Tag Archives: Christian living

Why we should study the Bible (Part 2)

Posted on September 25, 2012 by | Comments Off on Why we should study the Bible (Part 2)

STUDY TO SHEW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH (II TIMOTHY 2:15).

In the previous post, which was an introduction to this series on studying the Bible, I discussed the importance of realizing that studying the Bible is an important part of our spiritual development.  Our key verse for this series, II Timothy 2:15, can grammatically be broken into three distinct parts; an independent clause and two dependent clauses (one of which is considered nonessential relative clauses for those of you who love English grammar) that further define the subject of the independent clause.  There is a wealth of information within this simple verse that isn’t easily noticed if you’re just casually reading the Bible.

Study to show thyself approved unto God…

This is the only independent clause of the entire verse.  From a grammatical viewpoint, it could stand alone and does not need the remaining part of the verse, the two dependent clauses, to define it any further.  Reflecting back on my academic career, when I was preparing for my final set of examinations for my M.A., I read a selection of books from my committee, studied a set of questions that had been provided by my committee chair, and studied for both oral and written exams.  Although I would repeat this process in pursuit of my Ph.D., the standards would not be the same.  It would be a different committee, different standards, and different questions; all tailored for what my planned course of study would be.

It was during the process of working on the Ph.D. that I began to ask myself that if I were willing to do this for the approval of man, then why would I not be willing to read and study the Bible in the fear [of] him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:14-16).  What the apostle Paul was referring to was the teachings of Christ as being the mind of Christ; we now have those teachings of Christ preserved for us in the form of the New Testament!

When it comes to spending time reading the Bible, I treated it as so many Christians do.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome that once we have come to the saving knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should know that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6). In fact, Paul further wrote to the church at Ephesus, But ye have not so learned Christ;  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24).  It’s not easy at first; spending daily time reading and diligently studying the Bible seems strange and uncomfortable.  As a young Christian, it may hold our interest for a while, but as we begin to settle, reading the Bible tends to be as fun and exciting as reading the local classified ads. Instead of putting off the “old man” – the flesh that is at war with our spirit – we fully give in to the demands of the flesh for the additional fifteen minutes of sleep, five more minutes in the shower, or an hour extra at the golf course, hiking trail, or whatever we do for fun.

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Why we should study the Bible (Part 1)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by | Comments Off on Why we should study the Bible (Part 1)

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).

I have always enjoyed the process of learning.  As a child, I remember enjoying going to the school’s library and checking out books on dinosaurs, astronauts, and anything dealing with science.  My love of learning did not stop there but continues even today.  I enjoy reading, studying, and expanding my mind about the world around me.  Although I have been a Christian since 1988, I never made the effort to study the word of God – the Bible – the way I have other subjects until about seven years ago.

While in the process of preparing for my preliminary exams for my Ph.D. program, I began what every other Ph.D. graduate student has done in the past.  I met with my adviser and committee members, I made a list of what I thought could be possible questions, and read books off of reading lists that had been prepared by my committee to help me prepare for the exams.  Over the next six months, I read the books, discussed the readings with the members of the committee, and prepared my responses to the list of questions I had earlier prepared with the help of the committee.

About halfway through my preparations for the exams, I began to realize the truth about my own seriousness about my faith.  I claimed to be a Christian, I did read my Bible nearly every day, and regularly attended church services, but rarely did I ever study the Bible with the intensity that I was doing in preparation for my preliminary exams.  It was at that time that I truly began to realize what Paul meant when he wrote those words to Timothy: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).

As a part of our spiritual growth, it is important that we study the Bible.  Just as an athlete increases their strength and endurance by working out, and just as a chef refines their talents by continued practice, as Christians, we must strengthen our faith through personal Bible study, prayer, and active service within a local church.  We should do this not because our faith requires it, but because we desire closer fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  I decided to do it not only because I felt it was what I should do, but because I wanted to as well.

To be honest, there is no right or wrong way to study the Word of God.  It is a matter of what works best and provides the results you want.  If you are intense with your study, you’ll not only get a better understanding of your faith, but will find yourself drawing closer in your relationship with God.  What works for me is a bit of quiet time – like when my two-year old daughter is napping.  I simply get out my Bible, a notebook, a pen, and a good concordance, such as The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.  Each day, I read one chapter from the book of Proverbs, and then follow a system that will allow me to read the Bible through at least one time each year.

As I do my daily readings, I will make a note of any verse or phrase that seems to stand out at the time I am reading it.  Once I have finished doing my reading, I then grab the concordance and will begin to look up key words within the scripture references I wrote down.  Some of what I learn ends up here on this site while other things are more personal and either shows me areas of my life where I need to change some things, let some things go, or where I need to pay closer attention to God’s leadership.  Over the past seven years I have seen my relationship with my Savior deepen and become more meaningful and purposeful.  Over the next few posts, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned about the importance of meaningful daily Bible study.

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Preparing the path of a young person

Posted on August 29, 2012 by | Comments Off on Preparing the path of a young person

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me (Ezekiel 3:17).

I am not in any way comparing myself or my spiritual calling to that of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel.  And as a further observation, I am far from the perfect parent; I have made my share of mistakes as a father and as a Christian.  With that said, a combination of my own life experiences while growing up and the past nine years as an adjunct at various community colleges and four-year universities has let me to understand how important it is that Christian parents “get it right” when preparing their children for adulthood.

Earlier this morning I was checking my email and found that a former student of mine had sent an email asking me for some academic and personal advice.  As an adjunct, I cannot formally advise students about their academic career but do offer advice on how to make the most of even the most difficult class.  As far as the personal advice, I do offer it with the understanding that I am coming from a Christian perspective and for the most part, when I tell a student that, it opens the door for them to ask more questions about my faith.  Almost all the students that ask me either for personal advice or to discuss issues of faith were not prepared by their parents to face adulthood; some come from homes a lot like what I grew up in while others come from what they described as a “Christian” home.

One of the most important things that parents do for their children is to Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it, as written by Solomon (Proverbs 22:6).  Nearly ten years ago and while attending a church revival meeting at a small country Baptist church in southeastern Missouri, I heard a preacher twho opened my eyes to the extent it has changed forever my understanding of this verse.  he discussed how parents have given this responsibility – without any reservation – to the lost world!  Unfortunately, he is right.

As Solomon put it, training up a child is about preparing the child for adulthood. It is about teaching them to not only how to work and to be productive, but know themselves, know their relationship with God, and to understand their relationship with others.  Yes, traditional education, which is geared for  productivity and work has been yielded to public institutions to the extent that a majority of parents no longer feel obligated to have an active role in preparing their child for adulthood.  No longer are parents teaching their children a work ethic, occupational skills, religious teachings, or even reaffirmation of academic teachings – it has all been left to the realm of “public education.”

We see the results of this after nearly thirty years of abandonment of this important parental responsibility.  We have families that no longer resemble what God had planned, one in two marriages ending in divorce and children in homes with one parent or even  being raised by grandparents, churches across our nation closing their doors for the last time, and souls not being reached for Jesus.  I can tell you that although many of my 18 to 25 year old college students have been raised in a spiritual vacuum, a few are asking questions about God, faith, and how to fit the belief in God into a “science driven” world.  Yes, there are a few who are hungry to learn about God so they can be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you [them] a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).

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