Why study the Bible?

Verse of the Week:

Ephesians 1:17: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better."

Why Study the Bible?

I remember the time when Dad and Mom presented me with my very first Children's Bible at the age of 8 years old. I was so excited about my new Bible that I was determined to read the Bible all the way through, from the beginning to the end.  So I started in the book of Genesis and delighted in the classic stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and, of course, Joseph and his coat of many colors.  Then Exodus came, and I was swept away by the stories of Moses and the Israelites and their escape from Pharaoh.  Then Leviticus came... ummmmm....I wish I could say that I loved reading about the rules for burnt offerings, rules for grain offerings, rules for sin offerings, clean and unclean animals, rules about leporsy, Passover, and well...the list goes on; lets face it, I was 8 years old!  At that age, I read the Bible for it's stories, and Leviticus looked like a foreign language to me!  So I got frustrated, and on the shelf the Bible went collecting dust for a few months.  Then a few months later I got some inspiration again to read the Bible from the beginning to the end, but I couldn't remember where I left off from last time...sooooooooooo I started over again in the book of Genesis.  I continued to read Exodus; then once again, Leviticus came...Borrrrinnnnggg!  And I gave up again.  And the process would start over.  During those first two years, I must have read Genesis and Exodus a thousand times, but nothing in the rest of the Bible.  Finally my Mom encouraged me to just skip Leviticus and look at other stories in the Bible, and I must say the experience proved to be much better for me. As I grew older and matured in my faith, I began to understand the purpose of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and their significance to the story line of the Bible, but it sure did take awhile!

Why study the Bible?  Many people in today's society consider it out dated and old fashioned. After all, who wants to read about how to sacrifice a bull or what to do when Leprosy goes away (a big help considering we don't even get Leprosy today!).  Even though the Bible is one of the most sold books in America, most Bibles are stuck on people's shelves collecting dust.  Why should Christians study the Bible?

Suppose you are sitting in a coffee shop with a cup of espresso with new friend you just met.  Suppose you want to get to know him/her better.  I suppose you would start asking your friend questions to learn more about them.  You would listen to his/her answers and stories and get a better grasp of your friend's character, personality, likes and dislikes, and many other things.  Now suppose you are in the same scenario,  but instead of asking questions and listening, you start to stare at the TV screen mounted up on the wall  of the coffee shop watching your favorite NFL team play football.  That is all that you and your friend do is sit and watch television in the coffee shop.  Did you learn anything about your friend then?  Probably not, except maybe that they can watch TV just like you!  The same thing with God. When you accept Christ into your heart, He comes to live inside of you.  He places His spirit in you and you now are born again into a new life of righteousness through the blood of Christ.  Don't you want to know more about the one who lives in your heart?  We learn more about Jesus and his character from reading the Bible.   It shows who He is, what He does, and how He acts.  It is a love story that starts off showing how man creates a mess for himself; how man tries to repair his messed up condition by following all of God's laws but fails; and how God sends his son Jesus to come and rescue man from his sin and repairs his heart.  It is a story of sacrificial love that is expressed to all people. Every book of the Bible is significant in understanding this story including boring ole Leviticus! ;) When we fail to study the Bible we might as well be those friends staring up at the TV screen in the coffee shop...clueless.


Sadly enough, people are dependent on Church to learn about God, and those that don't go to church, create their own concept of who they think God is instead of reading the Bible.  By creating who you think God is, you can then determine what standards you live by, no matter how good or bad your standards are.  This can be very misleading and dangerous. You could create a god completely opposite of the God of the Bible!

By studying the Bible, it allows us to be able to distinguish the thoughts that come into our mind.  Are they God's thoughts or the World's thoughts?  Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  We renew our minds to be more Christ-like by studying the Word and understanding who we are in Christ. By studying God's character in the Bible, it enables you to see things through God's eyes instead of the world's eyes, and your heart is transformed into His likeness. You begin to display the fruits of the spirit, love, mercy, goodness, forgiveness because you discover those are the traits that are displayed in God and thus the same traits dwell in your own born again heart. As a result, when it comes to making decisions and hearing what God wants, we know what to do because we know of His character.  


As Paul says in Ephesians 1:17, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better."

May our deepest desire and prayer be to know our Lord better. AMEN!

Studying the Bible through the Lens of Grace

Verse of the Week:

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

Studying the Bible through the Lens of Grace

There have been times when studying the Bible has brought a lot of frustration in my life.  One part of the Bible would say one thing, and then in another part it would say the opposite.  Why are there so many contradictions in the Bible?  To just mention a few of those contradictions... In one area of the Bible it talks about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24); in other words, whatever someone does to you, you do back, but in another area of the Bible Jesus talks about forgiveness and turning the other cheek (Luke 6:29). In one area of the Bible it talks about how God will show you kindness ONLY if you repent (2 Chronicles 7:14), yet in another passage it says that God will show you kindness FIRST and that the kindness He gives causes you to repent (Romans 2:4). There are even more contradictions in the Bible than what was just mentioned. 

For the past few months, I have been studying the Bible through the lens of Grace.  This is hard to share because I know that people who, like me, have been taught something all their lives will think what I am saying is blasphemous,  but I ask that you keep an open mind, look at your Bible, and read for yourself the things that I share with you.  I have tried really hard use the verses in the correct context to back up all that I am saying.  I hope this will spark discussion among you and your family and friends as we all strive to understand our Lord better. I only want to share what the Bible says, period.

There are two vital questions the past few days that I have learned are critical in understanding the Bible (Source: Unlock your Bible, by Steve McVey): 
1. Is this passage part of the Old Covenant or New Covenant?
2. Who is the author talking to in this passage?

Most people shut down whenever they even hear the word, "Covenant" just like a computer shuts down if you pour water on it!  I was one of them, and for years I would ignore the teaching of the Old and New Covenant, but I have found that it is vital in understanding the Bible.

First off, a covenant is similar to a contract.  You do your part, and the other person does their part.  It can also be described like a will someone writes for when they pass away.  If you ever change your will, it makes the previous will you wrote outdated and obsolete.  The same thing with the Old and New Covenant of the Bible.  The Old Covenant is in the Old Testament, and can no longer be used because the New Covenant, which is the New Testament has taken its place. The Bible even describes it this way:

By calling this covenant "new," He has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

Unfortunately many people try to read the whole Bible by combining Old and New Covenant together, causing so much frustration and confusion. They think the Old Covenant is supposed to be applied to our daily lives even though we are now under a New Covenant. 

You have to ask yourself, who the Old Covenant was written to?  Some people say it was written to everyone in this world,  but fortunately it isn't true. Steve McVey points out something very critical in his book, Unlock Your Bible:

The entire Bible is written FOR you, but not all of it is written TO you.

While, we can learn so many things from the Old Covenant, you will find it was written to the Jews/Israelites.  In fact the whole Old Testament was written TO the Jews.  Leviticus 26:46 says, 

These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.  

The Old Covenant is based on Laws and rules to follow. God made an agreement with Israel, that if they would keep his laws, he would bless them; if not, then He would curse them (Deuteronomy 28, Exodus 19:5-8).  

According to the Old Covenant, in order to be declared righteous, one must follow the law, which we know is impossible to do.  The Jews had 613 laws to follow, and they couldn't do it because of man's sinful nature. This is where people today mess up when reading the Bible. They look at the laws and try to follow them today, only to find themselves disappointed. They think they still have to follow some of Moses' law (particularly the moral part of the law), but Paul and James says that if you follow one part, you must follow all of it (Galatians 5:3, James 2:10). In addition to that, I have never seen anything in the New Testament that says you must keep the moral law of Moses. (***see side note on the bottom) You see, the law actually arouses sin (Romans 7:5).  The law actually gives sin its power.  1 Corinthians 15:56 says,

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

People end up getting trapped under the law.   I used to say, well the Old Covenant laws are good guidelines for us to follow and should still be taken seriously.  I used to look at the laws so that I knew how to live my life for Christ,  but Steve McVey puts it this way,

What happens, then, when a person reads the Bible soley for the purpose of finding out how to live?  Her efforts backfire because the Law does what it always does by provoking sinful behavior.

It seems that the harder I try to follow the law, the worse I do, but here is the catch, I am not under the Old Covenant (and I never was under it because I am not a Jew), but under the New Covenant.  Just like if a new will is drawn up and the old will is no longer valid, the same thing happens with the Old and New Covenants.  The Old Covenant is no longer valid, and the New Covenant is what we look to.  I am not saying the Old Covenant is bad and unimportant, the law of the Old Covenant points out that we are sinners and gives us understanding of life under the law. However, under the New Covenant, we are declared righteous through Christ Jesus.  Jesus, fulfilled the law of the Old Covenant and paid the price for our sins through his death and resurrection. Our past, present, and future sins are forgiven  and Christ now lives IN me and will continue his good work through me!  The New Covenant is not based on how well we follow the law, but rather the New Covenant is based on faith in Christ Jesus. We confess our sins once to God and believe that Jesus is our Savior, and God forgives us. That is the New Covenant, grace.

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)


Here is another thought, when does the New Covenant start?  At Jesus' birth?  A covenant is always starts with the shedding of blood.  The New Covenant starts after Jesus' death and resurrection (Matthew 26:28).   WOW!!!  So that means a lot of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are still under the Old Covenant. This is important too, because when you read the words of Jesus, you will see that he still says a lot of law based stuff while also introducing and showing Grace by forgiving sins, healing people, and hanging out with sinners.  You see, Jesus was under the Old Covenant during his lifetime and had to fulfill the law in order to die for our sins.  You also have to ask who Jesus was talking to in the gospels, the Jews...not the Gentiles! He said a lot of law based things because he was talking to the race of people who were under the Old Covenant of the law. I am not saying that Jesus' words are unimportant, but we do need to read them in the right context. Many people say they are red letter believers of the Bible; in other words, they study all that Christ says (highlighted in red in the Bible)  and apply it to their own lives.  However not all that Christ says is TO them!  I would never intend to downplay what Christ is saying, that is not my point.  However, many people even limit who Christ is by only studying the gospels, when in fact Christ is the main character in the WHOLE Bible. You see, Christ in every book of the Bible.  To limit Christ to only the gospels is to miss so much of who He is! He is EVERYTHING!

When I read things in the Bible that seem contradictory, I ask myself, "Is this passage part of the Old Covenant or New Covenant?" because if it is under the Old Covenant, it is declared obsolete. If you look closely at the contradictions I wrote at the beginning of this blog, you will see that one is from the Old Covenant and the other is from the New Covenant.  Are you reading the Bible through the lens of the Law or through the lens of Grace? I have been trained all of my life to follow the Law, and I read the Bible through the lens of the Law.  

I now read the Bible through the lens of Grace and have found love and abundant life through Christ Jesus.  What lenses do you read the Bible with?



(To get more information about this topic, read Steve McVey's Unlock Your Bible and The Grace Walk Experience; Andrew Farley's the Naked Gospel, and Andre Van der Merwe's Grace the Forbidden Gospel)

***Just because we are not under the moral law does not give us the license to sin.  Even Paul says that in Romans 6:1 says: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
People who go out and sin because they are under the New Covenant of Grace, do not truly grasp the concept of grace.  Everything may be permissible under the New Covenant, but not everything is beneficial.  1 Corinthians 10:23 says: "I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive. In the New Covenant, we not are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) Galatians 5:18.says, But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Old Covenant	New Covenant
Found in Old Testament and gospels	Found in New Testament
Law Based	Grace Based
Obsolete	Used today
Written to Jews	Written to Everyone

Here is my Chart Notes over what I have learned!

Studying the Scriptures

Verse of the Week:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Romans 16:17-18

Studying the Scriptures

I remember being so excited about the Women's Spring Banquet that was coming up.  The speaker was supposed to be good, and I was open and ready to learn whatever God revealed to me.  I arrived with my pen and Bible and was all ready to go.  As I was signing in, one of the ladies in the sign up booth smiled at me and said, "Oh, how sweet, you brought your Bible." I remember responding to her comment and smiling, while at the same time, it seemed strange that she would notice that I had my Bible with me.  After all, it was a Christian banquet and the speaker was to talk about the Bible.  As I sat down at my table, I started looking around at the other tables to see if other women had bought their Bibles. Not a Bible in sight; maybe their Bibles were hidden in their purses or maybe most women were going to read their Bible electronically with their i phones or tablets, etc.  After all, I was still living in the dark ages when it comes to technology.  I still liked the feel of the book in my hands rather than reading it electronically.


Back to the story.  As the banquet continued, I grew excited when the speaker came up and started to give her message.  As she got into her message and started quoting scripture, I noticed that as I checked the scripture in my Bible that she was misusing portions of the scripture.   Sadly enough, some of the scripture had nothing to do with her message.  I came away disappointed about the message because I felt that some parts were not scripturally based.  But more importantly, I was sad because hardly anyone else was checking the scriptures on their phone or in their Bible to see if what she was saying was accurate.  I felt like I was in a room full of misguided people who were taking information to heart that simply was not correct. They assumed that what she was saying was Bibically based and therefore took it as the solid truth.

It grieves me that people go to church in today's world, and many of them never open their Bible.  They depend on their pastors and teachers to share with them all the information they need to know about the Lord whether the information is truthful or not.  The scriptures are clear that we need to be aware of teachers who might be giving us false information. Romans 16:17-18 says,  ^"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people." Paul warns the Romans to be aware of teachings that were contrary to what they had learned.  How do we learn what God truly says?  By reading and studying the scriptures for ourselves, and by checking the scriptures in the word that teachers might be using in their messages and sermons. Even the Bereans, who listened to Paul preach, checked the scriptures to make sure that Paul was preaching the word.  "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)

We sometimes forget that humans are not perfect, and therefore teachers of the Word do mess up at times when they preach.  We need to be careful to not put pastors, Sunday school teachers, and leaders on a pedestal and expect them to share ideas from the Bible perfectly. 

What could happen if we fail to study the scriptures ourselves? Here is an example...

Adolf Hitler claimed to be a Christian and grew up Catholic.  However, when he came to power, his goal was to eliminate the Jews.  Prior to World War II, Hitler tried to "Nazify" Christianity by suppressing the old Testament teachings. He had pastors and teachers sign agreements to only teach what he wanted them to teach, and had schools that taught children exactly what he wanted them to learn.  People were deceived by Hitler's teachings. As a result, 6 million Jews were killed in World War II. ***

Are you studying and checking the scriptures?

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Romans 16:18

***Source: Hitler, God, The Bible- by Ray Comfort