Without Scripture we wouldn’t know anything about God.
The Bible is greater than our minds can conceive. “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path” (NKJV). Without it, we cannot be saved (Romans 10:17).
No one who aspires to heaven can give an acceptable answer to why they aren’t avid Bible students. We should be voracious in our appetite for truth. The following three keys will accelerate our journey.
First, be a devoted reader. All spiritual blessings are available to Christians (Ephesians 1:3). The more we read, the clearer God’s plan becomes (2 Timothy 3:16- 17). The deeper we go, the more passionate we are about our Savior. When read with love and gratitude, it becomes a blessing instead of a chore.
Second, be respectful and reverent. If we presuppose inspiration, extraordinary blessings will open before our eyes (Psalm 119:89). See God on every page. Notice the flow and rhythms of his teaching. Slow down and examine every word. The more meticulous our search, the greater our harvest will be in the end.
Third, focus on the threads of teaching. Scripture is not a random assemblage of books. It’s a coherent whole filled with threads and patterns. The New Testament is a continuation of the Old because that’s where the threads begin. The entire foundation of Scripture stands on seemingly small moments in the first few books of the Bible.
A study of baptism is incomplete without an examination of blood and water in Exodus and Leviticus (Exodus 24:6-8; 29:10-12; 40:12-16; Leviticus 4:1-7; 17:11). The thread of the Church requires a study of the Ark (Genesis 6-9). A deeper study of the cross begins in Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 22:1-14.
In the New Testament, we dig deep into the concepts of light and darkness (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5), being in Christ (Ephesians 1; Galatians 3:27) and the spiritual versus the fleshly (Galatians 5:16-17).
When we follow these threads and dive into the endless well of theological implications, we should develop a love for heaven like we never imagined possible.
–by Richard Mansel