LESSON N0:2.

WHY STUDY THE BIBLE?

The most troubling question on the lips of the students is why they should study the Bible as a
general course. The students often query what the Bible has to do with their respective
disciplines in the university. They ask for instance what the Bible has got to do with my studying
of Education, Law, Commerce and the list goes on. The Bible to them belongs elsewhere may be
in the Faculty of Theology. The question can be broadened and be asked in regard to humanity in
general. Why should anyone study the Bible?
The general feeling is that the Bible belongs to the Church. Therefore, when it is studied in a
university like ours as a common course it is because the institution has a connection with the
Church. The most extreme answer that I once got from an adult student is that the Bible belongs
to children. This reasoning strikes a chord with the notion that religion belongs to the realm of
those who are not fully emotionally developed.
Therefore, as the first question one needs to deal with is this fundamental question. What has the
Bible to do with me as a person? Why should I read or study the Bible?
The answer to this question lies in the understanding of our own selves. Socrates once said that
human beings are a measure unto themselves. The statement begs the question whether a human
person is an end in himself. Human nature always appeals to a being higher than itself. The
limitations in human nature points to an existence of a being higher than us. Human beings have
had various references to this being over centuries.
Religion refers to this being as God. We read, for example, from both the Old and the New
Testament that God is the creator of everything. In the first two chapters of the book of Genesis
we learn that God created the heavens and the earth and all they contain (Gen 111,21).

Human beings are therefore God’s creatures. In these two accounts in the book of Genesis, they
are, however, created in a more special way in relation to other creatures. They are created in the
“image and likeness of God (Gen 126 . ; 27 and God breathed into his nostril life giving breath and
man became a living being),They are further given dominion over other creatures Gen 126 . While in
Gen 2 we read: “And God brought all creatures to man to see what name man will call them and that was their name.” Human beings are
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finally mandated to be fruitful multiple and fill the earth (Gen 128).
It is important to understand what these expressions each means individually. What does it mean
that we are made in the image and likeness of God. There is always an interpretation of the
phrase to mean a physical resemblance. God is thus conceived as the model of humans. Humans
are seen to be an exact copy of God (2 Kings 1010). In Ex. 204-6 and Deut. 58-10 it is forbidden to
make the image of God since nothing on earth resembles God. We, therefore, encounter a
difficulty in perceiving human being as a physical stature of God. The expression that we are
made in the image and likeness is, therefore, a figurative language which bears the same
connotation as God breathing in human being enabling him become a living being.
The making of man in the image and likeness of God is a royal language. According to the
surrounding cultural settings of the biblical times (ANE) kings were seen as images of God.
They were the representatives of God. Hence the expression image and likeness of God is a
reference to power sharing. Human beings are made as co-creators or co-partners with God. We
are basically God’s stewards here on earth. We take care of the earth on behalf of our creator.
We acknowledge that all we are and have are gifts from our creator. The basic of the gifts is life
itself. Hence to be good stewards we must seek the mind of God.

Summary on some reasons why the studying the Course

Introduction to Bible Studies is Important:
It is of great important to note that there
are plenty of reasons to why study the
Bible as a course. Here is a list of the main reasons:
The 1st question to asking is, Why study the Bible? This is both practical and foundational. It is
practical because we will learn real reasons why studying the Bible is important, but it is also
foundational because it will prepare us for future discussions on the importance of Bible study.

While not an exhaustive list, below are eight reasons for studying the Bible:

 Cultural literacy
 To learn what it says firsthand
 Personal edification
 To help others
 Jesus
 Because it is God’s Word to us
 To know God better
 Avoiding error

Cultural Literacy

One reason to study the Bible is for cultural literacy purposes. E.D. Hirsch writes, “To be
culturally literate is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world.”E.D.
Hirsch, Cultural Literacy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987), xiii. Simply put, the
Bible contains a wealth of cultural literacy. References to the Bible are found not only found in
religion, but also art, music, philosophy, literature, law and more. Knowing what the Bible says
is an important part of everyone’s k-base.

Many popular phrases and figures of speech also find their origin in the Bible including being a
Good Samaritan, the folly of letting the blind lead the blind, going the extra mile, ethical maxims
such as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” manna from heaven, etc. Hirsch
considers the Bible so important to cultural literacy that it appears first in his Dictionary of
Cultural Literacy.

What Does It Say?

Another reason to study the Bible is to learn what it has to say firsthand. Whether one is a
supporter or critic of the Bible, or perhaps just neutral or uninterested in the topic, history has
demonstrated that the Bible cannot be ignored. Considering that the Bible is important to three
major world religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – it is worthy of study.

In addition, the recent rise of hostile criticism towards the Bible itself and religion in general also
makes it worthy of study. Sometimes the critics do not always quote the Bible correctly or in
context. Knowing what it says firsthand and having some knowledge of the context is helpful in
understanding not only current events, but key ideas the Bible addresses such as the nature and
existence of God, the human condition, the biblical pattern of redemption and salvation and
ethics.

Personal Edification

For thousands of years the Bible has been read not only as history and God’s Word, but also for
personal edification. This, of course, is a more meaningful reason for studying the Bible for those
who believe in God, but the Bible is also surprisingly edifying for those who do not believe. It is
full of individuals facing moral choices, life challenges, and, frankly, situations that are
applicable to us even today. As Paul wrote, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).

The Bible is available for us to learn from not only on an intellectual level, but on a personal and
emotional level.

To Help Others

But the Bible is not just for us to keep to ourselves as individuals. It is also useful in helping
others. We gain centuries of wisdom and are thus able to help others by studying the Bible.
Proverbs, for instance, contain general principles and ideas to assist anyone in living their lives
in a way that is helpful and pleasing to God.

Studying the Bible in order to help others is not just for ministers, priests or pastors, but is
something everyone can do. By knowing what the Bible says on different subjects, we can help
others through difficult circumstances, encourage them and so forth.

Jesus

For Christians the Bible culminates in the New Testament account of the life, ministry, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some 2,000 years after the time of Christ, His life and ministry
remain relevant even in our contemporary world. Regardless of how one views Christ, like the
Bible, He cannot be ignored. Far from being a distant prophet or irrelevant figure in history,
Jesus Christ is at the Christianity’s foundation. Particularly studying the four Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John will help anyone gain a better understanding of Jesus and His
mission.

God’s Word to Us

For people the world over, the Bible is God’s Word to us. People inspired by God recorded the
words that make up the Bible, thus communicating what theologians call special revelation. In
other words, God has chosen to reveal Himself not only through creation and conscience, but
also specially through Jesus and through His Word. Studying the Bible, then, is a matter of
course for those who love God and desire to follow Him.

To Know God Better

Since the Bible is God’s Word, studying it is a way to know God better. Through His words we
come to know not only the nature and attributes of God, but we also come to understand His plan
for each of us. In a larger sense, we also come to know God’s plan in history, His sovereignty,
His providence, His love and more. There is only so much we can learn about God apart from the
Bible. But with it we can know God better.
Avoiding Error

Studying the Bible also helps us avoid theological error. The Bible tells us, “Watch your life and
doctrine closely” (1 Timothy 4:16 NIV), adding that we “must teach what is in accord with
sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1 NIV). If the Bible is our authority for faith and life, then the inspired
words it contains will help us to avoid error. In a pluralistic world with many religious and non-
religious ideas competing for attention, studying the Bible provides us with a firm foundation in
God’s truth rather than the errors of the world. Knowing the Bible also helps us respond to error
and answer questions that skeptics and others may have about it.