We need a motivation and a goal. The question is, why do we have to study the Bible? The Bible does not change or get old, and it's the only consistent source of information that teaches us to be happy, to distinguish right from wrong, to be able to solve problems, and to deal with life. It teaches us not to be scared and gives us the energy to help people, “search and you shall find,” Matthew 7:7. No other source is able to provide us with this type of information, as it has been proven over time.
What does it mean to study the Bible? Reading the words and memorizing what is said is not enough for it to impact us. We need to read it with purpose and meaning to understand how to use it in life. The knowledge, which is the doctrine, is like a road map. You cannot arrive at your destination if you don't know the path you're taking, so gaining knowledge from the Bible is equally as important. It is like road signs, telling us where the road is going or what turn to take from the highway.
Studying the Bible is no different from learning sports or music. If you want to become an olympic athlete, could you make an olympic team by just simply watching the sport a thousand times, or reading all the books in the world about the perfect techniques? Probably not, everyone would say that you need experience, you need to go out and physically do that sport, practice it to perfection, with multiple teachers and coaches who don't tell you how great you are, but what can you improve, even the slightest detail. It will be painful and will take years before you're able to have a chance to compete. This method is exactly the approach to studying the Bible. It is not enough to constantly read and blankly memorize and repeat what is said, and do whatever you want in life, “faith without works is dead,” Heb 11:1. This is why studying with understanding is so important, to build the right morals and to practice good behaviour to everyone always. Like sports, it won't show fruit right away, but in 10, 20 or 30 years, but you cannot stop. Most people know how good it feels to win a match or have a good performance after preparing for months or years for one moment, and that feeling is worth it, just like studying the Bible.
Knowing the doctrines, the knowledge, is a foundation, you cannot take into practice something you don't know. Then, it's the understanding. But how do you get that understanding? Comparing the examples we have in the Bible to the present day helps a lot.
One example is when Jesus helped heal a sick woman on the sabbath in Luke 13:11-17. The ruler of the synagogue was angry, because Jesus broke the rule to not work on the sabbath. Even though the Ruler had all the knowledge about the Bible, he did not understand the meaning and practicality. The ruler put tradition over what is in the bible, that if someone is in need of help, you are supposed to help them, despite whether it is convenient for you, and Jesus demonstrated that tradition and rules are to be broken if a bigger need appears.
Another example is a concept which helps us overcome difficulties everyday. Rom. 12:21 says to “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good”. If someone is experiencing bad behaviour or a situation, instead of reciprocating the same way, we are to do good for evil, not
evil for evil. It is even proven in psychology, that good and bad actions are controlled by opposite sides of the brain. Therefore, if you, by your good actions, wake up that part of the brain of your peer, who is being horrible, They will switch into good actions as these two parts of the brain cannot be active simultaneously.
Study the Bible together with a group, that is why we attend weekly meetings with our local ecclesias, and organize youth meetings and camps, because meeting together and sharing thoughts and points of view might open our eyes to something we haven't noticed before, or to answer a question we had.
- A Follower of Christ