready
to distribute, willing to
communicate; Laying up in
store for themselves a good
foundation against the time
to come, that they may lay
hold on eternal life."
Psalms
119:2
"Blessed
are they that keep his
testimonies, and that seek
him with the whole
heart."
Isaiah
55:6
"Seek
ye the LORD while he may
be found, call ye upon
him while he is near."
Proverbs
8:17
"I
love them that love me;
and those that seek me early
shall find
me."
saiah
1:18-19
God
invites: "Come now,
and let us reason
together... though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18-19)
MARK
8:34-38
Jesus
said, "What shall it
profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul?"
(Mark 8:34-38).
JOHN
3:16-17
"For
God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting
life."
"For
God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the
world: but that the world
through Him might be
saved:"
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