The Word of God

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB 1995)

It's amazing to me how foreign the Word of God is to professing Christians. As Christians, we should at the least have a working knowledge of the Scriptures that pertain to the doctrine that we believe, but I have discovered that most of us don't know more than a handful of Scriptures. In addition to the famous Biblical stories (Creation/Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Christ), this handful makes up the bare-bones of the doctrine that we have adopted: John 3:16, Romans 3:10, 1 Corinthians 13, etc. Up until recently I was one of these people. During this (sadly long) time in my life I was secretly concerned that I would be challenged on my beliefs by someone from another faith (Mormons, Jehovah's Witness), atheists, or agnostics that knew more of the Bible than I did and would be incapable of handling the difficult questions posed by those people. Frankly, that's a terrible way for a Christian to live.

Please don't get me wrong: I in no way think that my salvation comes from my knowledge, or that I can affect someone else's salvation by winning a debate. Only God can grant salvation, and that by grace through faith alone. However, the Bible says that as Christians we have been commanded to read the Word of God (Joshua 1:8, Proverbs 2:1-6) and meditate on it constantly. Many passages in the New Testament talk about seeking after Truth. What Truth is there in this world except for the Word of God? How else are we to defend the faith against false doctrines, unless we read the Bible and understand what it says (Galatians 1:8, 1 Timothy 1:3-7)?

God has revealed Himself to us in two manifestations: His Son and His Word. We should daily strive to know as much as we can about both. This should not spring forth from a sense of duty, as it once did with me, but rather from an earnest desire to know Him. I hope that any believing readers of this take this as a challenge to read and meditate on the Bible daily. I am still woefully ignorant of many things that are contained in the Bible, but now I have some measure of confidence should someone ask me why I believe what I believe. I can't wait to get back in the Word again!