Do we need to know the book?

God has been revealing to me as of late that it is much more important to be a DO-er of His word rather than a KNOW-er of it. I can read and know all I want (as can atheists!), but if I do nothing, it hurts the body.

Not to put down knowing the Word, though. I emphasize Scripture reading to my wife every single day! We should read and know it, indeed. To place this priority above that of living it out is where I claim to draw the line.

How else are we going to 'know the Father' if we don't spend the time to read the Word and get to know Him? Reading the Word is not a hassle, it's a great joy!

You cannot 'know the Lord' without 'knowing the scriptures' not just in your mind but in your heart as well. Sure, I've heard countless people talk about not having the bible available due to lack of resources however, if the resources are available and folks choose not to learn, and desire to learn, then we are just lazy.

"Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." ~Matthew 15:14

Lack of studying the Word has lead to mass deception here in the US. Folks would rather hire out the job of knowing the Lord (or knowing something). Christians do not regard themselves as priests, and when you are not a priest (a royal priesthood) someone else is always responsible to carry out 'the ministry'.

Even the 'good' ministries here in the States are the same, they might talk about THE BELIEVER being a priest, but every Sunday a priest still gets up and preaches a message and everybody claps and goes home. You can't speak one way and then operate another, people will rightfully sense the hypocrisy and you lose credibility since you are not walking out your own message. If you don't believe your message, and walk it out, why should others?

Please hear the heart of how I wrote this and give me some mercy for my lack of writing ability. :-)

Finally, look at this quote, frankly I can't believe it myself, this is AW Tozer, not some kook. Amazing how true it is!

"I see the time coming when all the holy men whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit will desert worldly Evangelicalism, one by one. The house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God, a man in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, left among them… As the Church now stands, the man who sees this condition of worldly evangelicalism is written off as somewhat fanatical. But the day is coming when the house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God among them. I would like to live long enough to watch this develop and see how things turn out. I would like to live to see the time when the men and woman of God-holy, separated and spiritually enlightened-walk out of the evangelical church and form a group of their own; when they get off the sinking ship and let her go down in the brackish and worldliness and form a new ark to ride out the storm"

-AW Tozer

Joh 5:37-39

37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Is it important to know the Bible?

_____________________________________________

I think it is vitally important to know JESUS the person. To have a real relationship with HIM, to walk with HIM submitting and obeying HIM daily. I think one way of getting to know JESUS is by reading HIS WORDS. I also think prayer, worship, singing praises to HIM, and having fellowship with other believers is important and helpful in getting to know JESUS. I think listening is important too, that is one I am learning now :)

God bless
maryjane

Bearmaster,

". . . . The very book we take for granted may be declared a hate book. When we are arrested the authorities will not allow you the comfort of a New Testament. But only what is stored in your heart will sustain you.

So again I ask this forum. Is it important to know the Bible? Somehow I think I know the answer."

Yes, the answer is clear. Lord willing, the meager collection of verses I know will sustain me should it come to this. I know from personal experience that the 23rd Psalm has in it everything anyone could ask for, as far as comfort and leadership (He truly is our shepherd).
___________________________________
Earl, that quote was a wonderful message, thank you.

"and form a new ark to ride out the storm"

Kind regards to you both,
white stone

What is interesting is when Jesus was being tempted He Himself relied on the scripture. If Jesus Relied on the written word when he was tempted how much more do we need the written word in our hearts for when temptaion comes on us.

Jesus taught the parable of the sower dealing entirely with our response to the word of God. Several things jump out at me right away.

First, the disciple's question and Jesus' answer found between the telling of the parable and the blow by blow explanation of the parable are not unrelated, but are integral to the understanding of what Jesus is talking about. The punchline if you will of Jesus answer, "to him that hath, more will be given and to him that hath not, even what he has will be taken away", is in the context of one who truly hears and sees. The same statement is used in the parable of the talents. I believe Jesus was teaching the same principle in both places and it has to do with our response to the word of God. It is really the same overall lesson of the parable of the sower. That is that what we do with the word of God when the Holy Spirit gives us revelation of that word is vital (life or death).

Second, we choose our response to the word. We must be diligent in our study, meditation, and response to the word of God. We absolutely must make it first place in our lives. It cannot be a passing thought, but a focus of our existence. It is a seed that is sown in our hearts and must be tended and watered in order to bear fruit. The degree to which we tend, water, and pull out the competing things of the flesh is the degree to which the word will bear fruit in our lives.

hi, it is stated that the word of the Lord should be in your heart and on you lips...not in your hand or on your coffee table.jimp

What a great thread.

This reminds of the recent miracle with the Pastor who was captured by terrorists and during his ordeal, he later said that a passage from Acts comforted him in the midst and height of his fear. The Word is the difference between life and death and brings life in the midst of death.

Love-in-Christ,

KP

If Jesus Relied on the written word when he was tempted how much more do we need the written word in our hearts for when temptation comes on us.

This is a good point. One reason to know the scriptures is to resist temptation… and to even recognize temptations for what they are. I don’t mean merely temptations to act wrongly, but temptations to think wrongly. We are constantly barraged with a host of ideas, which may very well seem right. But unless we are well rooted in scripture, we will always be prone to accepting distortions. It is not merely a matter of knowing the bible, content- wise, but of thinking biblically. And that is another matter. Plenty people know that Bible but do not think biblically. A good example is this: thinking “legally” instead of according to grace. That’s the way our society thinks, so it’s hard to recognize it in ourselves – apart from being well rooted in God’s love – through his Spirit and word.

Diane

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God" - Mark 12:24

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"--Matthew 4:4

If you believe not Bible neither will u be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Historical criticism is destroying Christianity, It Has destroyed the faith of countless individuals in our seminaries,such as Bart Ehrman.

And even us whom consider ourselves as Bible believers are effected, unaware by Historical criticism.

Luke 16

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets(the scripture); let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets (the scripture), neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Hi DHuff good verse

Re DHuff wrote "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God" - Mark 12:24

And after Jesus spoke this, He than went on to put such relience on the Written Word of His day as to make a doctrinal argument based on the verb tense of the specific written Word. He says that they did not know the scripture nor the power of God because when they read "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" They Did not have enough faith in the inspiration of scripture to notice the seemingly insignificant detailes as to relize that It is saying (I am) present tense (refering to present tense living) rather than (I was) Past tense(dead)

Jesus proved The resurrection of the Dead by the verb tense of the Book of Moses(scripture)that was available in His day.

edit: ps: Matthew account than says, "And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine"

Good versus ginnyrose

RE: ginnyrose wrote ///Joh 5:37-39
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.///

These are good versus very applicable to us today. The Jews here claimed to Believe scripture they prided themselves in there view of inspiration And yet what Jesus tells them is that they really did not believe scripture but rather they believed in the views of the religious teachers they believed in there commentaries there pretalmud there doctrines there theolgy.
They where to scared to search and believe For themselves to scared to challenge what they had been taught about scripture to scared of what others thought of them.
as verse 44 reveales "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"
He goes on to say vs 46 had ye believed Moses,(Had they really believed the scripture) ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.(they would have recognized Christ)
47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (If we believe not the written word how shall we believe the true Word)

Quite simply, yes.

"For My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."