Into the Word

God gives us incredible direction and strength for our lives.  We can be confident in His supernatural 
ability working through us. Joshua chapter 1 states:
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua had a gargantuan task before him - he was called to succeed Moses in leading the people of Israel. But, he had studied under Moses, sort of speak, and had the calling and the capacity to do what God had directed him to do. The Lord instructed him about the importance of extolling His Word, making it a priority, so that he would be, as verse 7 teaches, obedient. God told him to put the Word in his mouth and his mind so that He could demonstrate the kind of obedience that God required.

+++++

2 Timothy 3 contains a passage that can remind us of the authority of God's Word and the sufficiency of the Scriptures. We can see these verses:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Yesterday, I commented on the importance of possessing a Christian worldview - and that comes from developing a belief system - I have called it a "personal theology" in the past - that is based on the teachings of Scripture.  We have to know what we believe and be convinced as to why we believe it.

The summary of a fairly recent LifeWay Research study states:

Despite repeatedly affirming confidence in their own abilities to explain and understand the Bible, a recent LifeWay Research study in partnership with Explore the  Bible curriculum found 57% of Protestant churchgoers say they find it challenging to make sense of the Bible when they read it on their own.

One in 5 (19%) strongly agree, while 38% somewhat agree. Around 2 in 5 (41%) say they don’t find it challenging, including 16% who strongly disagree.

But, even though they find it challenging doesn't mean that they don't press through to discover and apply the meaning of God's Word.  The summary says: "Nine in 10 churchgoers (90%) agree they can usually understand how a passage of Scripture is relevant to them. Only 7% disagree."

And, around 4 out of 5 respondents share that they are confident in helping other people who:

- have "doubts about the truthfulness of Scripture," or
- "difficulty accepting morals taught in the Bible," or
- experience "confusion over a Bible passage."

Dwayne McCrary of Explore the Bible says, “Reading and studying as an individual is important, but we need others to help us think through what we discover,” adding, “Studying together also allows us to gain insights from others that move us forward in our study as well.”

The summary notes that, "Churchgoers may have such confidence because they profess enjoyment in Bible study. More than 9 in 10 (93%) say they enjoy exploring a passage of Scripture to understand its meaning; 5% disagree." It says: "As part of that exploration process, overwhelmingly churchgoers see two aspects as important: understanding the original context of a passage and applying that passage to our modern context."

Here is an interesting response found in this survey, "Despite their commitment to understand the Bible in its original context, 4 in 5 churchgoers say the Bible can have multiple meanings for readers."  The summary says:

Those who attend church more frequently and those with evangelical beliefs are less likely to agree, but more than three-fourths of both groups still agree.

For McCrary, this points to a tendency to hurry and short circuit the Bible study process by confusing the meaning of a text with its application. “We tend to jump from what a passage says to what we do in response and forget to consider the principle or truth behind what is said,” he explained.

“Doing Bible study correctly takes time and thought, but it gets us to the meaning—which does not change—so we can then look at how we encounter God today and what our response should be to those encounters.”

Several ideas come to mind when considering these survey results.  One has to do with how we interact with the Scriptures.  It's important that we read, study, and meditate on the Word, then apply, rather than try to make isolated Scriptures fit your own personal worldview.  It all goes back to the Word, rather than try to manipulate Scripture to conform with our own ideas.

We can be motivated to develop a love for Scripture. We recognize that His words to us are truth and bring life. Our love is demonstrated by our desire and follow through on that desire to commit time to careful study of the Word.  

Finally, we can solicit help in understanding God's Word.  That is a huge purpose of the local church generally, and pastors and teachers specifically.  There are numerous theologians and authors who can bring a solid, reasoned approach to the Word of God.  And, Faith Radio is here to help, offering a selection of Bible teachers with excellent reputations for adhering to Biblical truth - we are not a replacement for the local church, but we seek to complement its work, rather than compete.