Why Study the Bible?

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AmbassadorforChrist said:
Why study the Bible?
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.........Romans 12
.........2 ..Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
.........what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

.........2 Timothy 2
.........15 ..Be diligent [study] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
.........accurately handling [rightly dividing] the word of truth.
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pjharrison said:
After we have studied the bible we need to step out on faith., and live by faith. And most of all believe the bible. I have found out that most people who read the bible don't really believe it. It's just a study book for them. They can quote, quotes but don't believe them. You can tell them by their fruit.
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I totally agree. We have to define study first. If it is study scriptures
and only study scriptures without things like prayer which is as important
or more important then we are simply intellectualizing. The better way
is to read and then strive to come closer to God. We need to surrender
to Him and have an intimate relationship with Him in the sense that we
are one with Him. We need to surrender our will completely and accept
His will in our daily life. Otherwise we come to a point where the only
time Jesus got angry was with pharisees who knew scriptures inside out
but applied them hypocritically. The law became more important to
them than the Lord our God. So we need to ask: do we want to become
third millenium pharisees or children completely dedicated to God.
 
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Aside from being the word of God which is the main reason, the Bible offers advice for doing well in this world. If you want to get to know the Creator and his world with the rules to live by he's given you directions.

The Bible is definitely not an easy quick read though. It's set up in a way that it doesn't typically give you the problem/solution. You have to come up with it yourself based on the prophets (who were all sinners), metaphors/parables, etc. which can be very frustrating and lead to a lot of fighting on what different things mean. It's designed this way....so that it applies to everyone. You can't pick out 1 line and think it applies to something else. You need to know what comes before or after. It's designed so that an outsider will never understand it. You have to search for God to understand it.
 
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blueluna5 said:
Aside from being the word of God which is the main reason, the Bible offers advice for doing well in this world. If you want to get to know the Creator and his world with the rules to live by he's given you directions.

The Bible is definitely not an easy quick read though. It's set up in a way that it doesn't typically give you the problem/solution. You have to come up with it yourself based on the prophets (who were all sinners), metaphors/parables, etc. which can be very frustrating and lead to a lot of fighting on what different things mean. It's designed this way....so that it applies to everyone. You can't pick out 1 line and think it applies to something else. You need to know what comes before or after. It's designed so that an outsider will never understand it. You have to search for God to understand it.
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Indeed not everyone is going to know who the young man was in Mark 14:52 but with a little knowledge of others things that happened like John 19:26 & John 20:5 one might see.
 
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blueluna5 said:
The Bible is definitely not an easy quick read though. It's set up in a way that it doesn't typically give you the problem/solution. You have to come up with it yourself based on the prophets (who were all sinners), metaphors/parables, etc. which can be very frustrating and lead to a lot of fighting on what different things mean. It's designed this way....so that it applies to everyone. You can't pick out 1 line and think it applies to something else. You need to know what comes before or after. It's designed so that an outsider will never understand it. You have to search for God to understand it.
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Hi Blueluna, I agree that the word of God is amazing. Of course, that probably has something to do with its AMAZING Author, of course :) And I agree with you about the Lord's intention that we need to search/dig to uncover the treasures that it contains, because it seems clear to me that He is more interested in us getting to know Him than He is interested in us simply obeying a set of rules (not that obeying Him is unimportant, of course ;)).

~Deut
 
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Zmouth said:
While not all inclusive, I initially interpret evil as 'violence'; resulting in severe physical injury or death.'
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Death, injury, sickness and misfortunes are all God's punishment to all wicked men.

the evil mentioned that will visit to a man in Proverbs is no other than God's punishment.
 
I woud offer these 3 suggestions:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how the text you're studying applies to your life. Apart from such guidance, Bible study can sow doubts in your heart and create a sense of irrelevance due the great cultural between Bible times and our modern era. After you ready, say, a chapter, enter a holy silence for a minute and see whether God imparts unexpected wisdom from your reading.

l The modern Bible scholarly consensus is that Mark is the source for both Matthew and Luke, but not for John. But don't just accept that at face value; instead buy a Gospel Parallels book such as that edited by Burton Throckmorton, which lines up Matthew, Mark, and Luke in parallel columns. That way, you can see for yourself how obvious it is that Matthew and Luke modify Mark when they used it and, more importantly, how these changes affect our understanding of the Gospels. I once used this Gospel Parallels book for a Bible study and all but 1 member found this method of study so enlightening that they all got an MDiv or a Masters of Theology degree. Don't study the first 3 Gospels without a Gospel Parallels book.

3. Study for yourself the reasons why modern scholars are so opposed the KJV, which so often presents a corrupt text of God's Word. The texts use by other modern translation (NIV, NRSV, etc, are fine, but study for yourself why this issue is so important.
 
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MadHermit said:
The modern Bible scholarly consensus is that Mark is the source for both Matthew and Luke, but not for John.
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Just ignore that. Each one of the evangelists was independently inspired.
MadHermit said:
Study for yourself the reasons why modern scholars are so opposed the KJV, which so often presents a corrupt text of God's Word
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Quite the opposite. It is modern scholars who promote a corrupt text, called the Critical Text.
 
jameen said:
Death, injury, sickness and misfortunes are all God's punishment to all wicked men.

the evil mentioned that will visit to a man in Proverbs is no other than God's punishment.
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The LORD is not prohibited from exercising his Divine authority over Nature, yet neither is he required too either.

Yet, nature itself teaches us that man has a beginning of life, therefore he is not eternal since the eternal has no beginning of life having always existed. And if not eternal then man will have an end of life because only the eternal has no end of life because it will always exist.

Death, injury, sickness and misfortunates are in most cases simply the physical manifestations of man's mortal being, yet can result from the evil acts of ungodly men who intentional afflict them upon others. Thus, the LORD numbered the the days of man on earth to 120 years in the flesh, so that light of those who strive with the truth should come to an end,
 
Nehemiah: "Just ignore that. Each one of the evangelists was independently inspired."

The beginning of wisdom is knowing what you don't know and limiting your mindless pontifications accordingly. Almost all scholarly New Testament Introductions (both evangelical and liberal!) accept the proven consensus that Mark is a source for both Matthew and Luke. That's why most denominiations send their prospective ministers to seminary to learn all the misconceptions that uneducated laity accept that prevent them from a deeper understanding of the Word.

Nehemiah: "Quite the opposite. It is modern scholars who promote a corrupt text, called the Critical Text."

Again, you pontificate from ignorance. How ironic that believers who have the highest view of biblical inspiration use the most corrupt text of Scripture. In the 1600 s the KJV translators had access only to late Byzazntine texts. They lacked access to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Over the centuries tired copiests allowed more and more errors into the text. You have not read a single book on Text Criticism. Text critics group biblical manuscripts into families by region, date/ a,d text type and then compare these families to determine where, when, and why various copying errors crept into the text. They then compare variant readings with biblical quotations of early church fathers whose writings precede these manuscripts.
Tell me, Nehemiah, do you have the integrity to take a stroll outside your myopic fundamentalist Ghetto and read basic books in the big bad world of modern scholarship on the issues in question here?
 
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Nehemiah6 said:
The modern Bible scholarly consensus is that Mark is the source for both Matthew and Luke, but not for John.
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Just ignore that. Each one of the evangelists was independently inspired.
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So do you think that the Gospel of John was written by John the baptist?

MadHermit said:
l The modern Bible scholarly consensus is that Mark is the source for both Matthew and Luke, but not for John. But don't just accept that at face value; instead buy a Gospel Parallels book such as that edited by Burton Throckmorton, which lines up Matthew, Mark, and Luke in parallel columns. That way, you can see for yourself how obvious it is that Matthew and Luke modify Mark when they used it and, more importantly, how these changes affect our understanding of the Gospels. I once used this Gospel Parallels book for a Bible study and all but 1 member found this method of study so enlightening that they all got an MDiv or a Masters of Theology degree. Don't study the first 3 Gospels without a Gospel Parallels book.
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Yet the Gospel Parallels book didn't tell you that John and Mark were the same person?

Matthew Luke Mark John are not four individuals but would be three according to the scriptures since the Apostle John was surnamed Mark. So giving credence to the validity of the Gospels the author of the Gospel of Mark would have been John Zebedee.

Acts 12:1-2
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. Acts 12:12

Acts 15:37
And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
KJV

Acts 15:37
And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
KJV
 
MadHermit said:
The beginning of wisdom is knowing what you don't know and limiting your mindless pontifications accordingly.
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Blow by blow Interpretation

Until one learns that they don't know
that they don't even know
that they don't know,
then once they know that they don't know
They can begin to learn
learn about that which they don't know.
 
I study the scriptures because I want to know without a shadow of a doubt, just exactly who my God is and is all about!!
 
Why Study the Bible?
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Heb 5v9-6v2 states:

"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." with John 17v17-19.

The so-called "prosperity gospel" is a perversion of and twisting of Scripture! 2Peter 3v6.

Greedy people use it to openly rob God's people of their hard earned money, a sure condemnation awaits them from the Lord! 2Peter 2v1-3.
 
Zmouth said:
I thought Christians were commanded to study the Bible to be quite?
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So that is why nobody said anything, ya'll were being quiet. :rolleyes:

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
 
We study the Bible the living word of God because it is a commandment of God and not a good suggestion of God by which we can seek His approval. His word warns of seeking the approval of men. Seeking the approval of men rather than God is the criteria of the antichrist (singular) , Satan . It is how the father of lies leads the antichrists (many) as men.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
 
jb said:
Greedy people use it to openly rob God's people of their hard earned money, a sure condemnation awaits them from the Lord! .
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PTL, so you don't think believing is as good as receiving, 1 Thess 2:13
So if believe the word of God is the truth then how do you receive it?
 
Most important requirement in studying the Bible

Proverbs 1:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

1:23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

So that God will let you understand well the Scriptures.
 
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