Knowing what God’s Word is explains a lot about why we would study it. God is our Creator. He made us. He cares for us. He wants what’s best for us. He has not left us alone, without hope and answers to our many questions.
There is a God and He has spoken
That’s why we study God’s Word! The Creator of the Universe and everything in it has spoken to His creatures. We are among those creature, so we need to know what our Creator has said. He designed us for a purpose – what is it? He wants us to leave the path of sin we so easily walk – how do we do that? He wants us to overcome all obstacles in life – how do we accomplish that?
Listen. Hear what God is saying. Everything we hear Him say is vital to our spiritual health and safety, to our peace, to our joy in this life. How does God speak to us?
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2
The Lord God of Heaven has been speaking to the world for thousands of years by the great prophets of old. We read the amazing words of Moses and Joshua and Samuel and David and Solomon and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and so many others. But 2,000 years ago God spoke to us “by His Son!” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the very Word of God, became flesh and lived among men speaking to them the Words of the Eternal God. When Jesus spoke, what came from His mouth were Words of Eternal Life (John 6:68). That can be said of no other person in the world. There is only One.
That’s why we study the Bible! We are reading the very Words of the Almighty God. He has the answers to every person’s questions. He has the insight we need to make the most important decisions of our life. The One Who knows us better than we know ourselves is telling us how to life life to the fullest. He speaks Words of Eternal Life. Why wouldn’t we want to pay attention to Him? Why wouldn’t we want to hear from Him every day of our lives?
Another reason why we study God’s Word is because it builds our faith in God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Our salvation experience is just the beginning of our faith experience with God. We will spend the rest of eternity growing in our faith. The Apostle Paul reminded the Roman Christians that the blessing of God’s salvation to Gentiles came as a result of the spiritual blinding of Israel. He told them that if a person confessed the Lord Jesus with their mouth and believed in their heart that God had raised Jesus from the dead, they would be saved. “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10)
Hearing and obeying God changes everything for us. The Words of God lead us to believe and trust Him. That faith is spiritual substance and proof of what we believe. God’s Word takes us to times and places we could never know if He had not revealed it to us. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:2) God existed before anyone and anything. He has a perspective on life that we must know to make sense of our own existence.
Paul taught that Words of faith are spiritual nourishment – “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.” (1 Timothy 4:6) Jesus told Satan that God’s Word is the spiritual food upon which believers depend for their very lives (Matthew 4:4). Paul said that holding fast to the faithful Word of God was important to having sound doctrine and the ability to exhort others (Titus 1:9). The author of the Book of Hebrews pointed believers to the importance of remembering spiritual leaders who had taught them the Word of God and had a strong personal faith and walk with God (Hebrews 13:7). Growing in faith is always tied to studying God’s Word. We cannot have one without the other.
Another important reason why we study God’s Word is because that’s what people desperately need to hear! Thousands of people hungered to hear Jesus speak.
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.” (Luke 5:1-3)
Thousands of people in Jerusalem received the Word of God with gladness when they heard Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:14-47). Almost the entire city of Antioch in Pisidia came together to hear Paul preach God’s Word (Acts 13:44). I remember attending Billy Graham Crusades and seeing thousands of people gather to hear the Word of God. Hundreds walked forward night after night to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Millions of people on planet Earth are hungry and thirsty to hear truth – God’s Word is the Truth. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is Truth (John 14:6).
God’s Word nourishes us, guides us, and teaches us how to live life to its fullest (John 10:10). We grow in Christ as we grow in grace and knowledge through God’s Word (2 Corinthians 8:6-7; 2 Peter 3:17-18). We have plenty of “whys” to study God’s Word. It’s easy to see what we’ll get from being in His Word daily.
Here’s another “why” to consider – why don’t we study God’s Word? Why is it that so few Christians are consistent in studying God’s Word during their lifetime? Are we too busy? Do we not really believe God’s Word is important to our relationship with Him?
I think I know one of the reasons. More about that on Friday. Until then, please know that our prayers are with you for a rich and fulfilling experience this week as you worship your Savior and love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Blessings!
In Christ’s Love and Grace,
Mark McGee
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
GraceLife Blog 