On personal reading of the Bible
For part II of our series on personal disciplines, we must start with reading the Bible. The plain and simple reason is this; there must be objective truth in order for us to find stability and direction in our lives. If we must have objective truth to meet us where we are, then we ought to have the greatest source of objective truth there is: God’s holy and inspired Word. There are many resources that effectively show how the Bible is in fact inspired by God and is perfect in its meaning, so I will leave those arguments up to much wiser men. In short, feel free to reference 2 Timothy 3:16, as it applies directly to our current conversation. So how do you actually go about applying the Bible to your life in a meaningful way? Really the answer is twofold, only one of which we will deal with directly: corporately and individually. When the local church gathers together for the preaching and teaching of the Word, this must include real and personal applications of scripture to its hearers. This kind of Bible intake is deeply important, you must be participating in it to effectively grow safely. There are countless stories of people that have studied the Bible without the church and have strayed into false doctrine which leads to condemnation (see 2 Peter 3.) I do not mean that it is a requirement for salvation, but for sanctification. It is study as an individual here that most concerns us today. Unfortunately, many believers have poor or absent Bible study practices. Do you at least read your Bible by yourself several times a week? If not, let me encourage you here to do so. We have no problem eating several meals a day but we are willing to go days without spiritual nourishment, this leaves us vulnerable to sin and too weak to do what we are called to do spiritually. In reading the scriptures, there are two methods that we need to be aware of, as they both have their purpose. David Mathis details this greatly in his book “Habits of Grace.” Sometimes we need to read over a great distance of the Bible without going too deep, like raking leaves in a yard. Not very deep, but covers a lot. This method of scripture reading helps us to grasp the story of the Bible and to see the redemptive work of God in history. This requires reading chapters and sometime books in one sitting, not just a few verses. The second is just a few verses or even a few words and going to great depth to understand it. This is like digging a well, very deep but not very wide. By practicing both models, we gain a much deeper, richer, and more comprehensive understanding of the Bible. Here are several good practices you can begin to explore in your own study of the scriptures.
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Pastor MorganMorgan has been writing since middle school and worked for a year writing professionally as a news journalist for the Daily Tribune in Gallipolis. This blog is a chance for him to express his love for the Lord and all church related things through writing. Archives
December 2019
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