"The RIDICULOUS Emphasis" on Bible Study - Article

[n david]

"""From the Editor:""" .... """The article raises this question: In our western, modern churches, has our emphasis on Bible study become excessive to the point of causing us to neglect the practical application of its instruction?"""

It's a short article, but here are a few quotes:

"""Most Christians assume that immediately after Jesus died, rose from the dead and went back to heaven, that a leather-bound copy of the Bible descended from the sky."""

"""The reality is we didn’t have the New Testament in its complete form until 367 A.D., when Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria listed all 27 books of the New Testament for the first time.

334 years to be exact.

Comparatively, that’s like Jesus showing up in the Jamestown colony when it had only 75 people in it, teaching, dying, raising from the dead, and then the Bible coming together in its final form this Thursday right before we head out to Applebee’s for lunch."""

"""I bring all this up to make one simple point: The modern-day church places a ridiculous amount of emphasis on Bible study."""

"""It’s obvious, from historical observation alone, that one can be a sold-out, fully devout, willing to die a martyr’s death follower of Jesus and spend next to no time practicing the spiritual discipline of Bible study."""

"""Do we think it’s any coincidence that the period of the church’s greatest growth and expansion (33–mid 300’s A.D.) occurred during the time when there wasn’t (1) a Bible in every Christian’s hand and (2) an obsessive preoccupation with Christians clustering to study it word by word, line by line and page by page?

Most Christians today assume that to be a Christian means to have a personal relationship with the Bible instead of the risen Jesus."""



Agree/disagree?

Full article: https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pa...ian-jones.html

[n david]

"""What if one of the reasons we’re so spiritually dead and the church is abysmally failing at its mission is not because we study the Bible too little, but too much?"""

I don't believe this is our problem. Most households have more than one Bible just sitting on a shelf, collecting dust.

[votivesoul]

In my opinion, the issue isn't too much or too little Bible study, it's "ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth".

Also, we must remember that while the average saint in the first century wasn't a theologian, the Apostles and Elders, with Paul, Barnabas, Apollos, and etc. were all supremely versed in the Scriptures of Old, coupled with being personally taught by the Lord Jesus, or receiving direct revelation from Him.

And it was these men who were the most supernaturally used by God. Their knowledge of the Word counted for much, particularly Paul's.

[Michael The Disciple]

Paul told us to study to show ourselves approved unto God. I still take joy in Bible study. I believe reading and then PERSONALIZING the Bible is one of the keys to knowing the Lord.

Almost immediately when I began reading the Bible I took it PERSONAL. My life changed. So one can read scripture but if they dont apply it to THEIR life it profits nothing.

I think there may well be to much PREACHING and not enough study and TEACHING.

[derAlte]

We don't study it enough. It amazes me how little even long-time Apostolics know about the Scripture. It reveals the mind of God, and is a supernatural force that changes us forever if we allow it. We neglect it at our peril!

[derAlte]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

I think there may well be to much PREACHING and not enough study and TEACHING.

You might be onto something there...

[loran adkins]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Paul told us to study to show ourselves approved unto God. I still take joy in Bible study. I believe reading and then PERSONALIZING the Bible is one of the keys to knowing the Lord.

Almost immediately when I began reading the Bible I took it PERSONAL. My life changed. So one can read scripture but if they dont apply it to THEIR life it profits nothing.

I think there may well be to much PREACHING and not enough study and TEACHING.

Yes but the word that Paul had to study was the OT not the new. The new testament was not even in the figment of imagination yet.

[Tithesmeister]

Originally Posted by loran adkins

Yes but the word that Paul had to study was the OT not the new. The new testament was not even in the figment of imagination yet.

Paul WROTE the lions share of the NT. It is a fallacy to pretend that the New Testament was not available to the church until the fourth century. Hebrews was written before the temple was sacked in 70 AD. Most of the epistles were written and were available to the church by then.

As to when it was canonized, and bundled into the official collection of writings that we know as the New Testament , that is a different matter. It is odd to me to say that Paul didn’t have the New Testament to study whenever he was moved on by the Holy Ghost to WRITE twelve or more of the books of the NT.

As for Bible study, I believe that it is the best way to know the will of God. How do you separate God and His word.

John.1

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

Paul WROTE the lions share of the NT. It is a fallacy to pretend that the New Testament was not available to the church until the fourth century. Hebrews was written before the temple was sacked in 70 AD. Most of the epistles were written and were available to the church by then.

As to when it was canonized, and bundled into the official collection of writings that we know as the New Testament , that is a different matter. It is odd to me to say that Paul didn’t have the New Testament to study whenever he was moved on by the Holy Ghost to WRITE twelve or more of the books of the NT.

As for Bible study, I believe that it is the best way to know the will of God. How do you separate God and His word.

John.1

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The entire New Testament was written before 70 A.D.

But who knows how much of the letters to specific places were available to anyone else during that time. Also, it looks as through Paul's discussions that there were other letters which were available which we don't have today. Also the early church had available Old Testament books, which we don't have today.

[Apostolic1ness]

For the life of me I can't see any harm in studying the Bible. We believe it's the inspired word of God. I may have met many people that were too earthly minded to be any heavenly good but I have yet to meet anyone that was too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. How can we hide His word in our heart if we dont ingest it.