God’s word provides what we need for spiritual growth and salvation
Why do we use the Bible?
The very simple answer is - God spoke.
And if we want to know him more we should study what he said about himself, us and this world. It is the Word of God, and we are the People of God
We need to remember that what we believe is grounded in the Bible, not the traditions of men, the ever-changing ideas of men.
Some of the central, very necessary BIG ideas found throughout scripture are:
- God is the Sovereign Creator – Examples: Romans 8:28; Isaiah 45:7-9; Job 42:2; Ephesians 1:11. Link: www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-gods-sovereignty/
- Man is so very sinful – Examples: Genesis 3:6; Colossians 3:5-6; Romans 3:23, 5:12-15. Link: www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-sin/
- We need a Savior, and Jesus is that Savior – Examples: Romans 1:16, 6:23; John 1:12-13; Titus 2:11-14. Link: www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-salvation/
In his book , Bobby Jamieson says "The Bible is a story that preaches a message. From beginning to end, the Bible tells a single story of salvation."
He goes on to say that the goal of reading and teaching Scripture is to love God and our neighbors better. We don't do these things for mere knowledge but for growth in godliness.
What do we use the Bible for?
Clear, True Evangelism. The truth of the Gospel was written down in the Bible. The truth of the Gospel in the Bible must be shared with those who need salvation by those who have been saved.
Personal, Spiritual Growth. The Bible helps us individually examine our lives with God as the one who is the most important. We do personal Bible reading and study because it will shape our head, heart, and hand.
Corporate, Spiritual Growth. As we grow individually, we should be growing together as a church. As the body of believers, we should want to do what the Bible commands, and not do what the Bible forbids. In everything else (discernible issues), we want to be marked by grace and governed by the truth of the Bible.
The importance of scripture is shown in Scripture (Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:3; and Titus 2:1). Most of Paul’s epistles and other epistles were written to clarify or correct doctrine and inform people how to live out the Christian life.
The importance of scripture is also seen in Church History. Real life examples can be seen throughout church history, which is a reason we offer an Adult Christian Education class on Church History. Think about these two specific things about the Bible from Church History as shared in the “Men Who Rocked the World” podcast by Steven Lawson, specifically, the episode entitled The Puritan Commitment to Sola Scriptura.
- One of Martin Luther’s 3 marks of a Biblical church is Preaching the Bible
- A
major aspect of the Reformation was the clarity of the Scriptures, teaching in German not Latin. Quotes like this one from Martin Luther the importance of scripture in the Reformers' lives. "Evidenced in this quote “A simple layman
armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”
If the church is a community of believers encouraging and helping one another, how should that impact our Bible reading? We should make the private reading of and meditating on the Bible a priority. We should look for more and more ways to encourage one another with God's Word. We need to be sharing the truth of the Gospel with those who desperately need to be saved.
Resources
- Verse of the Day Images - wiki.logos.com/Biblia_Verse_of_the_Day_images
- Scripture Type - scripturetype.com/
Schedule
11/12 Discipline & the Church
11/19 The Gathering of the Church
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