Why Should I Study My Bible

WHY SHOULD I STUDY MY BIBLE?

Becky Rene

Introduction

1. Every Sunday morning there is someone who does a lesson and on Friday night we have a Bible study. So that is how we come to know what the Bible says about things.

2. So if we learn what the Bible says when we go to worship then why do we need to study our Bibles by ourselves? Well this is a lesson to show you why you girls need to study your Bible on your own.

I. How You Came to Believe the Things you Believe

A. Now I want you girls to think about this: why do people believe different things?

1. This is what I mean: some people believe that Jesus is God and some people believe that Jesus is an angel who was created by God.

2. Some people believe that you must be baptised for the remission of sins and some people believe that you only get baptised after you have been saved.

3. Some people believe that you go to a place called Hell and burn forever in a fire and some believe that you will just be destroyed.

B. So those are the different things that people believe. So now write down what you believe about those things…

1. This is what I believe about…

a. Jesus ___________________________________________.

b. Baptism _________________________________________.

c. Punishment ______________________________________.

2. Now think about why you believe those things:

a. Is it because that is what me, mom, or Rachel taught you?

b. Is it because that is what your parents taught you?

c. Is it because you read it in a book?

d. Is it because you studied that all by yourself and so that is what you believe?

3. Now which one of those ways is the best way of getting what you believe a, b, c, or d?

II. What is Wrong with Being Taught by Someone Else?

A. Now if you girls answered either a, b, or c but none of you answered d then that is bad and so we need to talk about that.

B. So now let us look at these one at a time:

1. About a: supposing what me, mom, or Rachel is teaching you is wrong? Now you might say, “Oh, we look at the Scriptures when you say them and so we can see where it says that and so we can see it is true.”

a. Well, that is good that you are looking at those Scriptures when I say them but look at this (I got this example from my daddy so look at it carefully):

Preacher Thomas teaches that the earth will last forever and quotes the following Scriptures (Psalms 78:69; 104:5; Ecclesiastes 1:4).

Preacher Richard teaches that the earth will be destroyed and quotes the following verses (Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10).

Preacher Harold teaches that the earth will be replaced and quotes the following passages (Hebrews 1:10-12; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).

Who would you believe, Tom, Dick, or Harry?

b. So, do you see what I mean? Thomas could teach a lesson and say the earth will last forever and you girls will look at those Scriptures and say, “Oh, that is what the Bible says so it must be true”. Maybe you will change your mind when you listen to Richard, and maybe you will change your mind again when you listen to Harold!

2. About b: well, I suppose it would depend on how your parents came to know that. What if they were taught by Tom, Dick, or Harry and did not study that for themselves? Well, what if they did study that for themselves? Well, does that mean they cannot be wrong now? Lots of people do study things by themselves but that does not absolutely guarantee that you are right does it? (I will talk about that in a minute).

3. About c: Well, you can find lots of books all on the same subject and they will all be different so what does that mean? Well, they cannot all be right can they? If you want to learn what the Bible says about something then read the Bible.

4. About d: If you have studied something for yourself then that is the best way to learn something.

III. Why You Need to Study Your Bible for Yourself

A. If you do not study your Bible then…

1. It means what you believe is just what someone else believes; it might be true or it might not.

2. It means you will keep changing your mind about things. This is called “being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4.14).

B. This is what you must do when me, mom, and Rachel teach a lesson…

1. Look what John says…

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1 NASBR)

2. Now those “spirits” are talking about preachers and so it says we have to “test” them. So how do we do that then? You can test them by looking to see if what they are saying is in your Bible and that is what I do.

"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11 NASBR)

3. Now listen to this because this is very important. It is very good to look at the Scriptures that those teachers show you but you must study what they teach properly and look for all the Scriptures that talk about that subject. Do you remember the example of Thomas, Richard, and Harry? So that is why you must find all what the Bible says about something.

IV. You Might Still be Wrong?

A. So now you can see why you need to study the Bible yourself. But guess what? You could still be wrong you know! So how could you still be wrong even after you have looked at all what the Bible says about that? (My daddy helped me with this bit):

1. You may have taken some things literally that are actually figures of speech.

2. You may have misinterpreted the meaning of a verse because you failed to consider the context of the verse.

3. Your interpretation of certain verses may be tinted by your own prejudices and biasness.

4. There are many cultural references that you might misunderstand.

B. So you can see that you cannot just say, “Oh, I have studied that so now I do not have to study that again.” You have to keep on studying in case you misunderstood or misinterpreted something.