Study: Looking into God's Word, Pt. I

I. The Necessity of Study

We continue our study of the ways in which we can plug into the divine power source that brings transformation. As we have seen, the first and most fundamental way is worship. But writers on spiritual growth also promote the study of Scripture as a key transformational practice. For example, Donald Whitney writes: "Regardless of how busy we become with all things Christian, we must remember that the most transforming practice available to us is the disciplined intake of Scripture" (1991, p. 25).

Richard Foster concurs that "one of the central ways God  uses to change us is study" (1988, p. 63). He says that Christians may participate in worship and yet never be changed, but the mind is renewed by applying to it the truths of Scripture that will transform it.

John H. Westerhoff shares this view that "the central activity is discipline of the divine reading or praying of the scriptures. The scriptures provide us with a doorway into an experience of God and a test of that experience. The scriptures are a Christian's primary means for developing a relationship with God" (1994, p. 70).

Going farther back, John Chrysostom, the great fourth-century preacher, expressed the need for reading of Scripture. He described all the pressures and stresses of everyday life, which sound very similar to distractions that we face today. And then he concludes that these troubles are the very reason we need to study Scripture:

Therefore we have a continuous need for the full armor of the Scriptures.... We must thoroughly quench the darts of the devil and beat them off by continual reading of the divine Scriptures. For it is not possible, not possible for anyone to be saved without continually taking advantage of spiritual reading. (Stevens, 1993, p. 135)

Just as our biological life needs certain nutrients to survive and thrive, even so our spiritual life needs to be nourished in order to survive and develop. Worship is to our spiritual life what water is to our body. We can survive for a brief period without it, but to be deprived of it for long periods of time will cause us to waste away and die of spiritual thirst. Worship is a basic necessity for spiritual survival.

To continue this analogy, Bible study is like eating food. We can maybe survive for long periods of time without it, but eventually we become spiritually malnourished and anemic, and eventually we will suffer from spiritual scurvy. Consistent Bible reading and study will provide us with the basic nutrients and spiritual vitamins that we need to grow and become stronger in faith.

In the Bible, the Word of God is compared to the physical nourishment of milk and meat. Consider Hebrews 5:11-14:

About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

The Word of God can be described as "milk" because it deals with fairly basic beliefs and concepts. The readers of this letter were still stuck in their spiritual infancy, and these basic teaching were all they could comprehend. The writer would like to move on to more substantial teachings, especially the high priesthood of Christ. He describes these teachings of God as "meat" because they involve deeper and more advanced understanding of God. The study of God's Word is not optional if we wish to grow into the image of Christ; it is a necessity if we wish to flourish spiritually. Similarly, 1 Peter 2:2 says: "Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation."

Another passage that stresses the importance of God's Word for our spiritual well-being is 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

This passage stresses the transformative power of Scripture. It turns us away from spiritual hindrances and roadblocks and steers us on the path of righteous conduct. It transforms our character and our conduct.

Sociological research has also supported the role of study in our spiritual growth. In the early 1990s, the Search Institute conducted a survey of 11,122 people in 561 churches in six denominations to determine the primary contributors to spiritual maturity. The surprising finding was that "the area of church life that has by far the most influence on faith maturity and growth in faith is Christian education" (Roehlkepartain, 1993, p. 24). Christian education refers to programs and events designed to nurture faith in people, usually centered around the study of Scripture in a group setting.

Let me close these thoughts with a quotation from Richard Foster, who stresses the importance of study for spiritual growth:

Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the Discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties, and still they are not changed. I am not here speaking only of those who are going through mere religious forms, but of those who are genuinely seeking to worship and obey Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. They may sing with gusto, pray in the Spirit, live as obediently as they know, even receive divine visions and revelations, and yet the tenor of their lives remains unchanged. Why? Because they have never taken up one of the central ways God uses to change us: study. (1988, pp. 62-63)

Bible study is one of the primary ways in which we draw closer to God and come to know him better. I have heard a story of a five-year-old girl named Karen who was caught by her mother going through a Bible storybook and circling the word "God" wherever it appeared on the page. Trying to restrain herself from scolding the child for defacing the book, her mother quietly asked, "Why are you doing that?" Karen answered matter-of-factly: "So that I will know where to find God when I want him."

We find God through his Word. We hear the voice of God speaking to us through his Word. In future posts, I will describe some of the ways in which we can feed on God's Word so that we can continue to grow.

Reflection Questions:

1. What role has Bible study played in your spiritual life? How does it provide you with spiritual nourishment?

2. What pressures or distractions keep you from giving attention to God's Word? How can you resist those so that you make Bible study a priority?

3. How does your church promote the study of Scripture: Sunday School, Bible studies, discipleship training, retreats, workshops, youth ministry, Vacation Bible School, men's groups, women's groups, new-member classes?

Sources:

Foster, R. J. (1988). Celebration of discipline: The path to spiritual growth (Rev. ed.). San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

Roehlkepartain, E. C. (1993). The teaching church: Moving Christian education to center stage. Nashville: Abingdon Press.

Stevens, R. P. (1993). Disciplines of the hungry heart: Christian living seven days a week. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw.

Westerhoff, J. H. (1994). Spiritual life: The foundation for preaching and teaching. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press.

Whitney, D. S. (1991). Spiritual disciplines for the Christian life. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.