Based on “Three Ways We Can Value Scripture” posted on Radi-Call.com. This version was originally published in The Sword and Trumpet.
The Word is a Gift
The Word of God is a great gift. Think about it—where would we go to learn who God is if we didn’t have His Word? While creation does testify of God, we can’t fully know Him simply by studying the starry sky or a nearby bush. We can look within, but our own hearts are deceitful and our minds are darkened (Jer. 17:9, Rom. 1:21). We can’t hope to know Him unless He first shows Himself to us. The Bible is that revelation, God’s gift to us—Himself. Scripture is the source of all knowledge of God; therefore, to truly know God we must know His Word.
If Scripture is so central to our understanding of God, how do we value it practically? How do we allow it to have its full effect on us?
Read It
The first and most fundamental way we value Scripture is by reading it. Again, Scripture is the only way we can truly know God. If we want to draw near to God, we must be students of His Word. We must read much and read often. Of course, proper reading includes much more than sliding our eyes across as many pages as possible. We read to understand—both with our minds and with our hearts.
Understanding with our minds requires effort. As we read, we must consider what each verse and chapter is saying, why it is important, and how it fits within the whole of God’s Word. We should ask questions of the text, consider possible solutions, and diligently search for answers. Life-giving study is not a passive exercise; it requires the deliberate, focused application of every part of our bodies—heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:19-30).
Of course, we cannot expect to love God if we only know more about Him. Thus, we read with our hearts engaged, looking not only for how we can learn more about God intellectually, but also so we can learn to love Him as He ought to be loved. We can understand the facts of the gospel in detail with our minds, yet it’s only when those facts penetrate our hearts that we develop love for the God of the gospel. Diligent study produces right knowledge. Right knowledge, when it penetrates our hearts, produces right affections and right actions.
Not only does study eventually produce right affections and actions, it is necessary for any true love for God. If we think we love God, but have yet to understand who He truly is, our love is probably misguided and vain. Our love must be grounded in right knowledge, otherwise it may not be love at all. Romans 10 talks about Jews who had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They had well-intentioned hearts, but they misunderstood God’s gospel and missed Him entirely. We must ensure that we don’t make the same mistake. We read the word because we love God, but we also read so we can love Him more.
Both mind and heart change are dependant on the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work (2 Cor. 3:14-18). He enlivens our minds so we can rightly understand God’s true nature, and He warms our hearts so we can accept His love for us and love Him in turn. Unless God’s Spirit works within, our study and effort is powerless. But the same Spirit who breathed out Scripture also promises to teach us through it, so any sincere study of God’s Word comes with a guarantee of spiritual fruit. We come to Him ready to receive, and He meets our need by feeding us through His Word.
Obey It
Another way we value Scripture is by obeying it. Right knowledge is worthless if it doesn’t change how we live. Over and over, the New Testament connects faith to obedience (see especially John 15, Romans 6, Hebrews 2-4, and James 2). Jesus, Paul, James, and other New Testament writers make it abundantly clear that true faith will produce obedient works. Thus, if we aren’t pursuing obedience, our very salvation may be in question. If we belong to Christ, we will live like Christ.
How do we know who Christ is? Through His Word. Many today try to pursue Christ without reading the Bible, but that simply doesn’t work. If we want to know who God is—who Christ is—we must study and know Scripture. The goal of obedience is Christ-likeness. The path to Christ-likeness requires actually knowing His character, which means knowing the Word. We know the Word, thereby we know Christ, and we are able to obey Him.
So, we must be careful to not only understand Scripture, but also obey it. Every piece of the Bible has been given to us by God, and thus we submit ourselves to God by submitting ourselves to His Word. Obedience to God’s Word and obedience to God Himself are one and the same. We cannot—and we dare not—separate those.
Proclaim It
Along with understanding and obeying Scripture personally, we should actively declare the truth of Scripture to others. This includes a broad spectrum—preaching, teaching, discipling, and evangelizing. Though the particulars will look different for each of us, we must all proclaim scriptural truths as we have opportunity.
Within the local church, that means the preaching must be Scripture-centric. Whether we prefer topical preaching or a verse-by-verse approach, we must ensure that the Bible—not personal opinion—is preached. Exposition (preaching that exposes the truth of Scripture) describes this. Since we can only know God through His Word, we are wasting our time if anything other than the Word is preached. That much is true not only for preaching, but for every aspect of the local church. Our corporate teaching, preaching, worship, and prayer must all be shaped by Scripture.
This does not mean, as some think, that we worship the Word itself. It does mean, though, that we realize that the Word is the only trustworthy source of information about God. God reveals Himself through His Word. Unless we know the Word, we will not know God.
As it is in the church, so it also is in our other relationships. Our interaction with other believers must be shaped by Scripture. We are created to grow together. We should disciple others and be discipled ourselves. All discipleship stems from Scripture—it is the means God uses to change us individually and as a body. This involves more than formal discipling or mentorship, it also includes life-on-life interaction as we live and breathe together in Christian community. In this, again, we must subject our opinions and our beliefs to the authority of Scripture. Our ideas and beliefs must always bow to the Word. And how do we know what the Bible teaches? We must read it. Read the Word, then proclaim it.
Valuing Scripture
Scripture is not peripheral for the Christian. On the contrary, it is an irreplaceable element of every Christian’s faith. Only through knowing and obeying the Word can we rightly know and obey God. That development naturally overflows into our churches and Christian communities as we proclaim the truth to others and as they do the same to us. So how do we value Scripture? First, we read it ourselves, seeking mental understanding and heart transformation. Then we proclaim it to others, sharing what we’ve been taught. And finally, we obey it, honoring God by faithful obedience to His Word.