I'm Glad You Asked!

How do I as a new Christian, get a well balanced view of what the Bible says?



This is an outstanding question, and when you are posed it you need to realize you have a hungry student who wishes to drink deeply from the cup of faith. As a Christian it's our responsibility to lead others to God's word, so with that in mind; are you prepared to supply an understanding to the new believer? We need to be armed with information! Find below a box of bullets supplied by RC Sproul, one of the premier theologians of our time!

Anytime a new Christian reads the Bible for themselves, they risk a distortion. One of the great articles of faith of the Reformation was the principle of private interpretation, that is every Christian was seen to have the right to read the Bible for themselves. The Roman Catholic church resisted that because they recognized that an unschooled and untrained person could very easily come to serious misunderstanding and distortions of the Scripture. They warned, for example, that letting laymen read the Bible could open a floodgate of iniquity. Luther responded to that by saying, yes, a floodgate of iniquity could be opened by unskilled people. That is why God put teachers in the church. But he also said the basic message for every Christian to understand was so clear, so manifest, that a child could understand it. It was so important and so worthwhile that if it risks opening a floodgate of iniquity, Luther said, so be it.

Keep the big picture while reading the Bible! It's like walking through a forest the first time through, all your trying to do is get from one end to the other. After you grow in understanding of the forest, you begin to notice separate groups of trees, the wildlife, different things stand out to you. Maybe you try to climb particular trees, pick the fruits or some of the flowers, or bring home some of the colorful leaves. Bible study isn't really fun until your out there turning over every individual leaf, enjoying and exploring all the possibilities each leaf has to offer.

A great book to guide anyone who is new to the Scripture is titled "Knowing Scripture" -by RC Sproul. It's designed for someone investigating the Bible for the first time and is an invaluable tool for holding their interest and peaking their curiosity.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill