When I was a little girl, I observed my parents spending time daily with God in His Word. I was often encouraged through the years by many other believers to do so as well, and began the habit of daily Bible reading while still in high school. By the time I finished college, I had read through the entire Bible for the first time. These were precious years of getting to know what was in the Word of God. Still, I longed to go deeper, but did not know how.
My early experiences may be similar or different from yours. But I think there comes a time for many Christians when they are ready and willing to take steps to spend time with the Lord daily, yet they may be stopped simply because they do not know how. "Is reading through a passage enough? How does that get the Word of God into my life?" "I know I should pray...but what about?" "How do I make real connection with the God of the universe?" These questions and many others bar our way. Some press on, finding answers as they go. Others stop, baffled and throwing up their hands. My desire and prayer is to help those who want to go deeper in the study of God's Word to press on and do so.
If we are going to study the Bible, it will be helpful to begin at the beginning. And any good beginning had better start with God, who was, after all, the originator of it all. One of the most important considerations to good Bible study is to remember to begin with God.
In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.
For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God."
The Bible is a revelation of God. Consider how other saints of both the Old and New Testament spoke of knowing God: "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways that I may know you and continue to find favor with you," (Moses, in Exodus 33:13). "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord," (Hosea in Hosea 6:3 NASB). "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord....that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ..." (Paul, in Philippians 3:8-10). We can see how the heartbeat of those who were closest to God was simply knowing Him.
Not only should our aim be to know God, but to see how all He reveals about Himself points to the person and work of Jesus Christ. In John 5:39 Jesus says, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me." In Luke 24:27 we see Jesus on the road to Emmaus, opening the minds of his followers to what the Scriptures are truly about. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Finally, John 17:3 says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
As we begin Bible study, let's approach it with this viewpoint: this is a book about God, and by studying it we will come to know Him. It is not primarily about me, or my felt needs for this day (although we know God cares for us and for our needs, and His word will speak to those things.) This book is primarily about God and His Son Jesus Christ.
Haddon Robinson,a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, said, "The Bible is a book of theology. The Bible is not given to tell you how to have a happy marriage. The Bible is not given to tell you how to be a successful leader. The Bible is not given to tell you how to be healthy or wealthy. The Bible is a revelation, and it's a revelation about God. So that whenever you come to a passage, the first question you have to ask is, 'What do I learn about God in this passage?' And then, 'What do I learn about the way people incorrectly or correctly respond to what they knew about God?' And 'What do I know about the situation in which people live which makes it more difficult for them to believe what the revelation is about God?' But, the Bible is a book of theology."
Life transformation happens when we know God as He truly is. Let's make it our aim to know God as we study His Word.
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