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Contents 1 If we are judged only according to what we know, why take on the responsibility of more knowledge? 2 The Bible helps us resist temptation 2.1 That I might not sin against You, Lord 2.2 The sword of the Spirit 2.3 The devil himself will quote Scripture 3 We have an example in the Bible 4 The Bible gives life 5 It is like light to guide the way in darkness 6 To be able to recognize truth/deception 7 How can we do what he commands if we don't know what he commands?

[edit] If we are judged only according to what we know, why take on the responsibility of more knowledge?

With increased knowledge comes increased responsibility. See We are judged according to what we know. What incentive do we have, then, to study the Bible?

For me, I don't need an "incentive". I love the Bible and I have a huge desire to know God's will and to follow him as best I can, and the more I study the Bible, the closer I can come to that goal.

For those of you who don't already have a great desire to study the Bible, though, I hope I can convince you—from the Bible—that this is what God desires and requires of us!

Listen to what these verses say...

[edit] The Bible helps us resist temptation

[edit] That I might not sin against You, Lord

Psalm 119:11 (NIV) says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (NKJV).

"So the Bible is a defense against sin, and because we are repeatedly tempted, we need to read these instructions frequently. We need to study them with all our hearts." (Discovering the Word: The Ultimate Resource, Part 2)

[edit] The sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:13-18 (NIV):

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

We can use the sword of the Spirit to defend against temptation. That's what Jesus did when he was tempted.

The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV):

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

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

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:

" 'He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

[edit] The devil himself will quote Scripture

The devil will try to use the Bible against Christians. We saw in Jesus's temptations in the wilderness that satan is not beneath quoting the Scriptures out of context and hoping to fool people with them:

Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV):

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:

" 'He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

We can't hope to refute these false, twisted teachings unless we ourselves our well-grounded in the Word, familiar with what the Bible says.

[edit] We have an example in the Bible

The examples of Scripture reading I found were the Bereans and Jesus Christ (there may be more)...

The Bereans (Acts 17:10-11 (NIV)):

As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

These aren't just your average, so-so Christians. These are people praised for their "noble character"! And why were they called "of noble character"? "... for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Should we not follow their example?

Jesus (Luke 4:16-21 (NIV)):

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

[edit] The Bible gives life

John 5:39-40

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The Bible has been compared to bread. It is not something to just occasionally think about. Just like food is something you eat daily, so the Bible is something to "consume" daily.

[references...]

The Bible is breath.

The Bible is milk.

[edit] It is like light to guide the way in darkness

Proverbs 4:18-19

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know what makes them stumble.

2 Peter 1:19

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

[edit] To be able to recognize truth/deception

1 John 4:1-3

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

[edit] How can we do what he commands if we don't know what he commands?

James 1:22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

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.

Therefore, if we sincerely desire to follow God's commands/will for us, we will diligently study the Bible to try to find and understand his instructions for us.