Don’t Just Read the Bible—Study It

I took piano lessons for 10 years. Every Tuesday, I went to my piano teacher’s house, where she would alternately praise the emotion I put into the pieces and criticize my poor understanding of written music. I liked being able to play the piano, but I didn’t like the theory component of piano lessons.

Each week, I was assigned a section of written work that taught the basics of clefs, key signatures, chord structures, and dynamics. But I rarely completed it. It felt difficult and laborious. As a result, my piano playing suffered because I wasn’t willing to do the work to know and understand the music on a deeper, structural level.

For many Christians, our approach to Bible study is like my approach to learning the piano. We want biblical knowledge. We like the idea of connecting with God in his Word. But doing the work to really understand Scripture can seem too challenging or overwhelming. So we dabble in it—reading a bit here and there but never establishing a consistent discipline of studying God’s Word.

5 Reasons to Study God’s Word

Like many of the spiritual disciplines we employ for growth and nourishment, Bible study isn’t explicitly commanded. So why should we study the Bible even when it feels hard?

Many biblical principles point to the value of deeply examining God’s Word. Let’s consider five. 

1. God’s Word reveals the gospel.

Have you ever watched a spectacular sunset and marveled at God’s creative work? Have you ever stood at the ocean’s shoreline and watched the waves come only as far as the Lord allowed? Romans 1 tells us that we can look at creation and understand that there is a Creator. His divine attributes can be clearly seen in what he has made (v. 20). This concept is often called natural or general revelation—God revealing himself in creation.

Still, a sunset won’t tell you how to be freed from the snare of sin. Crashing waves, as awe-inspiring as they are, can’t communicate that Jesus died to redeem you and make you a child of God. We need the written Word of God, also called special revelation—God revealing himself through special means to tell us the truth about who he is, who we are, and how we can be rescued from sin.

A sunset won’t tell you how to be freed from the snare of sin. We need the written Word of God.

The Bible isn’t merely a list of dos and don’ts and hows. Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that they were searching the Scriptures to earn God’s favor through legalism, but it was accomplishing nothing for them. But Jesus said, “It is [the Scriptures] that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). We study God’s Word to understand why Jesus came to die for us, to grasp God’s kindness in sending Jesus to save us, and to rest in the confidence of his finished work on the cross. 

2. God’s Word speaks to us.

Scripture is inspired by God, meaning that every word in Scripture was given by God through men by the work of the Son and the Holy Spirit (Heb. 1:1–2; 2 Pet. 1:16–21). It’s inerrant, meaning it’s without error, and it’s useful for guiding all areas of the Christian life.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul encourages the young pastor to hold fast to the words of Scripture as the means of both perseverance and spiritual growth. He explains that God’s Word is able to equip Christians for whatever they face in life, whether it’s suffering, correction for sin, or obedience to God’s commands. He explains, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

Scripture is necessary for the Christian life because it is God’s very word from his very heart. We often want a direct word from the Lord, but in the Bible, we’ve received everything he wanted us to know. He knows we need specific instructions and encouragement to live as his people who have been changed by his gospel. He has given us the Bible to instruct, train, and correct us so we’re equipped for every season of the Christian life.

Any amount of time we spend in Scripture is worthwhile, but it’s often through consistent study over time that we realize these blessings from God’s Word.

3. God’s Word helps us grow.

We’re exhorted often in the New Testament to grow in our faith. Peter encourages us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” as we wait for his return (2 Pet. 3:18). Growing in knowledge of God is one of the ways we live as new creatures in Christ (Col. 1:10). Paul tells us that proving ourselves faithful involves rightly handling God’s Word, which requires deeply examining Scripture to understand and wield it correctly (2 Tim. 2:15).

What do these exhortations have in common? Growth and the knowledge of God. We grow as we know God more and more. As a tree cannot grow if severed from its roots, so we too cannot grow apart from God’s Word. Rather, we must be rooted in his Word so we can be built up in him (Col. 2:6–7; see Ps. 1:2–3). When we read, observe, think on, and seek to understand Scripture, our faith is refined, renewed, and nourished.

4. God’s Word offers protection against error.

Have you ever heard a teaching from Scripture and wondered if it was right? The only way to be certain if someone is speaking the truth is to compare the teaching with Scripture. The more we dig into Scripture and study it closely, the more easily we’ll detect counterfeit versions of the gospel and reject them (Gal. 1:8–9).

When Paul and Silas brought the gospel message to the city of Berea, the people examined the Old Testament Scriptures closely to make sure what they were hearing lined up with truth (Acts 17:10–11). They confirmed the gospel message with Scripture and received it with joy. Like those Bereans, we’ll grow in discernment when we hear things that are new or different. “Did God actually say?” we might wonder, but we can know for sure when we study God’s Word ourselves.

5. God’s Word brings conviction.

Regular study of God’s Word unearths areas of sin we either accidentally missed or purposefully hid. Because Scripture is useful for reproof and correction, studying it can show us where we’ve sinned and teach us how to live as new creatures in Christ.

The author of Hebrews compares Scripture to a double-edged sword that expertly separates our thoughts and motives, revealing what’s really in our hearts (Heb. 4:12). It stings when the text exposes our sin, but conviction is a gift from God and evidence of his kindness. He doesn’t want us to continue living in a way that’s both harmful to us and disobedient to him, so he uses his Word to offer correction so we can repent and walk in holiness.

Living closely to Scripture will help us see our sin, say no to it, and run after Christ instead.

Know the Author

My piano teacher encouraged me that learning music theory was worth the effort not because it would make me more knowledgeable but because it would allow me to understand music more deeply and communicate it more clearly. Bible study accomplishes a similar purpose in our lives.

Living closely to Scripture will help us see our sin, say no to it, and run after Christ instead.

We study the Bible not to become smart but to become wise in the things of God. We study the Bible to know the ultimate Author, hear what he has to say, walk closely with him, and reflect him to the world around us.

When we open our Bibles to observe, take notes, pray, ask questions, and search diligently, we’ll be transformed as our minds are renewed by the inspired Word of God.