There are more Bibles in print than any other book. Yet, most people do not know what it says or how it applies to their lives. We want to challenge everyone to learn what the Bible says. There is nothing to lose by studying the Bible and everything to gain. Our own soul’s salvation is dependent upon our proper understanding and our obedience to God’s instructions.
The Bible is God’s inspired instructions to mankind. II Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,…” Inspiration specifically means, “the drawing of air into the lungs” (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). In other words, God breathed all scriptures in the Bible! It is as though God wrote the Bible by his own hand. The Bible is the revealed Word of God. The Bible contains the knowledge of God for all mankind.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (II Peter 1:2-4)
However, this knowledge of God does not come without some effort on our part. II Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to show thyself approved unto God,…” This phrase infers that a lack of knowledge of God’s Word is the same as our disapproval of God. If we fail to study the Bible, we are telling God we object to His instructions. Is there any chance of our obtaining salvation if we reject God?
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrews 2:1-4)
We are foolish to neglect learning God’s will. We know the Bible is from God. We would never think of insulting our Lord by ignoring His instructions. Yet, for various reasons, we allow ourselves to neglect our greatest personal responsibility. It is our personal responsibility to seek and learn God’s will. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,…” (Matthew 6:33). We must remove the dust from our Bibles that sit on the living room coffee table and read it. No one can come to knowledge of God without it.
We would like to help anyone who desires to learn God’s will. If you need a Bible, we will get you one. If you need help studying the Bible, we can provide instruction. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
By Steve A. Hamilton shamilton@rap.midco.net