Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.
If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.
Let’s get started:
Last week, I posted a video and a link to an article about WHY we should study the bible. Here’s an excerpt from the Truth or Tradition “Bible Study Guide” about why we should study the Bible (this is a large PDF file and may take a few minutes to download, but please be patient, it’s WORTH it):
It is important to have the proper perspective about the Bible, and understand why we study it. In these modern times, individualism is highly esteemed, and it has become fashionable for people to read the Bible and ask, “What does this mean to me?” While that question is important, there is one much more important: “What is God saying?”
To answer the first question, “What does this mean to me” does not require any study of the Bible, for any passage of Scripture can mean any number of things to the person reading it. After all, it is simply his opinion. He could be either right or wrong about what the verse is actually saying, but of course it will mean something to him.
God did not author the Bible to be merely a tool for personal reflection and devotion, something we ponder over and are satisfied with what it means to us. No, God gave us His word for many reasons, including, to foster the personal relationship between Himself and us; so we could obey Him and thus have the best possible lives here on earth; so we could know how to build and maintain godly marriages, families, and societies; and so we could know the way of salvation and be assured of everlasting life. We can have these things in part or in whole if we know what God says in His Word and follow His commands. No one, including God, likes to be misunderstood. When we write a letter to someone, we want him to know what we meant, not just what he thought we meant. The Bible is God’s letter to mankind, and it is important we discover and understand what He means.
Finding out what God says and means requires study. Many Christians agree that the Word of God is “the Truth,” yet from one Bible come many differing interpretations of what “the Truth” is. It was never God’s intention that people read the same text and come away with different ideas about what it is saying. In Matthew 22:29, Jesus said to the Sadducees, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” He did not say, “You Sadducees have your opinion, and I have mine, and both opinions are okay with God.” His reference to error implies that there is both a correct and an errant understanding of each verse of Scripture. Consider the following verse:
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
“Correctly handles” is translated from the Greek compound verb, orthotomeo, which is built from the Greek root-words, ortho (straight) and temno (to cut). The idea is that there is a “straight cutting,” correctly handling (NIV) or right dividing (KJV), of the Word of God. There is a way to rightly divide God’s Word so that we get out of it what He intends, and not just our opinion. Also, just as there is a way to rightly divide the Word of God and handle it accurately, there is a way to incorrectly handle the Word and misunderstand or misinterpret it.
In order to rightly divide the Word, we must learn how to study it. And to learn how to study it, we must have tools with which to work with.
For the next eight weeks, I’ll be posting videos that talk about these tools. So, if you’ve ever had the desire to study the Bible but wasn’t sure where to start or how to go about it, stick around, this will be an informative eight weeks that I sincerely hope help and bless you.
For now, let’s begin with an overview of How to Study the Bible:
Vodpod videos no longer available.
(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).
By the way, in case you’re curious, I use the NIV version – in fact, I LOVE the NIV version because it just clicks for me. And I also make notes in my Bible so when I go back and read those particular verses, my notes remind me what it’s really saying. Remember, the Bible is something that God has provided you to learn from and USE in your day-to-day life. Don’t be afraid of it, write in it, study it and enjoy it for it provides GREAT peace. 🙂
If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.
Thank you for visiting and God bless.
Write From Karen 