The Importance of Bible Study

In a day and age when biblical ignorance is at an all time high, those who claim to follow Christ need to give careful consideration to building themselves up in the grace and knowledge of God (Acts 20:32).  If we are going to be successful in the work God has called us to, then we must be good students of the Scriptures.  Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hos. 4:6).  The Minor Prophet Amos spoke of the lack of Bible knowledge as a famine when he said, "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).  Sadly, this same famine is occurring in the America today. 

One of the ways that we need to seriously reconsider our ways is concerning personal Bible study.  We need to be a people of the book.   Paul commended the Bereans because they “…received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).  Paul encouraged the young evangelist Timothy to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15).  How well do we really know the Scriptures?  How much time do we really spend studying God’s word?  Herein is another seeming contradiction.  We believe the Bible contains everything we need to live the best life and get to Heaven (2 Pet. 1:3).  We teach that the only way to be saved and to stay saved is to study and do what God’s word says (Jas. 1:21; Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12).  We claim that the Scriptures are the lamp to our feet and the light to our path (Ps. 119:105).  Yet, for all this lip service that we pay toward the Bible, we don’t spend time studying it as we should.  One study suggests that the average religious person reads their Bible seven minutes a day.  This means those who claim to follow Christ spend less than one hour a week or 42 hours a year studying their Bible, not including worship services.  These numbers should cause us to ask, “Are we really giving ample time to Bible study each day?”  If not, we need to consider our ways and make some serious changes!

If the moral and religious fiber of our country is going to improve it has to begin with each one of us getting back to Bible Study.  May we have the courage and determination to be a people of the Book!