Why It’s Important to Study the Bible for Yourself
I have loved the Bible since I was a little girl. Even before I became a believer, I was enamored with the different kinds of Bibles I came in contact with.
Even now, I love to thumb through the pages of my Bible instead of reading it on an electronic device. For me, I feel the power of God’s Word more distinctly when I am holding it in my hands.
I have been involved in Bible studies on and off for over 15 years. Each time I do a study I learn something new.
Lately, though, I’ve felt like I need to study the Bible on my own more than I rely on organized Bible studies. While I have sat under some wonderful teachers who I feel are accurately interpreting the Bible, I believe it is important not to rely just on bible scholars.
I think God has a message for each of us individually if we’ll only take the time to study His Word.
I was reading in Acts this morning and came across a powerful statement in Acts 17:11.
The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
The people in this verse are from the town of Berea. Paul was there preaching in the Jewish synagogue.
Did you catch that while they were eager to hear the good news, they didn’t trust it at face value? They searched the Scriptures for themselves daily to see if what Paul was saying was true.
This verse reminded me how important it is to search the Scriptures for myself so when I’m presented information from someone who claims to know the Bible, I will be able to test and prove whether what they are saying is correct.
I think this is so important given the times in which we are living. Already there are false teachers rising up trying to deceive people with their prosperity gospel. Others talk about God but fail to mention Jesus as the only way to true salvation. And still others are only out to pad their pockets instead of bringing glory and honor to God.
I don’t know about you, but I want to know the Scriptures so well that when someone speaks about them, I will be able to discern whether or not they are being truthful and accurate.
Will you join me in committing to studying the Scriptures in depth? I challenge you to just begin by reading one book of the Bible. Go slowly by re-reading passages until you understand what’s going on. There are so many free resources online that can help you learn more about the setting of what you’re reading. Or, you can look up words in a Bible dictionary that will help you understand the passage better.
Give it a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
