As we grow in our walk with Christ, knowing God’s word (and seeking it with zeal) is one of the most important things we can do. After all, he’s revealed himself to us in two primary ways: Through his Holy Spirit, which we received as a gift when we became Christians, and in his Word.
This post is the sixth of 15. In each post, I’ll be examining my personal “Top 15″ things leading to successful bible study. This series of posts can be filed under “Going Deeper.”
Going Deeper: Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. Why do you believe what you believe? And what does your church have to say about it? While there are many biblical principles that are black-and-white, timeless, and not open to debate … there are dozens our hundreds that ARE open to debate. As you grow in your spiritual discipline, it becomes more and more important to at least
consider your position on those doctrinal issues (even if you, like me, don’t gavel down one way or another on all of them). The kind of issues I’m talking about include (and this is FAR from an exhaustive list):
– Was the world created in 6 24-hour days?
– What is the role of Christians in relationship to government and governance?
– What’s going to happen when Christ comes again?
– Why is important that Christ was born of a virgin?
– What is the impact of Mosaic law on today’s Christian/church?
Bible Doctrine was recommended by
Matt Carter, the pastor at my church (The
Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX) as a good source for exploring these issues personally. And while some people just sit down and read this monster, I don’t actually recommend it unless you’re looking for something specific. But I’ve found a great way to incorporate it into my daily study.
Bible Doctrine has a handy index in the back that lists all of the topics covered in the book by chapter/verse in the bible. As I’m doing my daily reading, I can read a passage, then refer to Bible Doctrine to see if that passage is specifically refernced in relation to important Christian doctrine. That way, my context is always scriptural … and I am learning doctrine as I go, rather than trying to do it all at once, with no particular context. This approach has been really effective for me.
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As we grow in our walk with Christ, knowing God’s word (and seeking it with zeal) is one of the most important things we can do. After all, he’s revealed himself to us in two primary ways: Through his Holy Spirit, which we received as a gift when we became Christians, and in his Word.
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