The Bible cannot be compared with other religious books. It is simply the word of God written by men of God who were inspired by God himself. He was the same yesterday, today and forever more. God doesn’t change. Just as he cannot change, so are his words: They transcend time.
The wisest man on earth — King Solomon — said, “there is nothing new under the heaven”; his statement proved the word of God is complete. One does not need to add to the word as new event unfolds on the earth because everything human being can ever encounter has been addressed by the Bible: Its knowledge transcends time.
No man or woman knows more than the Bible. In fact, millions of authors derived their content from it. It, Bible, has generated billions of books and change lives beyond human comprehension.
Apart from its teaching about the past, it reveals unbelievable event (a lot has come to pass) about the future. If authors on earth are decorated as great writers of all time, God is the greatest author of all time.
23 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.
3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people
Acts 23:1-5 (KJV)
When he appeared before the highest Jewish council (Sanhedrin. Which consist of 71 members), he insulted Ananias, who was the high priest, after he was smitten by the people who stood by him as a result of the order of Ananias. Some of the members of the Sanhedrin called his attention to the personality of Ananias. Paul, immediately, realized that he had insulted the high priest, and he felt remorseful as he remembered the law of Moses in Exodus 22:28.
The law of Moses in that verse states that one shall not revile the gods — magistrates or judges — nor curse the ruler of your people. The law was applicable to the situation. Paul applied what the word of God, Bible, said about insulting judges, magistrates or ruler.
If you do not know what the Bible says about your situation, you don’t know the Bible. Paul would have committed sin unknowingly if he had not known the portion of the Bible concerning his situation.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
Your understanding of any situation is never enough without considering what the word of God says about it.
The Importance of Knowing The Bible
The Bible text for this post, Matthew 4:3-10, revealed how Jesus applied the word of God when he was tempted. Satan tempted him to change stones to bread. Jesus didn’t think of what to tell him because he knew the instruction of the Bible regarding bread.
According to the Bible, in Deuteronomy 8:3, God humbled the children of Israel with hunger so that he could prove to them that man is not expected to live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Satan had no choice than to forget about tempting him with bread.
He figured out that Jesus could not be tempted with Food because he knew the word of God is more important than food.
You Must Not be Ignorant of What the Bible Says about Your Situation
If you don’t know the Bible, anyone can deceive. Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 when he tempted Jesus in Jerusalem — the holy city. Jesus knew the verse, which the devil cited.
The devil shew how brilliant he was. Anyone could have thought twice about the Bible passage before he or she could either say no or yes to the temptation. Jesus was not perturbed because he knew jumping off the pinnacle of the temple for angels to bear him up means he was questioning the word of God. And to question the word of God is to tempt God.
So, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 to attest to the fact that he could not tempt the Lord. Knowing the Bible made Jesus victorious. He was not ignorant of the portion of the Bible the devil quoted.
If you are ignorant of any part of the Bible, anyone can deceive you. If you’ve never heard of a Bible verse, your ignorance could lead to serious problem for you. You must be conversant with everything the word of God says about every situation. That will help you to face any challenge.
All the Bible verses are simply the word of God, including the ones that are not your favorite.
Develop the Habit of Reading the Bible
The Bible is not just a book; it is simply the word of God, which must be kept in your heart. You can’t keep what you don’t know in your heart. Therefore, you must read the Bible everyday.
Remember you cannot be ignorant of any part of the Bible, and the best way of achieving such a feat is by reading, and sometimes study it, on a daily basis. In addition, Christian books and blog posts are, also, very good in equipping yourself as a child of God.
Some of us do read long reviews before we purchase product, but we don’t read the word of God before we attempt anything. If you are tired of reading, you can decide to listen to the audio version.
Read up to the point that you will know something about everything on earth. As you read, ensure your mind is fully involve. It will help you to understand the bible passage very well, and you will, also, have an idea of how you can make use of the word of God. It is more or less like preparing yourself for any and every situation you may encounter.
Do not read as if you are reading a literature book, read to figure out the lesson each verse teaches.
A Wrong Verse
Just as you can quote the right verse at the wrong time, you can quote the wrong verse at the right time. The mistake can be costly; it may even lead someone to hell.
Knowing the right verse to use at the right time is very important. The right verse can shut the mouth of the devil; It can prevent someone from committing a perpetual sin; it can lead to wealth beyond human comprehension; it can heal the wounded heart and any disease, which doctors cannot cure with drugs; it can, also, be fatal to one’s enemies. In fact, it can achieve the impossible. It can do all things.
God honors his word more than his name. He cannot afford to fold his hands when his word if being used properly. He watches over his word like a mother watches over her little baby. You cannot afford to use the wrong verse before Satan who knows the Bible more than you think.
How to Interpret the Bible
You don’t need an encyclopedia to interpret the Bible. To interpret the Bible, all you need is Bible. Although there are many books that help people interpret the Bible.
The word of God, Bible, is the best book for interpreting the Bible. Bible study guides do not interpret the Bible, they simply give more information about Bible verses.
If you come across a difficult verse in the old testament, you will definitely see another verse in the new testament that explains it.
Apart from being a prophet, Jesus was a teacher. He taught his disciples and multitudes on several occasions. Before his ascension, he promised his disciples that he would send
Holy Spirit in the old testament (who is also a teacher) to them, who will teach them all things. According to John, the word of God is God — God the father, God the son and
God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the word of God is a teacher. It teaches its readers by itself.
Moreover, the authors of the Bible wrote the word of God as they were
inspired by the Holy Spirit. The authors’ intentions were not from their minds but from the Holy Spirit. Because God cannot make mistake, the authors’ intentions must have been accurate.
The Holy Spirit lived in their hearts; so, he must have motivated their thoughts. The write-ups revealed the thoughts in the heart of God.
Jesus bore record of the old testament, which implies that they were exactly what God intended. Consequently, the word of God cannot be interpreted without considering the author’s intention. Your intention does not count when you are interpreting the Bible.
If you consider your intention whenever you read the bible, you will misinterpret it. The word of God does not change; it means exactly what God meant when it was written. It is only reader’s intention that gives different meaning to it.
Anyone can make the Bible say whatever he or she wants. In conclusion, our intentions can make us misinterpret the Bible. By misinterpreting the Bible, You can harm yourself because the word of God is sharper than any wo-edged sword.
Praise the Lord
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