Why Study the Bible?

What I thought...

Reading and studying the bible is for sure a good thing, but not necessary. Listening to sermons, going to church, or the study of religious books is just as good.

What I learned...

If you want to follow the Most High, biblical knowledge is a MUST. Further, seeking Him through His word is the FIRST thing you should do before joining yourself to anyone else. How would you ever know if the “anyone else” is leading you to truth, or error?

Introduction

I thought I was a follower, or “believer,” but didn’t read, much less study the bible. Then I thought? How can I claim to love and follow YHWH whom I know very little about? The thing is, since I didn’t know the bible, I had to ask myself, do I love YHWH or my idea of Him? How would I ever know the difference? I was taught I only had to have faith! Implying knowledge is secondary. But again, this seems like a logical fallacy. If I don't know our Creator through His word and what He says, what is my faith based on? What do I believe and why do I believe it? Do my beliefs have anything to do with our Creator's words? If I don't learn about Him first and foremost through His word, what the heck is my “faith” in?

Of course, this is just my opinion. In the end what I "think" matters very little. In contrast, what He says in the word is of the utmost importance. Outsourcing the study of His word to ANYONE is a grave error. He communicates with us through His word. We all must learn what He is saying to US. This is a journey every sincere follower of YHWH must undergo. My hope in writing this is that everyone seeks Him through His word.

1. How do you know whom to follow?

"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

"Do not call [anyone] on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

MATTHEW 23:8-9

In biblical times, people often referred to their teacher as rabbi. Messiah Yahusha specifically says we are NOT to call another human our teacher or rabbi. Per the Messiah, there is only ONE teacher, our Father in heaven. So why do we rely on pastors and other “learned” people to teach us the bible? If we believe Yahusha is in fact the Messiah, shouldn’t we listen to His advice on WHO should guide us?

"But the Helper, the Set Apart Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,

He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

JOHN 14:26

As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you,

and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

1 JOHN 2:27

Anyone telling us we need a "teacher" other than our Creator's Set Apart Spirit clearly does not believe the promises of our Messiah. We prove our faith in His promises by seeking and listening to His voice.

Why is trusting "people" while having little biblical knowledge dangerous? Messiah warns us over and over about people who will come and try and lead us astray. These are FALSE teachers and apostles. We are wise to understand these people will know their bibles. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. They may be kind, charismatic, smart, all the “things” we look for in our spiritual leaders. All the while, they may be leading us off the proverbial cliff.

"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."

MATTHEW 24:10-12

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,

but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

MATTHEW 7:15

"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things,

to draw away the disciples after them.”

ACTS 20:28-3

If we bury our head in the sand and believe people are incapable of lying and deceiving us, we do so to our own detriment. Even right after Messiah died, the churches were already being infiltrated with false apostles. Messiah communicated through an angel in Revelation the below message to the church of Ephesus:

'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance,

and that you cannot tolerate evil men,

and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not,

and you found them [to be] false;

REVELATION 2:2

If there were ALREADY false apostles while the apostle John was still alive, what are the chances there are false teachers TWO THOUSAND years later? If we don’t know the bible, it's easier to be led off the preverbal cliff. Let's read Peter and John's warnings, two of His disciples.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 JOHN 4:1

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand,

be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master and Savior Yahusha Messiah.

2 PETER 3:17

After studying the bible myself, I can say deceivers are unfortunately in abundance. The sad thing is some of those leading others astray have no idea they’re doing it. They themselves are deceived.

2. Your Eternal Life Depends on Your Biblical Knowledge

Can your eternal life really depend on biblical knowledge? Unfortunately, I believe yes. I realize this statement may seem dramatic, but I think it's unfortunately accurate. If we use what happened to Adam & Eve in the garden as the basis of understanding, we know that He expects us to obey what He commands. He did not give Adam or Eve a pass because Satan "tricked" them. If the Most High has spoken, we are wise to take His words seriously.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your Elohim, I also will forget your children.

HOSEA 4:6

YHWH warns lack of knowledge is what leads His people into destruction. HEED HIS WARNINGS. The idea that He requires knowledge may be a hard pill to swallow, if you've been taught that salvation is through faith alone. Ask yourself, what are your beliefs/faith based on if you don't know the bible? What someone else told you? I would NOT trust your eternal fate to hearsay, you must study yourself! Messiah warns us lack scriptural knowledge leads to error.

"You go astray, not knowing the scriptures or the power of Elohim."

MATTHEW 22:29

I naively thought the scriptures Messiah was referring to were those in the New Testament. Small problem. The New Testament writings did not exist at the time Messiah was speaking. The books of the New Testament were all written after He died. Our Creator warns of destruction. Messiah warns of error. Messiah's caution seems less scary, but let's not jump to conclusions. Many think of Father as the tough one and Messiah as a cuddly bear. I will caution you against this false sense of Messiah's true nature. Yahusha the Messiah tells us what will happen to "many," this verse sends chills up my spine.

Many will say to Me on that day, 'Master, Master, did we not prophesy in Your name,

and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;

DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

MATTHEW 7:22-23

The people in the above verse THOUGHT they were serving Messiah. They prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles, in HIS name! How can this be? Messiah tells us only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven.

"For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven,

he is My brother and sister and mother."

MATTHEW 12:50

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven [will enter].

MATTHEW 7:21

One cannot study the scriptures and miss the main desire of our Father in heaven, obedience. Messiah confirms this interpretation by telling us He rejects LAWLESS people. What does being "lawless" even mean? The apostle John defines lawless people as those who commit sin. Sin is defined as those actions that break His law.

Everyone who commits sin also transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

1 JOHN 3:4

Why would He say "I never knew you?" These people clearly thought they knew Him. In my opinion, if you think you know the Father and His Son, and continue in your sin (lawlessness), you prove you cannot possibly know Messiah or our Creator. Father's will has always been obedience, this was as true in the garden as it is true today.

Bless YHWH, you His angels, Mighty in strength,

who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Bless YHWH, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.

PSALM 103:20-21

"We know that God does not hear sinners;

but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

PSALM 103:20-21

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that,

if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 JOHN 5:15

Father's promise is consistent. Obedience leading to life, and disobedience leading to death. Again, this is the promise made to Adam & Eve, and all humanity. YHWH is merciful and patient, "not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). But repent we must! We must not remain lawless!

One cannot turn away from sinful behavior if one does not know what our Creator defines as sin. We must study His word and learn what He defines as sin. We must repent and stop our offences while we still have time. Our beliefs are important because our actions stem from our beliefs. If you believe murder is ok, you may decide to kill someone. Make no mistake, we will all be judged by our deeds, see study here. If you're new to the bible, below is the scene the Apostle John was shown - the great judgement day. I shudder.

Then I (the Apostle John) saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it,

from whose presence earth and heaven fled away,

and no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life;

and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books,

according to their deeds.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it,

and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them;

and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

REVELATION 20:11-14

"Behold, I (Yahusha the Messiah) am coming quickly, and My reward [is] with Me,

to render to every man according to what he has done.

REVELATION 22:12

Actions have eternal consequences! Faith is proved by bringing actions (deeds) into obedience to the Most High! Do not obey the voice of man, for many are unknowingly on the very wide (lawless) path to destruction. Please take heed of Messiah's warnings.

The road to life is narrow, "few will find it" (Matthew 7:15).

Not many are chosen (Matthew 22:14).

Many will be told to depart (Matthew 7:23).

Unfortunately, many on the wide path have no idea. Here's a good rule of thumb, if most of the world does something, what does that tell you? The narrow path is just that, narrow. Not many will follow. We need not stay on that wide path. Praise Yah, while there is air in our lungs we are able to right the ship. Repent. Bring your life into obedience to the Most High, and live.

"Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life.

Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed,

he shall surely live; he shall not die."

EZEKIEL 18:27-28

3. To Learn the ways of the Most High

How do you know if you are living in a way that is pleasing to the Most High? One must study the scriptures to learn His ways. Learn what He likes and what He hates. And yes, there are things that He hates. Many of us think we are a “good” judge of what's good and evil. Does the bible agree? No, the bible clearly tells us NOT to "lean on our own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Most people think they can trust themselves to determine good and evil. According to the bible, trusting oneself may not lead to an attractive end.

There is a way [which seems] right to a man,

but its end is the way of death.

PROVERBS 14:12 & 16:25

The point is, we are not a good judge of good and evil, we must look to HIM! Why? Unfortunately, we do not inherently understand YHWH or His ways. Many think that they are learning the ways of the Most High through tradition or religion, both created by man. Some listen to sermons about the bible or read books that site the bible and think that's an equivalent substitute. Others think their faith alone will bring them knowledge and understanding. Please free yourself from these false beliefs. There is absolutely no substitute for reading the word yourself. None.

Even after seeking Him, we are often unable to comprehend or understand our Creator. He is magnificent and worthy of all praise, that does not mean we will always "get Him." What He says may not seem "right" to us. My recommendation is to approach His word with a humble heart, and eagerness to learn about Him. We must accept that what we think matters zero. His ways are non-negotiable. The truth is our Creator isn't interested in our opinions and certainly does not need our approval. Should you want more biblical support on His need for our opinions, please study the book of Job.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,"

declares YHWH. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

ISAIAH 55:8-9

I used to think I was a follower of the Most High, but I didn't study the bible on my own. In hindsight, I was delusional. Our job is to study and learn His ways. We demonstrate our trust in Him by accepting His ways regardless of our thoughts on the matter. Finally, we prove our faith and trust by bringing our lives into submission to Him proved through obedience. Turning away from sin and running towards obedience (righteousness). In the below verses, we see a theme obey and live or disobey and incur punishment/death.

The wages of the righteous is life,

the income of the wicked, punishment.

PROVERBS 10:16

He who is steadfast in righteousness [will attain] to life,

And he who pursues evil [will bring about] his own death.

PROVERBS 11:19

In the way of righteousness is life,

and in [its] pathway there is no death.

PROVERBS 12:28

My recommendation for anyone seeking our Creator is to bring your life into immediate obedience to the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17) and seek Him through His word.

4. Verses that Helped Me Understand the importance of Biblical Study

IF WE FOLLOW BLIND GUIDES WE'LL BE IN A PIT JUST LIKE THEM

"Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.

And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

MATTHEW 15:14

WE ARE CALLED TO BE DISCIPLES (STUDENTS)

So Yahusha was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

"If you continue in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

JOHN 8:31-32

THE WORD/LAW IS THE TRUTH

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

and Your law is truth.

PSALM 119:142

The sum of Your word is truth,

and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

PSALM 119:160

"Sanctify them in the truth;

Your word is truth."

JOHN 17:17

THE LAW ITSELF IS THE KEY TO OUR FREEDOM FROM SIN

So I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever.

And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your commandments.

PSALM 119:44-45

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the [law] of liberty,

and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,

this man will be blessed in what he does.

JAMES 1:25

So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by [the] law of liberty.

JAMES 2:12

"If you continue in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

JOHN 8:31-32

LEARN AND MEDITATE ON HIS LAW - BE BLESSED

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it day and night,

so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;

for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

JOSHUA 1:8

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of Yahuah,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

PSALMS 1:1-2

LEARN RIGHTGEOUSNESS (COMMANDMENTS) AND LIVE

"It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment

before Yahuah our Elohim, just as He commanded us.

DEUTERONOMY 6:25