The Bible
Key Verse
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Basic Biblical Understanding
The Bible is a book by God about God. God wrote the Scriptures through about forty human authors (using their gifts, personalities, and experience to reveal Himself to us). With each phrase and nuance, the authors “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The completed Scriptures are truthful, accurate, inspired, and absolutely consistent with what God intended to reveal about Himself.
While the Bible includes history, truth, and pearls of wisdom, a person’s ability to understand the Bible is not primarily an intellectual exercise. A person needs spiritual sight to understand spiritual realities. That’s why 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us the “natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” The only way to gain spiritual sight is by placing faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Likewise, applying the Bible isn’t primarily an exercise in discipline. We need God’s enabling grace to live out the teachings of Scripture. When God’s Spirit indwells a person, He brings divine enablement to those who humbly submit to Him (James 4:6).
The Bible is experienced in a state of prayer, submission, and dependence. We pray for God to, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). We submit our thoughts, will, and agenda before the truths of God’s Word (John 17:17). We depend on the Holy Spirit for understanding and enablement as He guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
Before God releases the power of the Word in your life, you may argue with the Scriptures, doubt them, or ignore them altogether. But when God moves, extraordinary things happen. His Word revives the heart, makes wise the simple, and enlightens the eyes (Psalm 19:7–8). Our sins are revealed, but so is our Savior, and trusting in the Word produces tangible, miraculous outcomes that are only possible with God.
Verses (ask God to to show you how they apply to your life)
“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
– Isaiah 55:11
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
– John 17:17
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
– Hebrews 4:12
Helpful Questions and Application
Are you approaching Scripture in a state of prayer, submission, and dependence? If so, what has God done? If not, what’s holding you back?
Are you spending regular time reading the Bible? If not, how can you make that happen?
Additional Resources
“How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart Bible Study Tools and Bible Gateway Bible reading plans
WordTruth Article:
“Divine Sufficiency Or Divine Deficiency”
“Biblical Basics Of Dealing With Problems”