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There is no practice available to mankind that
is more rewarding, more beneficial, and more enlightening that the
diligent pursuit of of God. Solomon has written in Ecclesiastes
that:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s
all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every
secret thing, Whether good or evil.
Mankind was created by God to enjoy fellowship with Him but the
rebellion of our first parents in the Garden of Eden (and man's
continual rebellion ever since that time) erected a barrier between
God and man that will only be completely removed when Christ returns
to claim His own. Until that time one of the most time honoured
means of enhancing our fellowship with God is through the study
of the Bible yet there seem to be fewer practices that are more
consistently ignored. All too often Christians seem more than willing
to uncritically accept Bible teaching from others and little motivated
to perform even the most elementary of studies and so miss out on
the great good that may be enjoyed as we immerse ourselves in the
study of the word of our God.
The Bible has been called the Christian’s sword. It is one
of our primary tools in the proclamation and defence of the Gospel
of Christ. However, if we cannot use it with skill and dexterity
we are like a carpenter who is unable to build a structure that
will stand the test of time because he is cannot properly use the
tools of his trade. Our own ineffectiveness in our handling of the
Word will have a similar result in making us less effective Christians
and we likewise will be unable to produce a work that will stand
the test of time since o ur understanding of God and His involvement
in the activities of man will have been built upon a shoddy foundation
and our teaching of others will be equally questionable.
It is the purpose of this study to encourage each of us to devote
ourselves more thoroughly to Bible study and to set out some basic
principles by which we may put to better use the time that we spend
on Bible study. Various methods of Bible study will be introduced
so that a structured study may take place which will make use of
study practices that have been developed, tested, and found valuable
by other Christians. When properly done Bible study is an enjoyable
and rewarding task that will bring us nearer to our God. It is my
hope that this study will permit that joy as you enter into the
study of God’s Word and help you to think the thoughts of
God.
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