To Gain A Closer Relationship With God
If you dont read any more of this post, you have just read the MOST IMPORTANT reason why Christians should study the Bible
To obtain a closer relationship with God.
David proclaims in Psalm 119:133
Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me..
Bible study helps us to gain a better understanding of who God is and his role in our lives.
I have found, that the more I dive into Gods word, the more his word changes me, and the more I want to become like him.
The more you read and evaluate the gospel and Gods plan of salvation is the more you long to be closer to your Saviour.
The things of the world literally fade away and your bad habits and desires seem to melt away. Im not making this up,
Gods word has that kind of power!
Hebrews 4: 12 says
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The word of God can cut through the soul and reach us in places we didnt even think possible.
The greater time we spend understanding Gods wordis the more he will reveal his purpose and plan for our life.
I remember a few years ago when I was studying the book of Exodus was reading chapter 24 and verse 12 just jumped out at me
I was convicted right there and then that God wanted me to become a school Teacher.
Isnt that amazing?!
Reason #: It Contains A Life
The Bible has liberated many from oppression by its clear teachings. It raises the dignity and rights of every human being ever born. It is truly an amazing and remarkable piece of writing. It contains clear teaching on the value and worth of every individual. It will astonish and surprise you and likely move you to tears.
Reasons Why Bible Study Is Important For The Christian Experience
Now we get to the good stuff.
The answers to the question, Why is bible study important?
As I said before, there are many reasons why you may want to study the Bible.
We are all entitled to our research for whatever reason it may be.
However, this post will be specifically dealing with the importance of Bible study to enhance the Christian experience.
In order words: why is bible study important for a Christian.
Is Bible study important to a Christian?
Yes! And here are the reasons why:
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Approaching The Bible Rightly
While reading the Bible on a regular basis is a great start, it is also important to approach the Bible in a proper manner. It is easy to get into a habit of trying to focus only on application when reading the Bible. It is absolutely necessary for the Christian to apply the Bible to his or her life, but sometimes we can make applications that are forced or unintended.
In order to avoid misapplication of texts, it is good to read whole biblical books and try to understand the text in light of both its immediate context and in light of the entire biblical book. Always ask what the text says about the character and nature of God.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
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Reasons Why The Bible Is Important For You
Most people understand that Christians believe the Bible is important, but why is it important? What value does it hold in the life of the believer?
1. The Bible is Gods of Himself to humanity. If you want to know about God, the Creator of the Universe, the one who made you on purpose for a purpose, then dig into this book. We find the story of creation, of sin, we see God speaking time and time again. We see God in this book, and if you want a guaranteed place of encounter where you can meet God on a regular basis, Hes right there in Scripture.
2. The Bible records the history of Israel, Jesus and the early church. God has existed long before you were born and will continue to exist long after you die. God has been interacting with humanity for millennia, and the Bible contains the history of Israel in the Old Testament, the history of the early church in the New Testament, and most importantly, the history of the moment in time when God Himself visited this planet as a man, Jesus Christ.
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Why Is Gods Love Important
The teachings of the Baháí Faith hold that the love of God is the primary reason for human creation, and one of the primary purposes of life. The love of God purifies human hearts and through it humans become transformed and self-sacrificing, as they reflect more the attributes and qualities of God.
It Was Written By Ancient And Primitive People And Has No Value To Modern People Anymore
The Bible was written by ancient people, to be sure. The earliest writings come from the second half of the second millennium BC and the most recent parts from around 300 BC. Thats a long time ago. The New Testament is more recent, but even those books were written almost 2000 years ago. They were written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek by people who were culturally different from us. Indeed, we often misunderstand the message of the Bible if we dont remember our temporal and cultural distance from those who wrote it. But its one thing to say the Bible was written by ancient people and another thing to say that they were written by primitive people. Even without taking into account the claim that these authors speak on behalf of God, such a charge would be the height of our own cultural arrogance. Yes, ancient people did not have computers, cell phones, video games, or even electricity or cars, neither did Shakespeare or Plato, and would we also say that these writers are too ancient to say anything true or meaningful? We have made remarkable advances in our understanding of natural world since biblical times, and the biblical authors often reflect their ancient worldview . But the Bible does not intend to teach us about cosmology, and the faulty cosmology that it assumes does not affect its intended message.
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Reason #: It Connects You To Historys Most Important Figure
You may have heard of the “godman,” Jesus of Nazareth, also called the “Christ” . You may even think you know him. But if you have not read the account offered firsthand throughout this book, you will, in effect, know nothing definite about him. The entire Old Testament points to his coming, and the entire New Testament testifies to his teachings and actions.
How You Can Build Regular Bible Reading Into Your Life
Reading the Bible is a spiritual discipline, which means that we need to be disciplined in how we approach it. If you lack the desire to read the Bible, pray and ask that God would give you a desire for his word. Then, build a time into your day to read Scripture and make this time a priority. You should then find people to hold you accountable to a reading plan. Maybe even start a reading plan with someone.
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What Role Does Sacred Scripture Play In The Life Of The Church
Sacred Scripture gives support and vigour to the life of the Church. For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of the faith, food for the soul and the fount of the spiritual life. Sacred Scripture is the soul of theology and of pastoral preaching. The Psalmist says that it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The Church, therefore, exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture frequently because ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ .
What Is The Purpose Of The Genealogy In Matthew
There are multiple key purposes for Matthew starting with genealogy, including:
- Matthew 1:1 shares the whole story of the Bible The beginning of Mattew shares the genealogy of Adam, Abraham, David, and Jesus. If we reference these key people in the Old Testament and what promises were given to them, you can learn the whole story of the Bible quickly and effectively.
- It is a record of truth Like other history books, adding historical names is a way to make the book valid and truthful. Beginning with genealogy, the book of Matthew proves that the Bible is a real book with real stories inside.
- It shows Jesus is inclusive Some people think that Jesus might shy away from them due to their sins, but this could not be further from the truth. Even Jesus had individuals, such as Tamar and Bathsheba, who sinned with a high offense, and Jesus never looked down on them.
- Lastly, it displays hope At the time Matthew was written, it was not an enjoyable time for the people. However, things take a turn for the best when Jesus is born. That said, adding Jesus to the lineage shows that people could, and should still have, hope for the future.
You can read the genealogy of Jesus as it is written in the book of Matthew here.
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Its Descriptions Of Nature And Natural History Are Hopelessly At Odds With Science
The Bible is not at odds with science in its descriptions of nature and natural history. Biblical truth and scientific truth will never conflict as a matter of principle because, as past theologians have told us, God has given us two books to reveal who he is, namely the book of nature and the Bible. While these two books will never truly come into conflict, our interpretations of one or the other, or both, may be wrong, which brings the appearance of conflict. At this point, we need to remember the wise words of Pope John Paul II, Science can purify our religion religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.
Genesis 1-2, the main biblical account of cosmic and human origins, describes these events using figurative language, which should be obvious to all readers and has been obvious to most through the ages. Church fathers like Origen and Augustine recognized that real days with evenings and mornings must have a sun, moon, and stars. Thus the days of Genesis 1where the sun doesnt appear until the fourth daymust not be real days. When Genesis 2:7 describes the formation of the first man as God blowing on dust, that too is figurative language. After all, does God have lungs?
Development Of The Christian Canons
Development of the Old Testament canonDevelopment of the New Testament canonSt. Jerome in his StudyJeromeLatinVulgate
The Old Testament canon entered into Christian use in the Greek Septuagint translations and original books, and their differing lists of texts. In addition to the Septuagint, Christianity subsequently added various writings that would become the New Testament. Somewhat different lists of accepted works continued to develop in antiquity. In the 4th century a series of synods produced a list of texts equal to the 39, 46, 51, or 54-book canon of the Old Testament and to the 27-book canon of the New Testament that would be subsequently used to today, most notably the Synod of Hippo in 393 CE. Also c. 400, Jerome produced a definitive Latin edition of the Bible , the canon of which, at the insistence of the Pope, was in accord with the earlier Synods. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that this process effectively set the New Testament canon, although there are examples of other canonical lists in use after this time.
The New Testament writers assumed the inspiration of the Old Testament, probably earliest stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”.
Some denominations have additional canonical holy scriptures beyond the Bible, including the standard works of the Latter Day Saints movement and Divine Principle in the Unification Church.
Ethiopian Orthodox canon
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What Is The Significance Of 14 Generations In Matthew
When reading the book of Matthew, it will become clear that Matthew relays the genealogies using 14 specific generations.
Is there a purpose behind this, or is this just a coincidence? No, there are actually a few reasons why Matthew created the 14 generations.
Matthew designed his genealogy to have three sections, each relaying a piece of history: Abraham to David, David to exile, exile to Jesus.
Doing so, Matthew wanted to make it clear that Jesus had a direct connection to these individuals and that He ended the exile.
Aside from this, Matthew also ordered the 14 generations numerically too. By looking at the numbers, you can count three separate sets that create 14 generations.
Makes The Bible More Relatable
Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine that the Bible is real with actual human beings who walked on this earth and breathed the same air breathed today.
However, looking at the genealogy can support the fact that not only is the Bible truth, but it is also relatable.
Genealogies show that real people were living in those times, some with the presence of Jesus and some without.
Regardless of the time, they were alive on earth, they went through real trials and tribulations, just as humans do today.
Why is this important?
For example the story about Jonah in the whale might not seem realistic at this point, but knowing other stories and genealogies of these individuals makes it more relatable.
The main benefit of having a relatable Book from God is that human beings can feel that they, too, can become believers of Christ and have eternal life just like many of those who are found in the genealogies and went through real issues in their lives.
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Christians Cant Even Agree On What Its Saying So Who Cares If Its True Or Not
Christians often come to different conclusions on what the Bible teaches on a whole host of subjects. All we have to do is drive down the street and see a Baptist Church on one corner, then a Lutheran Church on another, then a Catholic Church, a Presbyterian Church, and on and on to come to the conclusion that there isnt one, but a host of different Christian messages.
Christians disagree on many things, such as as how to interpret Genesis 1-2, how to understand the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humans, what happens during communion, when someone should be baptized, how the gifts of the Spirit manifest themselves in us, when Christ is going to return, and on and on. Such differences may lead some people to conclude that if Christians cant agree on what the Bible teaches, then why bother with it all.
The Revelation Of Jesus
The Bible have parts that tells us about Jesus Christ, the pillar of Christianity. The news of Jesus in the Bible starts from the Old Testament where the Prophets foretold his birth Isaiah 9:6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
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Archaeological And Historical Research
Biblical archaeology is the archaeology that relates to and sheds light upon the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures . It is used to help determine the lifestyle and practices of people living in biblical times. There are a wide range of interpretations in the field of biblical archaeology. One broad division includes biblical maximalism which generally takes the view that most of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible is based on history although it is presented through the religious viewpoint of its time. It is considered to be the opposite of biblical minimalism which considers the Bible to be a purely post-exilic composition. Even among those scholars who adhere to biblical minimalism, the Bible is a historical document containing first-hand information on the Hellenistic and Roman eras, and there is universal scholarly consensus that the events of the 6th century BCE Babylonian captivity have a basis in history.
Where In The Bible Does It Talk About Genealogy
Genealogies are mentioned heavily in the New Testament, but where specifically can you find the Bible talking about genealogies?
Is the New Testament the only place to find records of lineage? No, not at all. There are a few options.
The first mention of genealogies is found in the book of Genesis. Here, the record of descendants from Adam and Eve are mentioned. More specifically, you can find the descendants of Abraham in chapters 4, 5, and 11.
Here, you can also find the age at which the patriarch fathered his son and how long they lived together.
In Genesis chapter 4, you can find specific genealogy information related to Cain. In chapter 5, you can find the genealogy for Seth. Lastly, you will find the genealogy of Noah in chapter 10, otherwise known as the Table of Nations.
Of course, the book of Matthew and the book of Luke are the two notable books containing the genealogy of Jesus specifically.
However, they differ slightly in that Matthew starts the lineage from Abraham and Luke goes back to Adam.
A few other mentions of genealogies can be found in other areas of the Bible, including:
- Ruth 4:18-22
- Nehemiah 7:5-69
- Numbers 26:1-62
Keep in mind that when searching for genealogies, there may be certain people missing because fathered and fathered an ancestor of are used interchangeably, although it may appear that way.
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