I want to reemphasize how important it is to study the Bible. The writer of Hebrews describes the word of God in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Since the word of God is sharper than any twoedged sword Paul wrote Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
Somebody told me years ago, “You can prove anything with the Bible if you want to.” How do people do that? They do not rightly handle the word of truth. They interpret the Bible based on their feelings rather than based on what the Bible is really saying. Just like a sharp sword is dangerous in the hands of one not trained to use it, the Bible is dangerous in the hands of one not trained to use it.
How are we trained to use “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God”?
We do this with some very simple principles.
1. Choose a translation that is easy for you to understand. 2. Have a daily plan for reading your Bible. 3. Always read the verse or verses in context. 4. Make sure you know who the writer is writing to and what their circumstances were. 5. Ask yourself: “What did this mean to the people it was written to. 6. Learn to distinguish between passages that are literal and passages that are symbolic.
Let me know if you are interested in a free Bible correspondence course or a home Bible study. I pray that you have a good week and that God blesses you and your family.