What the Bible can Do for You
Next to the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the Bible is the third greatest gift. The Bible can do so much for you because it possesses the transforming power that is nowhere found in any other books.
The Bible does not contain the word of God; the Bible is the Word of God. 2,600 times in the Old Testament, the prophets asserted that their words are the Word of God. A similar statement occurs in the New Testament and Jesus quoted the Bible as the genuine word of God to mankind in Matthew 22:31-32.
The Uniqueness of the Bible
The Bible is unlike any other book and has no equal in its uniqueness; it is the oldest book in existence, it was written by more than 40 authors on three different continents, in three different languages over a period of more than 1500 years.
“Many books can inform you but only the Bible can transform you.”
Although there have been a vast of books that were written over the centuries, few of them can truly be regarded as great. The uniqueness of the Bible does not prove that it is divinely inspired, but rather its superiority over any other writing.
Getting the Most out of the Bible
Because the Bible is God’s Word and not just “mere human ideas,” we should appreciate it. We are to read the Bible with reverence and respect, not carelessly, the way we sometimes scan a newspaper or speed-read a book. As you open your Bible and your heart, God will open His mouth and speak to you.
Psalm 19:7-9 gives us some characteristics of God’s inspired Words:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”
And because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the “master theme” of the Bible, we should treat the Bible the way we treat Jesus. Jesus is “the Bread of life” (John 6:48) and the Word is bread that nourishes our spirit (Matthew 4:4). The Bible is light ((Psalm 119:105) and Jesus is “the light” (John 8:12). Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6) and the Word of God is truth (John 17:17).
Merely having the Bible before our eyes is no guarantee that we have its truths in our inner person. We should appreciate the Word of God because it is like bread (Matthew 4:4), solid food (Hebrews 5:11-14) and even honey (Psalm 19:10; Psalm 119:103).
We know that food does us no good unless we eat it and digest it. What digestion is to the body, meditation is to the inner person. If we want to grow spiritually, we need to welcome the Word of God into our hearts.
*Note: Memorizing verses that especially speak to you so you can think about them during the day is a good habit to develop.
Simply reading assigned portions of the Bible each day is not enough. If you want to experience its transforming power, you need to meditate on what you read (Psalm 1:2), study it carefully in light with what other verses have to say and then obey what God tells you to do (Joshua 1:8).
“Reading the Bible but not obeying it is like reading the menu but not eating the meal.”
The Word of God is “alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). It can work in our lives as we exercise faith and obey what God says to us. If we are willing to learn and obey, the Holy Spirit who is the author of the Bible and lives within each Christian believer is our Teacher.
7 Reasons to Preach the Word of God
Jesus faced the multitude in Mark 2:2 and preached the Word of God. In the same way, Christians are to preach Christ as revealed in the Bible. We must insist on preaching the Word because it endures for time and eternity (Isaiah 40:8).
1) Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
2) Comfort comes from the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
3) Conviction of sin comes through the preaching of the Word of God (Acts 2:14-37).
4) The New birth comes through the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
5) Assurance comes from the Word of God (1 John 5:13).
6) Cleansing comes from the Word of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).
7) Truth comes from the Word of God (Acts 17:11)
Final Thoughts
Make the Bible your constant guide and companion in life. Read it daily. Not just on Sundays but every day. If you want to be a new person, knowing and obeying the will of God and becoming more like Jesus, you must spend time daily yielding yourself to the transforming truths of the Scriptures.
*Recommended Resource:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition / Special edition – eBook
By Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart
Publisher’s Description
Understanding the Bible isn’t for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It’s meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your twenty-first-century life.
Covering everything from translational concerns to different genres of biblical writing, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is used all around the world. In clear, simple language, it helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible—their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today—so you can uncover the inexhaustible worth that is in God’s Word.
6 Replies to “What the Bible can Do for You”
Excellent post!
I have often believed that the Bible is the instruction manual for life. Just as you get one for a microwave or a car, we have one telling us how to live life, what to do and what not to do.
God gave us the Earth we live in and gave us instructions on how we should live in it. Sadly some of these instructions get forgotten in modern society, things like love, kindness, forgiveness. I wish more countries presidents and leaders would read it and absorb it, as they search and battle for power. The power is an illusion, there is only One who is all powerful.
I agree 100%, the Bible is our instruction manual for life. God our Creator did not leave us with no absolute idea how to live our lives; He gave us His Word, the Bible, for us to know our life’s purpose. God is amazing indeed!
In our society today, we see how the Bible’s authority is being undermined. People even go as far as to say that we do not need the Bible or God to know what’s right or wrong. While this maybe true because God has instilled in each of us His moral excellence, the truth is that, when people or nations turn away from moral truth and the absolutes of the Bible, it leads to twisted moral precepts of right and wrong.
The Bible teaches and exhorts us to live a holy life; life that is contrary to their natural bent as those born in sin and under its domination. We are no longer to be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). The Bible can transform us if we will just let it.
Thanks for your comment Andy, God bless you!
This is a well thought out and interesting article, thank you. I agree that reading the Bible is important, but do you think reading alone, even with study and reflection, is enough? Do we need to be discussing and debating with fellow Christians to get the most out of the Bible?
Hi Amy,
As Christians, we need to read the Bible, study it and reflect on it because this is one of the ways by which we nourish in our spiritual life (Matthew 4:4). But this is not enough because like I said this is just one aspect in our Christian life. We also need to fellowship with other believers by attending a church or assembly for corporate prayer and worship. No Christian can grow and mature by just reading the Bible and studying it on their own.
We attend church in order to edify, strengthen and encourage one another. We are warned to not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. Instead, we must encourage one another all the more as we see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).
What about discussing and debating with fellow Christians? We need to acknowledge that although we are reading from the exact same Bible, there are still some aspects that we do not agree on. And while having a healthy discussion or sharing about what the Bible really teaches is a good way to learn and be all the more encouraged to study the Bible extensively, we should not allow our disagreements to cause division within the body of Christ.
We can correct and rebuke false doctrines but we should not not focus too much on our disagreements that we neglect the more important matters: loving one another as Christ loved us (John 15:12).
Thanks for your comment Amy, God bless you!
Alice,
Reading and living the Bible should be an every day thing. You should live your life so that people know that you are a Christian. There should be no question. This has saved me a couple of bad situations when people at work tried to make me look bad. The way I present myself made their comments make them look bad.
Keep up the good work and read something out of the Bible every day and live like you read it.
John
You’re absolutely right John. Anyone who claims to be a Christian should make reading the Bible and meditating it a daily practice. It would not only help them have a stronger and more intimate relationship with God; it would also keep them from doing things that are contrary to God’s Word. More importantly, reading the Bible and living according to what is says is a living testimony of God’s works in our lives to the people around us.
So let us read the Bible everyday for it definitely transforms us more and more into the image of Christ.
Thanks for your comment, may God bless you more!