The Study of God's Word

Article 11 of 13 in the Walking with Jesus Series

How do you know what God is like? How do you know what He requires, what He promises, what He has done, and what He intends to do? The answer Scripture gives is consistent and clear: God has spoken, and His words have been preserved in the Bible. The person who neglects the study of Scripture is cutting themselves off from the primary means by which God communicates with His people. And the person who engages with it seriously will find that it is unlike any other book - living, active, and capable of transforming the person who receives it.

The claim that Scripture makes for itself is extraordinary. Paul writes that all Scripture is "given by inspiration of God" - the Greek word is theopneustos, a compound of theos (God) and pneo (to breathe). Scripture is God-breathed. It is not merely a human record of religious experience. It is the product of the Holy Spirit working through human authors to produce a text that carries the authority of God Himself.

Peter describes the process:

The word translated "moved" (phero) is the same word used for a ship being carried along by the wind. The human authors were not passive dictation machines - their personalities, vocabularies, and historical circumstances are all evident in the text. But they were carried along by the Holy Spirit so that what they wrote was precisely what God intended.

This is why the Psalmist could write:

The Word of God is not subject to revision. It is settled - fixed, established, permanent. Jesus confirmed this:

Paul tells Timothy that Scripture is sufficient to make the man of God "perfect" (artios in Greek - complete, fully equipped) and "throughly furnished unto all good works." This is the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture: the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation and for the living of a godly life. Nothing needs to be added to it.

The Bereans in Acts 17 are commended as a model of how to receive teaching:

They did not simply accept what Paul taught because he was an apostle. They searched the Scriptures daily to verify it. This is the posture Scripture commends: receive teaching with readiness, but test everything against the Word of God.

The Word of God is not merely informative. It is active and powerful:

The word translated "quick" is the Greek zao - alive. The Word of God is living. It does not merely convey information about God. It carries the power of God into the heart of the person who receives it. It discerns - it sees through the surface of our lives to the actual condition of our hearts.

Isaiah records God's own description of what His Word accomplishes:

The Word of God does not fail. When it is received and believed, it accomplishes what God intends it to accomplish.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible - 176 verses, each one a meditation on the Word of God. The Psalmist uses eight different Hebrew words to describe Scripture: law (torah), testimonies (edah), precepts (piqqud), statutes (choq), commandments (mitzvah), judgments (mishpat), word (dabar), and saying (imrah). Together they paint a comprehensive picture of what Scripture is and what it does.

The Psalmist describes Scripture as:

• A lamp and a light: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105, KJV)
• A source of purity: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." (Psalm 119:9, KJV)
• A source of wisdom: "Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies." (Psalm 119:98, KJV)
• A source of joy: "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart." (Psalm 119:111, KJV)
• A source of peace: "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165, KJV)

The Psalmist's relationship with Scripture is not dutiful or reluctant. It is passionate: "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97, KJV)

Reading Scripture is not the same as studying it. The person who reads a passage quickly and moves on may receive some benefit. The person who reads slowly, meditates, asks questions, and applies what they find will receive far more.

Joshua was given this instruction at the beginning of his leadership:

The word translated "meditate" (hagah) means to murmur, to mutter - the sound of someone reading quietly to themselves, turning the words over in their mind. Biblical meditation is not the emptying of the mind. It is the filling of the mind with the Word of God, dwelling on it until it shapes the thoughts and desires.

• "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11, KJV)
• "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." (Psalm 119:130, KJV)
• "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23, KJV)
• "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17, KJV)
• "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17, KJV)

"The Bible is too difficult for ordinary people to understand." While some passages of Scripture are genuinely difficult (2 Peter 3:16 acknowledges this), the central message of the Bible - the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ - is accessible to anyone who reads it with an honest heart. The Holy Spirit is given to guide believers into truth (John 16:13). The person who comes to Scripture humbly and prayerfully will find that it yields its meaning to them.

"The Bible contradicts itself." Apparent contradictions in Scripture are almost always resolved by careful attention to context, genre, and the original languages. The Bible was written over approximately 1,500 years by more than 40 authors in three languages, yet it presents a remarkably consistent message. The unity of Scripture across such diversity is itself evidence of its divine origin.

"The Bible is outdated and no longer relevant." Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is living - present tense. The human condition that Scripture addresses - sin, guilt, the need for forgiveness, the search for meaning, the reality of death - has not changed. The answers Scripture gives are as relevant today as when they were first written.

"I can get all I need from sermons and devotional books." Sermons and devotional books can be valuable, but they are no substitute for direct engagement with Scripture. The Bereans searched the Scriptures themselves to verify what they were taught (Acts 17:11). The person who depends entirely on others to interpret Scripture for them is vulnerable to error. Every believer should be able to read and understand the Word of God for themselves.

1. Read it daily. The manna in the wilderness had to be gathered fresh each day. The person who feeds on Scripture only occasionally will be spiritually malnourished. Set aside a regular time each day for Scripture reading, even if it is brief.

2. Read it systematically. Reading through the Bible in order, or following a reading plan, ensures that you encounter the full counsel of God rather than returning repeatedly to familiar passages. Many good reading plans are available that take you through the entire Bible in a year.

3. Meditate on it. Do not merely read and move on. Choose a verse or passage and carry it with you through the day. Turn it over in your mind. Ask what it means, why it matters, and what it requires of you.

4. Memorise key passages. The Psalmist hid God's Word in his heart as a defence against sin (Psalm 119:11). Scripture that is memorised is available in moments of temptation, doubt, and trial when you cannot open a Bible. Begin with the key verses at the end of each article in this series.

5. Apply what you read. James warns against being a hearer of the Word only, deceiving yourself (James 1:22). Every time you read Scripture, ask: what does this require of me? What must I believe, confess, or do in response to what I have just read?

1. Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Paul tells Timothy to continue in the things he has learned. What four things does Paul say Scripture is profitable for (v. 16)? What is the goal of this profitability (v. 17)?

2. Read Psalm 119:97-112. The Psalmist describes Scripture as making him wiser than his enemies, his teachers, and the ancients. What is the source of this wisdom? How does this challenge the idea that education and experience are sufficient guides for life?

3. Read Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God is described as "quick" (alive), "powerful," and "sharper than any twoedged sword." What does each of these descriptions tell you about the nature of Scripture? Have you experienced the Word of God working in this way in your own life?

4. Read Acts 17:10-12. The Bereans are described as "more noble" than the Thessalonians. What specifically made them more noble? What does their example teach you about how to receive teaching?

5. What is your current practice of Bible reading and study? What one change could you make this week to engage more deeply with Scripture?

• Prayer: Communion with God - Article 10 in this series
• Joyful Service and Witness - Article 12 in this series
• Growing Through Faith - Article 7 in this series

Primary passages: Psalm 119:1-176; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Acts 17:10-12

Supporting passages: Joshua 1:8; Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 24:35; John 16:13; John 17:17; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:22; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:21

Recommended reading:

• Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Chapter 12: "What to Do with Doubt" (Review and Herald, 1892)
• R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (IVP, 1977)
• Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Zondervan, 1981)

Do you have a question about Bible study or the nature of Scripture? Ask it here - your question may become our next article.

This article was adapted from the themes presented in the classic devotional book Steps to Christ. To access the original book, please click here.