What will you talk about in Sunday School this week?
Will it be Saturday’s football game? Will it be the ongoing political drama in our state and nation? Will it be an upcoming church program? Will it be the Bible?
While Baptists believe the Bible is God’s Word, His revelation of Himself to humanity, the sole authority of our faith and practice, many Sunday School classes fill their time with things other than Bible study. The hour becomes a social time rather than a learning time.
Some say Bible study is dull. Some contend that other things are more pressing or important. Some want to explore the ideas of others rather than delving into Scripture. Some desire to expound about pet issues rather than give themselves to the rigors of Bible study.
Imagine how much effort most of us would give to learning about a new friend or a new neighbor who reached out to us and tried to establish a relationship with us. Such a person we would want to know. We would want to know what made this person tick, what he or she was like, if he or she was for real.
If we could talk with others about their experiences with this person, then it would be that much better because relationships are important.
Isn’t that one of the purposes of the Bible study time? To get to know God better.
Genesis teaches that God made man for relationship with Himself. God reached out to man in the Garden of Eden. He reached out through covenants with individuals and, finally, with a people.
Ultimately God reached out to humanity through the Incarnation. That is what the Incarnation is about. It is about God offering Himself in relationship with men and women, boys and girls.
God is God, to be sure. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. He is also a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Through the Incarnation, He offered Himself in personal relationship with every human being who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).
Sunday School is a time when Christians join with others to learn about this Friend, share lessons learned from time spent with Him and learn what He says about Himself through the Bible.
That is exciting. That is stimulating. Every time we are with Him or study about Him, we learn something new.
To say Bible study is dull is to say one does not care about a relationship with God, that one has no desire to know Him.
If God is God, and He is, then what could be more pressing or important than knowing what He expects from the relationship with us? That means one must not only know what God says but also be able to apply what God says. The two always go together. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24, “[E]veryone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock.” The writer of James urged, “[B]e ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
From the Bible come the answers to life’s basic questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? Where am I going? From the Bible comes guidance that helps one act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly before the Lord as Micah 6:8 directs.
Bible study transforms both mind and actions as the student learns obedience before God.
And it is an unending process. As one grows in understanding of God and obedience to God, new insights pour forth from familiar texts. The end of the journey is just as fresh, just as challenging, as the beginning.
Satan tried to lead the first couple away from God, and he continues that role today. Cults, false teachings and nonbiblical philosophies abound. It is important to know their tenants in order to point out their error. But their error is revealed by the Word of God, the Bible. Only as one is grounded in the truth of God’s Word can truth do battle with error. That is another reason Bible study is important.
It has been said if a believer has a wrong impression of God, then that believer worships a false god, an idol. The believer worships something God is not. That is why it is important to grow in relationship with God. As God makes Himself known through Bible study, one is able to discern between the God of the Bible and the array of pretenders, whatever their origin.
Only the Bible is the Word of God. Only the Bible points one to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Only the Bible teaches forgiveness of sin, heaven for the saved and hell for the lost. Only the Bible equips one to serve God.
No individual’s opinions or teacher’s pet issues can compare with the importance of these truths. How can they then compete for time on Sunday morning?
Studying the Bible is a privilege granted by God Himself. It is essential for one to continue growing in the Lord. That makes Sunday School a valuable time when we learn about God together. It is much too precious a time to waste by focusing on anything but Bible study.
This Sunday morning and every Sunday morning, may God grant that we all learn more about Him through Sunday School Bible study.
Share with others: