268
June 1929
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
Bible Study B y F r a n k G e h m a n
Text: 2 Tim. 2:15 —"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’’. t NLIGHTENMENT rightly belongs to the facts. Usually they must be obtained by the dint of much labor. A vast amount of studying is involved in the acqui sition of them. Studying is not iself devoid of effort. It is a systematic, and sometimes laborious process of applica tion to a thing such as a fact or truth until it is made one’s own. By the use of this process we secure knowl edge. Studying is rewarded by knowledge. Knowledge, properly utilized and applied, is itself wisdom. Whatever matter interests the Christian, whatever facts claim his attention, none should have so prominent a place as those contained in the Holy Bible. It is a veri table treasure mine of the richest truths of life. Here again studying must be brought into use. The truths of the ‘Bible are not seen with unsympathetic eyes. Its riches are hot laid open to the unappreciating gaze of curious but insincere inquirers. We must be sincere in such studying. We must be willing to dig below the surface, which re quires effort on our part. Above all we must enter such study with spirits quickened by God’s Spirit, with leaden eyes opened by Him, with hearts and consciences stirred by H is'hand; we must be Spirit-led. If we are not, all searching will be vain of appreciation and devoid of eter nal benefit. Our eyes might read that Christ died, but our spirits, empowered by His Spirit, not our eyes, must read to understand why He died. In all such study we are dependent upon Him. Paul exhorts the young man Timothy to “study to. shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to he ashamed, rightly dividing the word o f truth.” He is exhorted to study as though it were something for which he would be amply rewarded. He was not to study just any chance thing that came his way, not to study aim lessly. He would be studying things of God if he were seeking God’s approval. Too, he would have before him at all times the aim of that approval. The force of this ex hortation is not at all nullified in our case. It is obvious that there is need for such studying on the part of God’s people today. It is also beyond point of contention that abundant opportunities are at hand for the study. I t natur ally follows that valuable results accrue as a result of the studying of the Word. It is finally evident that our stand ing with God is influenced and affected by diligent search ing of the Scriptures. T h e r e is N eed for t h e S t u d y in g of t h e S c r iptu r e s There is ample need for the studying of the Scripture. There is altogether too little knowledge of the Word on the part of God’s people. We all contribute to this condition;
some more, some less. It is an occasion for reproach to ourselves. We boast of our literary attainment and talk of our culture, and all thenwhile we are neglecting the greatest literary and cultural treasure of all. We find Ezra confessing before God, “We have forsaken thy com mandments ” (9:10). Viewing the result he adds, with a keen sense of justice, “Thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve” (9:13). How should our forsaking of the Word deserve any less sêrious conse quences ? God preserve us from thinking ourselves secure until we are safe within that Word, practicing the writ ten and abiding within the Personal. Jeremiah indicates that men must explain the destruction of the great city, “because they forsook the covenant o f Jehovah their God” (22 :9). Is there less need today for a knowledge of God’s spoken will? Unless we maintain a constantly growing knowledge of the Word we are in imminent danger of for saking the New Covenant which our God has established. Without a knowledge of the Word we cannot hope to be “ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Failure to be ready (which means not only willingness but ability also) to give such answer brings Christ and Christian things into disrepute in the eyes of the world. The Psalmist groans within himself, “My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” (Ps. 42:3). Thus taunted by his enemies he real ized that his separation from God was become a means whereby they reproached God. Can you fancy the bitter ness of such a draught? Then beware that you bring not Christ into similar disrepute in the eyes of His enemies. W,e can only avoid that thing through a prayerful Spirit- filled knowledge of the Word. Study is; necessary on our part to attain that end. The Church can be returned to its pristine glory and apostolic purity only by such study conscientiously pur sued. That is our part. The rest will be the direct workings of God. In what way were the Bereans more noble than the Jews at Thessalonica ? Simply, “in that they received the word with all readiness o f mind, examining the scrip tures daily, whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). There is the formula ; not disbelieving, but searching the Scriptures to discover the truth. Note that the Scriptures are the final authorities here. We’ll have to make them our final authorities in all things before we can get back to the apostolic church’s standing. We can’t thus rely upon the Scriptures without having a knowledge of them. To have a knowledge of them we will have to apply ourselves diligently to their study. T h e r e A re A b u n d a n t O p p o r t u n it ie s for S tu d y in g T h e B ib l e Our opportunities of studying the Biblé are vast. They are limited only by circumstances, ability or willingness. A sentence in a prayer of a certain Christian lady has stuck closely to the memory of the writer. She is accustomed, in her public prayers, to occasionally thank God that we live “in a land of open Bibles.” Not all people have such splen-
Christian. No one should be more keenly inter ested in the obtaining of legitimate information than he. This is his Father’s world. Who among men has more right to an obtainment of the. truths concerning it than the Christian? Seldom are we so fortunate as simply to fall into the possession of
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