Christians Need to Study the Bible

There are many reasons to study the bible as a Christian. One reason is because the bible tells us to. Many Christians do not realize this because they do not read the bible or they use translations that omit this fact. 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Luke 11:28 tells us blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. There are over 31,000 verses in the bible. If one hears an average of 5 verses per Sunday sermon, it would take over 119 years to hear the entire bible. That is without any verses being repeated in any of those sermons. One cannot hear God’s word without reading it for themselves. One cannot keep it if they do not study it to know what they are supposed to do/keep.

2 Peter 2:1 tells us that there will be false teachers. The only way we know if we are in the presence of false teachers is to know the truth for ourselves. This means that one either already knows the truth through study or goes and studies the bible to verify what they have heard. Either way, if one does not know what the bible says, they are unable to know what is false and what is true.

The bible also tells us how scripture is beneficial. 2 Timothy 3:16 lists four areas where knowing scripture profits us. These four are doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. These areas cover most of, if not all, life in some way. This means scripture benefits our lives. The more one studies scripture, the more one understands how to profit from it.

Until now, we have been talking about how reading and studying the bible affects us while we are alive. What about eternity? As Christians, we believe that salvation is through believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died, and that he was resurrected because that is what the bible says.

How does one know this to be true, if not for reading it or being told by someone who read it in the bible? How does one believe in a person, a historical figure, and the Son of God if one does not know who he is? On what basis does one call themselves a Christian? The basis comes from scripture.

Only God knows what a person truly believes. However, there are many today that call themselves Christians and they do not know Jesus. They do not know what God’s word says is true. They willingly and/or unknowingly believe false doctrine. Just because one goes to a “Christian church” on Sunday or declares they are a Christian, does not make one a Christian.

Neglecting God’s word leads to many issues. If one does not know the bible, they cannot know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If one does not know Him, one cannot know how to please him and be blessed because of him. Without knowing Jesus, who he is, and what he did for us, then you should not call yourself a Christian.