Benefits of the Bible 1 Pet.1:23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
There are so many wonderful benefits of the Bible. When you consider these you understand why we stress reading the Bible so much. Notice the following benefits of the Bible:
Salvation – 1 Pet 1:23 – according to the Bible we are born again by the word of God. As Rom 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” According to Jas 1:18 we are begotten with the word of truth, and in Jas 1:21 the engrafted word is able to save our souls. So you see that salvation is a benefit of the Bible. That’s why it is always good to open the Bible when preaching the gospel to the lost. And it is good to give a New Testament to someone to whom you have witnessed.
Correction – 2 Tim 3:16 – another one of the benefits of the Bible is correction. From the time we get saved until Jesus comes or we die, we will constantly be in need of correction. Correction is a necessary part of the Christian life [Heb 12:5-11] and manifests the love of God, the holiness of God and the righteousness of God to us. And the gentlest way to receive correction is through the Bible.
Instruction – 2 Tim 3:16 – another one of the benefits of the Bible is instruction. Once you have been corrected you need to be instructed in the right way to go. Like correction, we will benefit from instruction for the rest of our lives. The Bible is the greatest book on earth for showing you how to live a life full of joy and pleasing to God. After all, God made you and he knows better than anyone in the world how your life should run.
Admonition – 1 Cor 10:11 – admonition encompasses caution, exhortation and reproof. The Bible warns you when you are drawing away from God and too close to sin or sinners and it warns you against those things that will harm your walk with God. The Bible exhorts you in order to get the very best out of you and to keep you encouraged in times of discouragement and temptation. And the Bible reproves you in every area of your life where you are out of line with God and God’s words.
Edification – 2 Cor 13:10 – another one of the benefits of the Bible is edification. To edify means to instruct in such a way as to improve, enlighten, or uplift morally, spiritually, or intellectually. The Bible is the greatest book in the world for moral, spiritual and intellectual improvement. There is none better.
Sanctification – Jn 17:17 – another one of the benefits of the Bible is sanctification. In sanctification we are made holy; we are set apart from the world and set apart for the calling of God in our lives. Through sanctification we are cleansed and purified. You cannot get the sin out of your life apart from a steady diet of the Bible.
Transformation – 2 Cor 3:12-18; Rom 12:2 – the Bible transforms us by the renewing of our mind. When we are saved we instantly become a new creature in Christ; we go from being a child of the devil to being a child of God. However, the change in us is not instantly apparent on the outside [Phil 2:12-13]. Yet through continual reading and studying of the word of God, our change becomes evident. We think differently, we act differently, we speak differently, and we love differently. We have different affections, desires, friends, etc.
Revelation – 1 Cor 2:10-13; Rom 1:17 – the Bible reveals to us the things of God not known to natural men. Everything that God wants us to know about himself and his prophecy and his workings with men is revealed in the Bible. If you want to know where God stands on any matter, just read the Bible and you will know. But remember that you must be saved and you must believe his words or he will never reveal anything to you.
Reproduction – 2 Tim 2:2 – one other of the benefits of the Bible is reproduction. With the Bible, you can lead men to Christ. And once they are saved you can disciple them in their Christian growth and in their future work for the Lord. When you commit the Bible to faithful men they will be able to teach others also.
Conclusion: the Bible is indispensable in our Christian life. Without it you won’t be saved. And after you are saved, without it you cannot grow. Once you get into your Bible and begin to read and absorb what it says, your life will change. God will clean you up, change the way you see and think about things in life, strengthen you, warn you, correct you, instruct you, transform you into the child of God that God wants you to be, show you things that only God can make known to you through his words, and make you fruitful so that others come to Christ and grow.