Bible Study Tool: Point 1. For Believing

I recently presented a helpful study tool, the Bible Study Tool: 10 Points for More Productive Study. In it, I listed ten things to look for when studying to help you understand the message, or seed, of God. The first point to look for is whether it is simply for believing.

Simply believing God is an important key in receiving truth from God. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that believing God is the cornerstone to all the other nine points. If we don’t believe God and His Word, then how can His Word build our faith? If we don’t believe, why would we learn to apply it to our daily living? How can we come to really understand that which we don’t believe? At best, we would only have a superficial understanding.

Take Romans 10:9, 10, for example.

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is make unto salvation.

The only true righteousness we can have is when we believe God. Scripture says that Abraham believed God when He told him he would be the father of many nations. Abraham did not know HOW God was going to do this when he and his wife were both too old to make babies. But he did believe God would do it, somehow. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3).

The very first sin in the Garden of Eden, eating the forbidden fruit, was a case of choosing not to believe God. God said, “If you eat the fruit, you will die.” The serpent lied, “You won’t die. It will make you like God.” Rather than believing God, Eve chose to eat. When she did not immediately fall down dead, she gave to Adam who was right there with her, and he ate, too. At that moment, they both became spiritually separated from God and insured that they would physically die. All because they chose not to believe God over the lies of Satan.

There are many things in Scripture God expects us to just believe. When it says in Genesis that He formed and brought life to earth in six literal days, don’t listen to scientist who are intentionally trying to discredit God’s Word. Believe God, instead. There is more scientific support for God’s truth than for the supposed evolutionary origin of species. (http://www.icr.org) When Scripture states that God caused a great flood to cover the entire earth, don’t argue with Him and try to make it a bad local flood. Again, there is plenty of scientific evidence to support Scripture, if we will just believe God.

We may not always understand exactly what God means when He says something. Small children are not capable of understanding the reason for all the rules their parents expect them to obey for their safety; but if they obey, they will be much safer. God’s ways are higher than our ways. We should simply believe God and do it His way, for Abba Father really does know best.