Grow in knowledge

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Martin Luther said that he studied the Bible the way that he gathered apples. First, he shook the whole tree, so that the ripest fruit might fall. Then he climbed the tree and shook each limb, and when he had shaken each limb, he shook each branch, and after each branch every twig, and then he looked under each leaf.

Let’s follow Luther’s example. Let’s start with looking at the whole Bible, reading through it rapidly as you would any other book. Get ahold of a paraphrase like the New Living Translation, and read just three chapters a day—in a little over a year, you will have read the entire Bible! Then, shake every limb; use a more literal translation like the New International Version, and read each book of the Bible carefully--now that you know how it fits into the larger picture of God’s Word. Start with Genesis, then follow it with Luke and the other Gospels; then the rest of the New Testament and the Old. See how man became sinful and alienated from God, and how God addressed this problem by sending his Son Jesus to die in our place so that we could live beyond the grave, free of sin forever. Then, shake every branch and twig; look under every leaf. Find a good commentary on a favorite book of the Bible and start studying it closely; use the footnotes to see where Jesus and the apostles quote the Old Testament, proving that Jesus is the Christ promised all the way back in Genesis, and that God always keeps His promises.

Some people are leery of trying to study the Bible because they think that they won’t be able to understand all of it. Don’t let that stop you! The Bible is God’s own Words--even preachers realize that they cannot completely understand everything that God has given us in this precious book! Studying the Bible is a life-long curriculum; after all, if you picked apples the way that Luther said he did, you know that he must have spent a long time in that tree! The task is made easier when done as part of a group. Join a Bible study group, or form one of your own. If you would like suggestions on course materials, just send me an email. I only ask that you remember the words of St. Paul: faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).