This month I will be posting excerpts from the Bible study I’m writing. Hope you are blessed. Would love any thoughts that you have.
Why is there a need to study Scripture? There are many reasons. Dr. Wayne Grudem, a professor and theologian, has this to say about the necessity of Scripture, “the necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will.” (ST, pg 116)
So, let’s take those three and apply them to a study like this on the book of James:
1. We study it for a better knowledge of the gospel. In this study, I hope you will see that the book of James tells us that we are not perfect, cannot do all the demands that the Word gives us, yet there is one who has done everything perfectly. That is the essence of the Gospel. We are not perfect, but are loved by someone who is perfect.
2. We study the Word to maintain our spiritual life. How can a marriage survive if the couple never communicates or shares life together? How can a friendship thrive if there is no line of communication and time spent with each other? Just as there can be no harmony in a marriage or friendship without communication, there is little growth in The Lord without time spent reading His Word. It is His letter to His children. Why wouldn’t we want to read it?
3. We study the Word of God to know His will. Romans 12.1-2 tells us this – that we can know God’s good, perfect, and pleasing will. How do we know it? We can read, study, know, memorize, and reflect upon the Word He has given us. Then when we are faced with a decision to make, we often won’t have to worry about what to do. The Spirit will bring what we already know to remembrance (John 15-17). One of the Spirit’s roles is to be our Teacher. One of his primary ways of doing that is through the Word of God.