Many religions have holy books. Islam, for example, has the Koran. It must be studied in Arabic and is supposed to lack its authority and power when translated into other languages. Prayers are offered in Arabic which Pakistani and Iranian Muslims would not generally understand. Similarly Medieval Roman Catholicism had the Bible in Latin. William Tyndale was burnt at the stake for translating it into English, to make it accessible to the ploughman. Services were in Latin which the common man could not understand. However, in proper Christianity, the Bible loses nothing of its power and authority when translated into the language of the people and prayers are as readily heard by God in English as in Latin. We need no priest or mullah in order to approach God or hear His voice. The Bible is to be made as accessible as possible to all and so will be to their eternal benefit.

How to Understand the Bible⤒🔗

A certain perspicuity or clarity belongs to the Scriptures. They are not dark mysterious writings which require a secret code to unravel, or some specially initiated holy man to explain. The central message is clear. The more difficult parts are explained by the simpler ones. The Holy Spirit illuminates the page of Scripture enabling us to grasp what it says and to appreciate its relevance for us.

Never were there more aids than today in studying the Bible. First we must seek to understand what the passage meant to those who first heard it, or rather what it was meant to convey to them. The Old Testament gradually and historically unfolds the message of salvation. With the Old Testament we must consider what new light we can obtain on the passage by considering it in the light of the New Testament. Jesus said: ‘Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me’ (Jn. 5:39). To the two on the road to Emmaus it is said of Jesus, ‘beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself’ (Lk. 24:27). So it is important to relate all the Scriptures to Him. He is the centre. In the Old Testament there was a looking forward to Christ in whom alone is salvation. In the Gospels His life and death are presented and then in the Epistles His person and work are explained.

While translations truly communicate the Word of God, we must remember that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (and Aramaic) and the New Testament in Greek. To grasp the nuances of meaning we should study the text in the original languages. However if this is not possible then we can look at commentaries which deal carefully with the text. Modern conservative commentaries are usually best as they are able to draw on the riches of past commentators. They take the Bible as God’s Word, treating the message with respect. Lexicons and dictionaries will help with the actual meaning of the words used. Sometimes it is helpful to look at different translations. Some commentaries will also fill in the geography, history, date of writing, authorship and background of the passage. There are also books of introduction to the Old and New Testaments which explain these matters more fully. The passage must be thought of in its immediate context and in the context of the book in which it is written and in its place overall in the Bible and in the history of redemption. Difficult passages should be seen in the light of simpler ones and thus Scripture interprets Scripture. There are excellent commentaries available, for example Ralph Davis’ commentaries on the Old Testament and William Hendriksen’s commentaries on the New Testament. Some commentaries bog one down in dealing with liberal theories. Others are practical but very superficial and so do not wrestle with the text and leave you with the same questions that you had before. We should choose commentaries which explain the passage.

The Role of the Bible←⤒🔗

Revelation←↰⤒🔗

First and foremost the Bible is revelation. It reveals to us the truths we need to know for our salvation. In the Bible we are taught what God is really like. While by nature we have some consciousness of a supreme Being, in the Bible we are taught that He is Trinity – one divine essence but three Persons. The Father is revealed as the one who eternally begets the Son, and the Spirit as eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. God created the world – the Father planning, the Son speaking the creative word and the Spirit perfecting and beautifying. Man was made in the image of God. The Fall of man brought the curse of God for disobedience upon the world. Sin, pain and death entered human experience. But the Scriptures also reveal God as the merciful One. In His great love He plans salvation: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (Jn. 3:16). The Son came and died on the cross as a sacrifice for sinners. He rose victorious over death and the grave. He sent out His disciples to preach the Gospel. The Holy Spirit was granted on the day of Pentecost and accompanies the church in its mission, applying the redemption purchased by Christ to the lost. We learn about our own sin and guilt, about Heaven and Hell and the fact that we are all by nature on the way to Hell. The Gospel announces that Christ died for sinners, suffering the punishment which was due to them for their sins, and that all who repent and believe on Him will be saved. We are invited, indeed commanded to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus. He is freely offered to us as the Saviour. All who trust in Him are saved.

The Bible also sets before us the way we should live. The law of God is given there to us. First it convicts us of our sin and guilt because we are unable to keep it and thus acts as a schoolmaster (or probation officer) to bring us as helpless lost sinners to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Having become Christians and our sins having been pardoned, the law sets before us the rule by which we should live. It is not a matter of us keeping the law to get to heaven, to earn salvation. That is impossible. Rather we show that we have been saved by our keeping of the law. Enjoying God’s mercy we show our thankfulness by living a God-pleasing life.

The Bible instructs us with regard to worship, prayer, charity, organising churches, witnessing and evangelism and much more. We must study the Bible to know how to live in this world, how to relate to God and to one another.

Food for Souls←↰⤒🔗

Our bodies need a daily intake of food to be healthy and to have the energy for work. So the soul needs food too. The soul feeds on the ‘sincere milk of the word’ (1 Pet. 2:2). Contemplating God and His glory, Christ and His finished work, our hearts are filled with good things. As we read of the promises of God and believe them, we are strengthened for the Christian race. God’s people in the past have experienced many trials and troubles and these are recorded in the Scriptures for our profit. Out of every trial God has taken them as gold purified in the fire, encouraged and blessed. So, reading the Scriptures, we are encouraged to persevere. We are given hope as an anchor for our souls in the storms of life, that there is a wonderful future ahead of us and that the best is yet to be. Beginning on the Christian road we need milk but as we progress we should be feeding on strong meat (Heb. 5:11-14).

Guidance←↰⤒🔗

In our day-to-day lives we need God’s guidance and the most important way He does this is through the Scriptures. How does it work? We pray to Him and He directs us through the principles laid down in His Word. We must never pray against the clear teaching of God’s Word. For example it is clear in the Bible that a Christian should not marry someone who is not a true Christian. Marriage should only be in the Lord (1 Cor. 7:39). Also the Apostle states, ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?’ (2 Cor. 6:14). Perhaps you feel drawn to a member of the opposite sex but if they are not true Christians you must reject any such thought. The principles of God’s Word guide us. But what if the other person is a Christian too? You must still pray for guidance. Marriage is one of the most important decisions in life. A good marriage partner can be a great blessing. As you submissively read the Scriptures, praying for direction, God will lead your thoughts in these and other difficult decisions.

Equipping for Service←↰⤒🔗

We must read the Scriptures in order to have spiritual knowledge which is vital to equip us to helpfully minister to our fellow-Christians. The more we know of God’s Word the more we will be in a position to instruct, encourage or rebuke our fellow-believers.

We want to be used by God in the conversion of sinners. Again it is vital that we spend much time studying the Scriptures because a good knowledge of God’s Word will enable us to communicate that Word to the unconverted. The more we know the Bible the easier it will be to witness. They raise questions and we will require Bible knowledge to be able to answer these. Whatever their difficulty is, we, with God’s help, will have the answers.

Paul’s words to Timothy summarise the role of the Bible:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. 3:16

Language for Prayer←↰⤒🔗

One final great reason for studying the Bible is to help us to pray and to praise. We have many examples of prayer in the Scriptures and we have a duty to learn from them the pattern for prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is of course the supreme example but there are also many others e.g. Ezra 9:5ff, Daniel 9:4ff, John 17, Ephesians 1:17ff. We find in Scripture the language we can properly use for supplication. Also in the Bible we have the promises which we must plead in our prayers. In the Book of Psalms, God has given to us the best hymnbook ever written. He has given us 150 songs of which He Himself is the author and which praise Him more appropriately than any others.