Many bible colleges have found that many kids coming from Christian homes and even in Christian schools from K-4 to 12 lack some basic Bible knowledge and interpretation skills.
Many people leave solid churches and end up in extremely Liberal churches and even cults. One study found that cults get most of their member from Baptist churches. Having been a Baptist pastor, I find that alarming, but not totally shocking. I have heard some pretty strange things over the years. I have asked for chapter and verse and did not always get one.
First good reason to study the Bible is because it is a command.
2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We are to be diligent or study. Why? To show ourselves approved. We give tests all the time to determine competency and skill in schools and at our jobs. We are called to be ambassadors and servants in the Kingdom so we need to be competent and the Scriptures tell us how to do and live our calling.
Secondly, we want to be God approved.
We are to be approved unto God, not men or ourselves. Men err and we can justify many things if we do not study or take passages out of context. When we are at the BEMA, Christ will ask you what you did with the Word, not just what your pastor or teacher did with it. They will answer for themselves about what they told you.
Think of all the people that listened to the lads in Matt 7:21-25 who Christ never knew. Those leaders went to Hell because they thought they were right and those who followed them also most likely went to Hell because they did not study like the Bereans to see if these things were true.
It will not just be cult leaders. Many groups have also left off from sound doctrine. Some years ago I read where many men coming out of once sound seminaries no longer believe in Hell, the Virgin Birth or the inspiration of the Scriptures. Why they even want to be pastors beats me. In essence, they may be religion based Social Workers, but not really pastors.
Third, we do not want to be ashamed.
I heard the joke in bible college about a saint getting to glory and Habakkuk walks up and asks what the saint thought about his epistle. The saint had never heard of it. Oops! Awkward! I am afraid most of us would be in that place depending on which person asked us that question.
If the Bible is our textbook and tool box for the Christian life we want to be able to use it and use it correctly. Righting dividing or interpreting the Word of Truth is very important. We know the Sadducees did not do that as they did not believe in anything. The Pharisees knew a lot and believed a great deal of right things and yet blew it by twisting the Word to meet their need or greed. They were quite ashamed when they met God. We do not want to be that!
Should I study only the New Testament?
2Ti 3:16 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 perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
There was a time in history when the Christians wanted to burn the Old Testament and forget about it. A lad named Irenaeus had to stand up to stop that and explain why it was still important. When I was in my Homiletics and Expository Preaching classes I was pretty much the only one who regularly used passages from the OT. Most of my peers could not figure out how I could do that. Did God write it? Then in context it still has a lot to say to us. Sometimes that is the only way to understand some of what was said in the NT because Jesus and the Apostles referred back to it many times to teach or prove a point so it is still important.
So how important is detail?
Deuteronomy 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
God takes detail pretty seriously. If I were to misquote you by one word and change the meaning of what you said you would be angry. Imagine how God feels when you do that. One word being left out of a manuscript in John 7:8 turns Christ into a liar. Imagine what the person who pushed that manuscript had to say when He met Jesus.
I admit I have never been comfortable with the concept of “in essentials unity and in non-essentials charity” Who decides what God considers non-essentials and what if we are wrong and something is essential? I am just dumb enough to believe that if God spoke to the issue He thought it essential enough to have written down in the Book that is eternal.
2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Is believing that Christ will raise the dead in the future an essential doctrine? I am not sure where these lads got the idea that there would be no future resurrection, but Paul considered it essential enough to call them out. Were they unsaved people? He does not say they are unsaved, but they were way off track and it was making other people lose their faith and probably keeping others from believing. After all, if I am not going to be resurrected why am I going through persecution or abandonment? Their error spread like a cancer through the Body and Paul had to cut it out. Hymenaus was also in league with Alexander and both were delivered over to satan to learn not to blaspheme.
There are many people out there that have some new thing or twist and that is why we see so many churches springing up because people will listen to profane and vain or useless babblings. Should we be shocked?
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Paul predicted it would be so in the last days and he thought he was in the last days. John said that people were going out from among them because they were not of them meaning they were not saved for if they would have been they would have stayed in the one Body. Most people do not join a church these days because of doctrine. Sound doctrine usually runs people away because sound doctrine does not always make them feel good or align with their thinking.
Especially since the 1960s people have joined all kinds of cults and other groups seeking the God of their choice. I dislike the phrase about being in the church of your choice. I get what they are saying but it better be in a church God has chosen or you made the wrong choice. Many do get it wrong.
Should we call out error?
Some want to live a blasié or go along to get along life and yet we see Paul did not tolerate doctrinal error and called out those who taught or practiced the error.
Proverbs 29:24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.
The word bewrayeth means to stand against or oppose.. We used to hear people call out folks that were cussing especially when taking the Lord’s name in vain. I have not heard that very often anymore. I point out to people that they are not speaking French so I cannot pardon their French. If they apologize to me, I say I will not be on the throne so worry more about what He thinks.
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
The word mark is to scope them out! Watch out for them on the negative side in Romans but on the positive side scope out those who are following the Lord. If you come across someone causing division you should act like a white blood cell and seek to protect the Body from them. A person following the Lord should be accepted by the Body as a red blood cell loaded with Holy Ghost oxygen to benefit the Body. Either way, they need to be pointed out because the watchman on the wall has either friend or foe in his telescope and makes the appropriate announcement.
Often we will see things in a different light!
1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
There are a couple of things here we would not have tied into seducing spirits or doctrines of devils. We would have disagreed with them, but never seen the tie that Paul gives here.
Do we know any groups that forbid members of their group to remain celibate? Yes, and we have seen a group or two who forbid members to not marry anyone unless the leader sets up the match and even wait a year to consummate the marriage.
God only forbids marriage to unbelievers. Even though Paul clearly states the advantages of celibacy especially in times of persecution he does not forbid marriage. Indeed, he encourages it if you have a strong reproductive drive.
Should we seek to bring people out of those groups? Absolutely!
Do we know any groups that command to abstain from certain foods. Meat was used to describe all food. Usually, it is a flesh prohibition. I don’t know of a group who forbids vegetables. We know a group that forbids certain flesh on one day a week and others who forbid all flesh or those who are still under the Mosaic dietary law.
The key word here is forbid. If you choose a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle because you think it is healthy that is fine. If you choose not to eat pork or other things in the Mosaic law because of health concerns that is fine. It is when those things are commanded that Paul says it becomes a doctrine of devils.
Paul said all creatures which clearly speaks to the meats he was speaking of are not to be refused if it is received in thanksgiving. Prayer sanctifies it. This was an issue when the Gentiles and Jews became one Body in Christ. Romans 14 and 15 show that the Law was clearly done away with and a ham sandwich is fine. Still, you do not come to the church supper and slobber over it in front of your Jewish brother who has not quite grasped all the changes in the New Testament. Freedom has responsibility.
How strongly should we stand against error?
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude says that we need to struggle to maintain the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints. It is almost like a wrestling match. Indeed, over the centuries the saints have had to struggle against false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, brethren falsely so-called, anti-Christs of various kinds, adding to or taking away from the Bible with all of this causing confusion and we know that confusion is of the devil.
Our contention level has diminished in the last hundred years. We have grown to be more apt to be content rather than contend. We have gone from the church militant to the church delinquent. We meet. We eat. We retreat from our calling to bring the Gospel to the World starting with our town. We condone or choose to not engage because we have forgotten the call to contend.
We allow friends to stay in dead or dying churches. We see splits as a good thing. We do not want to rock any boats. We do not want to call out false doctrine or those who teach it and often it is because we do not know it is false doctrine because we do not study. Sometimes we are enthralled with the charisma or the down homeliness of the personality. Tell some good jokes or heartwarming stories and we overlook the errors.
Colossians 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and
neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Too often, we fight more for the traditions or commands of men that are even contrary to the Word than we do for the true traditions or transmissions of truth. I have had people unfriend me because they did not want to admit that there is no biblical basis for baptizing babies or that baptizo means to immerse so sprinkling and pouring are not correct modes of baptism. They prefer the traditions of men over truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
We need to stand fast only to the traditions given in the Word. We often need to rethink our positions because much has been added or taken away. We may have been taught wrong as a kid or gotten under the sway of the wrong teachers as adults.
Why study the Bible? Because it is a command. It is how we will be approved unto God if we interpret it correctly. It will keep up from being ashamed. It will reveal details and errors we have overlooked or chose not to address. It will help us to know error so that we can protect ourselves and the Body from false teachers. It will keep our desire to contend for the faith alive because when the truth burns in our heart we will not tolerate error and will want to bring friends and loved ones out of error. It is how we stand fast in an age of darkness and confusion. Maranatha!
