Why do we have to continue to learn the Word of God?
If one is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will “WANT to continue to learn the Word of God.” They don’t “have to”; they “want to.” We could list many reasons why it is important to continue to learn the Word of God, but due to limited space we will confine our answer to listing FOUR reasons.
2nd Timothy 3:16 declares, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, that the man of God may be COMPLETE, thoroughly equipped FOR EVERY GOOD WORK” (NKJV). There is great PROFIT in continuing to learn the Word of God! Every scripture was given so the believer in Christ can be TAUGHT the precious truths of the Bible; the truth about God, creation, man, sin, salvation, prophecy, etc. It also serves to REPROVE and CORRECT us; that is, it points out areas in our lives that are displeasing to God and then it shows us how to correct them. It instructs us how to live RIGHTEOUS LIVES, so that we may be MATURE Christians that are equipped to do GOOD WORKS.
1st Peter 2:4 states, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may GROW thereby.” The believer in Christ should have a natural craving for the Word of God. This is not only true for one just saved, but for all believers. The result of this desire is SPIRITUAL GROWTH. A newborn baby naturally thirsts for their mother’s milk resulting in physical growth and development. Likewise, the believer, as “born of God” (see John 1:12-13 and 3:5-8), instinctively desires to read and study the Word of God so they can “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2nd Peter 3:18). The more we learn about our Lord and Savior, the more we are conformed to His image. This is God’s supreme desire for us, as we see in Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
In John 17:17 Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” The Lord Jesus spoke these words to His disciples shortly before going to the Cross of Calvary. He knew they would be left in a wicked and corrupt world that hated Him and thus He prayed for them to be “SANCTIFIED (set apart) by the Word.” The world hasn’t changed; in fact, it is getting worse and worse, so believers today also need to be sanctified by God’s Word. Listen to Jesus’ words leading up to this, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” The world, which is under the influence of Satan (the “evil one”), hates Christians! Because the world hates us, they will either persecute us or tempt us to join them in their worldly pursuits. They will try to “squeeze us into their mold” and thus we are exhorted in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In order to resist the peer pressure to conform to the world, we need to constantly experience the “renewing of our mind.” How do we accomplish that? Through the Word of God! The more we read and meditate upon God’s Word, the more our minds are fashioned after God’s thoughts, resulting in our being “sanctified by the word.” By God’s grace we will be “set apart FROM the world” and “set apart TO God.”
Romans 15:4 reads, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the PATIENCE and COMFORT of the Scriptures might have HOPE.” As the believer continues to learn the Word of God, he/she will be blessed with patience, comfort and hope. We all experience countless trials, tribulations and troubles in this life, but God uses the Word to enable the believer to “endure” them by “comforting” us with the “blessed hope” that lies before us. (327.5) (DO)