Are you a
long time christian?
3. the importance of knowing and reading the bible?
The importance of a life of daily reading is something that is being forgotten today in our churches and in Christianity in general. Today, it is not urged to read the Bible nor is the importance of it preached. This is the biggest mistake we make as Christians.
Without reading the Bible we can not know what the will of the Father(God) is, we can not know what God wants from us and what pleases Him. We can not distinguish whether the thoughts that come to mind come from God, nor can we know if our actions reflect His will.
Psalms 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
The Bible, as it enlightens us, shows us the way we should live our lives as Christians (also stated in Proverbs 6:23). Jesus said that if we love Him we should keep His commandments (John 14:15 "If ye love Me, keep My commandments"). We can not keep His commandments if we do not know them and it is impossible to know them if we do not read, scrutinize and meditate His Word (the Bible).
For many Christians today, the Bible is seen as a boring book. Yet the Bible is the most fascinating book ever to have existed. The Bible shows us the personality of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible fills us, reflects the justice of God, helps us know what pleases God and most importantly: IT IS THE POWER OF GOD AND TRANSFORMS LIVES!.
The Word is spirit and spirit is against the flesh, which profits nothing (John 6:63). If you find the word boring, you need to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and help you.
Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
It is important to restate that not only are we urged to read the Bible, Jesus Christ himself commanded us to study it in depth:
John 5:39
9 [a]You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
We must also ponder on what we have read (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:48), we must keep it in mind at every moment (Psalm 119:148):
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may[a]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will[b]have success.
Psalm 119:48
And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments,
Which I love;
And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:148
My eyes anticipate the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your [a]word.
Meditating on His Word permits us to be on guard. In Ephesians 6:17 the Word is identified as the Sword of the Spirit, this means that the Bible allows us to fight all the evil that is stalking us. Now we have a sword that allows us to protect ourselves. Therefore, we are not defenseless against the evil that wants to separate us from God.
As we mentioned earlier on in this topic, the importance of reading the Bible will allow us to distinguish whether the desires of our heart come from God or if they are contrary to His will. In Acts 13:27 we see a clear example of how the lack of reading the law and of the Prophets (the Bible) confused the inhabitants of Jerusalem and caused them to do evil while thinking they were doing good and pleasing God:
Acts 13:27-28
For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the [a]utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for putting Him todeath, they asked Pilate that He be [b]executed.
Conclusion
In this brief summary we have to understand that reading the Bible is not only something good and desirable, it is a duty, not an option. A true Christian should practice it (John 14:15). We must not only read, ponder and scrutinize, but also practice the Word (James 1:22 "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.").
Many times we find ourselves with no answers to situations that we go through. We do not find the meaning of certain circumstances that happen to us, nor do we know how to react to different obstacles that may present themselves. This is because we do not know the Word of God and consequently we do not know God's personality reflected in it. We neither know how God dealt with his servants, nor that as Christians we must live a life as such.
Today, we invite you to read the Bible. Ask the Lord to enlighten your mind and make you understand His Word. It will take a while to know His Word, you must be patient but we assure you that the rewards are excellent. In the Bible alone will you find words of Eternal Life.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may[a]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will[b]have success.
Note: Please feel free to write to us if you do not understand any passages of the Bible, contact us and we will explain with pleasure.
This is a brief explanation of the topic in matter. To learn more about the Bible, or if you want more details of its truth please contact us and we will gladly explain everything.