Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that you have known for years, only to discover something you had never noticed before? Perhaps it was a verse you memorized as a child, a psalm you have read countless times, or a familiar account from the life of Jesus. You thought you understood the passage fairly well, but then you heard a sermon or spent some time studying the surrounding chapters, and suddenly you began seeing connections you had previously overlooked.
The words had not changed.
But your understanding of them had grown.
I think that is one of the remarkable things about studying the Bible. We can spend our entire lives reading God’s Word and still discover truths we have not fully appreciated. The Scriptures are sufficiently clear to reveal the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, yet their depth is such that even the most knowledgeable theologian will never exhaust everything God has revealed.
And perhaps that should cause us to approach the Bible with greater humility.
We sometimes treat Scripture as though it were a collection of familiar religious teachings that we have already mastered. We know the story of creation. We know that David defeated Goliath, that Jesus died on the cross, and that salvation comes by God’s grace through faith.
We may even be able to explain important doctrines such as justification, sanctification, election, and the sovereignty of God.
But let me ask you something. Does knowing the basic teachings of Scripture mean we have fully understood the richness of what God has revealed?
Of course not.
Knowing that God is loving is not the same as understanding how His love relates to His holiness, righteousness, mercy, and justice. Knowing that Jesus died for sinners is not the same as appreciating the significance of His sacrifice within the unfolding history of redemption. And knowing that God is sovereign does not mean we have fully considered how His providence extends through the complicated circumstances of human history.
There is always more for us to learn.
Now, I want to be careful here. I am not suggesting that the Bible contains hidden messages available only to people with advanced theological training. Christianity is not a secret system of knowledge that ordinary believers must somehow unlock.
God has spoken through understandable human language, and His Word communicates real truth that His people can know and believe.
But understanding Scripture requires us to pay attention to what He has actually revealed.
And sometimes that means looking beyond the verses we already know, studying passages we have avoided, and learning how the different parts of the Bible fit together.
The richness of God’s Word is not found in discovering meanings that nobody has ever recognized before.
It is found in growing more deeply in our understanding of the truth God has already given us.
And the more clearly we understand that truth, the more we should find ourselves standing in awe of His character, His wisdom, and the extraordinary grace He has revealed through Jesus Christ.
When Familiar Truths Become Deeper Truths
Let me give you an example that I believe illustrates what we sometimes miss when reading Scripture.
Most Christians are familiar with the teaching that God is merciful and gracious. We sing about His mercy, thank Him for His forgiveness, and take comfort in knowing that He is patient with sinners.
But have you ever considered where some of Scripture’s most important descriptions of God’s mercy first appear?
In Exodus 34, Moses encounters the Lord following one of the most disturbing episodes in Israel’s early history.
God had delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. He had demonstrated His power through extraordinary judgments, brought Israel through the sea, and established His covenant with them at Mount Sinai.
Yet while Moses was on the mountain, the people made a golden calf and began worshiping it.
Think about the seriousness of that rebellion.
These were not people who had never heard about the living God. They had witnessed His mighty acts of deliverance. They had entered into a covenant relationship with Him.
And yet they turned toward idolatry.
God’s judgment against their sin was entirely righteous. Israel had violated the very covenant it had solemnly agreed to keep.
But then we come to Exodus 34:6–7.
As the Lord reveals His name and character to Moses, He describes Himself as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, and forgiving iniquity and sin.
What an extraordinary declaration.
But here is something we should not overlook.
The same passage also declares that God does not simply clear the guilty as though sin were insignificant.
Do you see what God is revealing about Himself?
He is merciful.
He is gracious.
He is patient and faithful.
But He is also perfectly righteous and just.
His mercy does not require Him to abandon His holiness, and His justice does not mean He is incapable of showing compassion.
Now, imagine that we had read only the portion of the passage describing God’s mercy. We might conclude that His love means He simply overlooks wrongdoing.
On the other hand, if we focused only upon the announcement of judgment, we might begin imagining God as severe and unwilling to forgive.
But when we consider the passage as a whole, we discover something much richer.
God is revealing the fullness of His character.
And that revelation becomes even more significant when we continue reading the rest of Scripture.
The description of God’s mercy in Exodus 34 appears again in different settings throughout the Old Testament.
Psalm 103:8 celebrates the Lord’s mercy, grace, patience, and steadfast love.
In Nehemiah 9:17, the people look back upon Israel’s history and acknowledge God’s willingness to forgive despite repeated rebellion.
And in Nahum 1:3, the prophet draws upon God’s patience while also emphasizing that He will not leave wickedness unpunished.
Notice how the same revealed character of God speaks into different circumstances.
To the repentant sinner, God’s mercy provides hope.
To those who imagine that His patience means He will never judge evil, His righteousness provides a serious warning.
God has not changed between these passages.
The different writers are revealing how His unchanging character relates to the circumstances they are addressing.
And when we come to the New Testament, these truths help us understand why the saving work of Jesus Christ is so extraordinary.
Romans 3:25–26 explains how God demonstrates His righteousness through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, so that He remains just while justifying those who have faith in Jesus.
Think about the connection.
The mercy and justice revealed in Exodus are not competing characteristics that God somehow struggles to balance.
They find their glorious expression in the redemption accomplished through Jesus Christ.
God does not save sinners by pretending their guilt does not matter.
He saves through the righteous and sufficient work of His Son.
Now, consider how much richer our understanding of grace becomes when we recognize that connection.
We are not simply repeating the familiar statement that God is merciful.
We are beginning to understand why His mercy is so extraordinary.
And that is one of the blessings of studying the whole counsel of God.
The Parts of Scripture We Avoid May Be the Parts We Need
There is something I have noticed about the way Christians sometimes approach Bible reading.
We naturally return to passages that encourage us.
When we are anxious, we look for verses about peace. When we are discouraged, we read about God’s faithfulness. When we feel guilty over our sins, we turn to passages that remind us of His forgiveness.
There is nothing wrong with that.
Scripture provides genuine comfort, and we should never hesitate to seek encouragement from God’s promises.
But what happens when we begin reading only the portions of the Bible that make us feel comfortable?
What happens when we avoid passages about judgment, repentance, suffering, or the seriousness of sin because they are difficult to understand or unpleasant to consider?
We may gradually develop an incomplete picture of God.
Imagine someone who enjoys reading about Jesus showing compassion toward the sick, welcoming sinners, and extending mercy to those who are suffering.
Those accounts are beautiful, and they reveal important truths about the character of our Savior.
But suppose the same person consistently avoids reading Jesus’ warnings about judgment, hypocrisy, and the necessity of repentance.
Would that person possess a complete understanding of Christ’s teaching?
Not at all.
The Jesus who welcomed sinners is also the Jesus who called them to repentance.
The Savior who demonstrated extraordinary compassion also spoke with unmistakable authority concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
We cannot faithfully understand Him by accepting only the characteristics we find personally appealing.
The same principle applies to the rest of Scripture.
In Acts 20:27, Paul reminds the elders from Ephesus that he had not withheld from declaring the whole counsel of God.
In its immediate setting, Paul is explaining the faithfulness of his ministry and preparing church leaders for their responsibilities after his departure.
But his words remind us of something essential.
God’s people need more than a carefully selected collection of encouraging religious thoughts.
They need the truth God has revealed.
All of it.
That does not mean every passage is equally easy to understand or that every biblical subject should receive identical attention in every sermon or Bible study.
But it does mean we should resist the temptation to construct a version of Christianity based only upon the portions of Scripture we enjoy.
Consider the book of Ecclesiastes.
At first, some of its statements can seem discouraging. The writer repeatedly confronts the temporary nature of earthly accomplishments, the uncertainty of life, and the limitations of human understanding.
We work hard, accumulate possessions, and pursue goals, yet death eventually confronts every one of us.
Why would God include such a book in Scripture?
Perhaps because we need to be reminded that the things we spend our lives pursuing cannot provide ultimate satisfaction.
Think about how relevant that is.
A person may spend decades building a successful career, acquiring property, and working toward financial independence. There is nothing necessarily wrong with those pursuits.
But what happens when they become the foundation of that person’s identity and hope?
What happens when age, illness, or an unexpected circumstance begins taking those accomplishments away?
Ecclesiastes forces us to recognize that life cannot be understood properly if we treat earthly success as our ultimate purpose.
The book eventually directs readers toward fearing God and keeping His commandments.
And when we consider its teaching within the completed revelation of Scripture, we recognize how profoundly we need the eternal hope secured through Jesus Christ.
Do you see what happens?
A biblical book that initially seems discouraging begins helping us understand the limitations of earthly life and the importance of finding our ultimate hope in God.
That is something we might never appreciate if we read only the passages that immediately make us feel encouraged.
Sometimes the Scriptures we find uncomfortable are the very passages that challenge assumptions we desperately need to reconsider.
Understanding One Passage Through the Rest of Scripture
There is another aspect of Bible study that I believe helps us discover the richness of God’s Word.
Scripture often develops a particular truth across many different books and generations.
A theme may begin early in biblical history, appear again under different circumstances, and gradually become clearer as God’s redemptive purposes unfold.
Let me give you an example.
Consider the question of God’s presence among His people.
In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sin, they hide from the presence of the Lord. Their rebellion has broken the fellowship they were created to enjoy, and they are ultimately driven from the garden.
As the biblical story continues, God graciously establishes His covenant dealings with Israel.
In Exodus 25:8, the Lord commands that a sanctuary be made so that He may dwell among His people.
Now, think about how significant that is.
The holy Creator of heaven and earth is establishing a way for His presence to dwell among a sinful people.
But this arrangement also involves boundaries.
The tabernacle contains a Most Holy Place, and access to God’s presence is regulated according to the instructions He has given.
Later, when Solomon dedicates the temple, he acknowledges in 1 Kings 8:27 that even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain God.
God’s presence among His people never means that He is limited to a particular building or dependent upon a physical structure.
Yet the temple becomes an important part of Israel’s covenant life.
Then we come to the prophets.
In Ezekiel 37:27, God promises that His dwelling place will be with His people and that He will be their God.
Now, let’s move forward to the New Testament.
John 1:14 tells us that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Son of God did not merely send another messenger to explain something about the Father.
He became truly man and entered human history.
And Jesus Himself identifies His body with the temple in John 2:19–21, pointing toward His death and resurrection.
The significance of God’s presence is now being revealed in a way that earlier generations could not have fully appreciated.
Through Jesus Christ, the true and greater fulfillment of God’s dwelling among His people has come.
The New Testament also teaches that believers are united to Christ and that the church is God’s temple through the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
And then we reach Revelation 21.
There, the final vision of redemption describes God dwelling with His people in the new creation. Revelation 21:22 also explains that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
What an extraordinary development.
From the loss of fellowship through sin, to the tabernacle and temple, to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the promise of God’s everlasting presence in the new creation, Scripture reveals a unified redemptive purpose.
Now, imagine reading Exodus 25 without understanding any of those later developments.
We might conclude that we are simply studying the construction of an ancient religious building.
But when we understand how the theme unfolds throughout Scripture, the passage begins taking on deeper significance.
We recognize that God is revealing His purpose to dwell with His redeemed people.
And that purpose finds its fulfillment through Jesus Christ.
This is what I mean when I speak about discovering the richness of God’s Word.
We are not inventing symbolic meanings or searching for secret messages hidden in every detail.
We are allowing Scripture to explain Scripture.
We are recognizing the genuine connections that God’s revelation establishes across biblical history.
And the more clearly we see those connections, the more extraordinary the unity of the Bible becomes.
The Richness of Scripture Also Reveals the Depth of God’s Grace
There is another reason I believe we should study the Bible as a whole.
It helps us recognize God’s grace in places where we might not initially expect to find it.
Consider 2 Samuel 9.
David has become king, and the account introduces a surviving member of Saul’s family named Mephibosheth.
He is the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul, the former king whose relationship with David had been marked by hostility and conflict.
Mephibosheth also has a physical disability affecting his ability to walk.
From a political perspective, a surviving member of the previous royal household could have been viewed as a potential threat to the reigning king.
Yet David asks whether anyone remains from Saul’s house to whom he may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake.
That question is important.
David is not searching for someone to punish.
He is looking for someone toward whom he may demonstrate covenant faithfulness.
When Mephibosheth is brought before him, David assures him that he need not fear. He restores property associated with Saul’s household and provides for him to eat regularly at the king’s table.
Now, this is an actual historical account involving David’s covenant commitment to Jonathan. We should not turn every detail into an allegory about salvation or claim that Mephibosheth’s disability represents spiritual sinfulness.
That would go beyond what the text communicates.
But the account does reveal something meaningful about covenant kindness, loyalty, and the gracious treatment of someone who might otherwise have expected rejection.
And when we consider the broader teaching of Scripture, we recognize that such faithfulness belongs within the history through which God reveals His own steadfast love.
The Old Testament repeatedly uses the idea of hesed, often translated as steadfast love, lovingkindness, or covenant faithfulness.
This is not simply a pleasant feeling toward someone.
It involves a committed faithfulness expressed through action.
And this helps us understand something important about grace.
God’s grace is not merely an emotion we imagine Him feeling toward sinners.
His grace is revealed through what He actually does.
He establishes His covenant promises.
He remains faithful despite human rebellion.
He sends His Son.
And through Christ, He accomplishes the redemption we could never accomplish for ourselves.
The more carefully we study Scripture, the more we begin recognizing that God’s grace is woven throughout the history of redemption.
It is present in His patience with Israel.
It is revealed through His promises of restoration.
It is anticipated through the sacrificial system and the prophetic expectation of the coming Messiah.
And it reaches its decisive historical accomplishment in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now, that does not mean every expression of kindness in the Old Testament is identical to the saving grace revealed in the gospel.
We should preserve the meaning of each passage within its own context.
But the same faithful God is revealing Himself throughout Scripture.
And when we recognize that, our understanding of grace becomes far richer than simply knowing that God forgives sinners.
We begin to appreciate the extraordinary wisdom, patience, justice, and mercy through which He has accomplished His saving purposes.
When God’s Word Begins Correcting the Way We See Life
There is something else that happens when we study Scripture more deeply.
We begin recognizing how much our understanding of life has been shaped by assumptions we have never seriously questioned.
We may have adopted certain ideas from our culture, family background, or personal experiences without realizing how much they influence our thinking.
Then we encounter a biblical passage that challenges those assumptions.
And suddenly, we are faced with a decision.
Will we allow God’s Word to correct our understanding, or will we attempt to make Scripture agree with what we already believe?
Consider Psalm 73.
The writer, Asaph, begins by acknowledging God’s goodness toward His people. Yet he also admits that he nearly stumbled because he envied the prosperity of the wicked.
He looked at people who appeared arrogant, ungodly, and unconcerned about righteousness, yet their lives seemed comfortable and successful.
Meanwhile, those who sought to live faithfully were experiencing difficulties.
And Asaph struggled to understand why.
Now, I think many Christians can relate to that experience.
Imagine working alongside someone who repeatedly takes dishonest shortcuts, manipulates others, and seems interested only in personal advancement.
Yet this person continues receiving promotions and financial rewards.
Meanwhile, you try to work honestly, fulfill your responsibilities, and treat people fairly.
But your career seems to be moving nowhere.
Eventually, you begin feeling resentful.
Why does someone who behaves dishonestly appear to be prospering while you continue struggling?
Perhaps you begin wondering whether faithfulness is really worth the cost.
Now, you could respond by looking for a Bible verse promising that God will eventually give you a better job than your coworker.
But Psalm 73 does something much deeper.
Asaph’s understanding begins changing when he enters the sanctuary of God and considers the ultimate destiny of those whose prosperity he had envied.
His problem was not simply that he lacked information about the people around him.
He was evaluating life according to an incomplete perspective.
He was measuring success almost entirely by present circumstances.
And when he began understanding those circumstances in light of God’s holiness and eternal purposes, his perspective changed.
Toward the end of the psalm, he recognizes that his greatest good is found in nearness to God.
Think about what that means.
The central solution to his envy was not a guarantee that he would eventually become wealthier than the wicked.
It was a renewed understanding of what truly matters.
And that is one of the ways Scripture transforms us.
It challenges the standards by which we evaluate our lives.
We may think success means earning more money, gaining recognition, or achieving the goals we have established for ourselves.
But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that our ultimate purpose is to know and glorify God.
We may assume that happiness requires circumstances to unfold according to our desires.
But God’s Word teaches us to find our deepest hope and satisfaction in Him.
We may believe that being right in an argument gives us permission to treat others harshly.
But Scripture calls us to speak truthfully with humility, patience, and love.
As we study the Bible more deeply, we begin discovering that its wisdom does not merely help us make better decisions.
It also reveals where our understanding of what is good, valuable, and desirable needs to change.
And I think that is something we should welcome.
Because our purpose in reading Scripture is not simply to find support for the way we already live.
It is to be transformed by the truth God has revealed.
Learning to Study the Bible Without Losing the Wonder
Now, someone might read all of this and think, “That sounds wonderful, but how am I supposed to study the Bible with that kind of depth? I don’t have a theological degree, and I certainly don’t have hours every day to examine historical backgrounds and compare different passages.”
I understand that concern.
But let me encourage you with something.
You do not need to become a professional scholar to grow in your understanding of Scripture.
God has given His Word to His people.
And while there are passages that require careful examination, the central message of salvation through Jesus Christ is not reserved for an intellectual elite.
What we need is a willingness to read patiently, learn humbly, and make use of the means God has provided.
Perhaps the first thing we should do is become less interested in how many verses we can read and more interested in understanding what we are reading.
That does not mean reading plans are unhelpful. They can be excellent tools for developing consistency and becoming familiar with the whole Bible.
But there are times when slowing down may be more beneficial than rushing through another chapter.
Suppose you decide to study the Gospel of John.
Rather than reading a few isolated verses each morning, you begin working through the book as a whole.
You pay attention to how John introduces Jesus as the eternal Word. You observe the signs Jesus performs and how people respond to Him. You notice the repeated emphasis upon believing, life, light, truth, and the relationship between the Father and the Son.
And as you continue reading, you begin recognizing how those themes develop toward Christ’s death and resurrection.
Suddenly, familiar passages become part of a larger message.
You are no longer reading a collection of unrelated sayings.
You are following the inspired author’s presentation of Jesus Christ.
And perhaps that leads you to examine how John draws upon the Old Testament.
You begin recognizing connections with creation, the tabernacle, the wilderness, and God’s covenant promises.
Little by little, your understanding grows.
You may still have questions.
In fact, careful study will often reveal questions you never thought to ask before.
But that is not necessarily a problem.
It can be part of learning to appreciate the depth of God’s revelation.
We should also make use of faithful Bible teachers, sound commentaries, and the wisdom of Christians who came before us.
Historic creeds and confessions can help us recognize how the church has understood important biblical doctrines.
These writings must always remain subordinate to Scripture, but they can provide valuable guidance as we continue learning.
And there is something else we should remember.
We need the fellowship of the local church.
Theology was never intended to become an entirely private intellectual pursuit in which we gradually convince ourselves that we no longer need instruction or correction from anyone else.
Christ has given pastors and teachers to His church.
He has also placed us among fellow believers who can encourage us, ask questions we have overlooked, and help us recognize weaknesses in our understanding.
Sometimes another Christian sees something in a passage that we have never considered.
Perhaps an older believer recognizes how a particular promise has sustained faith through decades of hardship.
A younger Christian may ask a simple question that exposes an assumption we have made without carefully examining it.
And a faithful pastor may explain a passage in its historical and literary setting, helping the congregation understand truths that were previously unclear.
These are blessings we should appreciate.
But we should also remember that acquiring biblical knowledge is not the final goal.
There is a danger in becoming so occupied with understanding theological details that we gradually lose the sense of wonder that should accompany the study of God’s Word.
We begin treating Scripture primarily as a subject to master rather than the revelation of the God we worship.
And that should concern us.
The purpose of studying God’s holiness is not simply to become better at defining holiness.
It is to grow in reverence for Him.
The purpose of studying His grace is not merely to explain the differences between theological systems.
It is to recognize the extraordinary mercy through which He has saved sinners.
And the purpose of studying Jesus Christ is not simply to accumulate more information about His person and work.
It is to know, trust, love, and worship the Savior whom Scripture reveals.
Knowledge should deepen devotion.
Not replace it.
The Richest Treasure Scripture Reveals
There is one final truth I want us to consider.
What is the greatest treasure we can discover through studying the Bible?
Is it the ability to understand difficult prophetic passages?
Is it knowing the historical background of every biblical book?
Perhaps it is becoming skilled at answering theological objections or recognizing connections between passages that other people have overlooked.
All of those things can be valuable.
But none of them is the ultimate purpose of God’s revelation.
The greatest treasure Scripture reveals is God Himself, and the knowledge of His glory through Jesus Christ.
In John 17:3, Jesus describes eternal life in terms of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Think about that.
Eternal life is not merely the promise of existing forever.
It is inseparably connected with knowing God through His Son.
And this knowledge is not simply an intellectual awareness that God exists.
It is the saving knowledge of the God who has reconciled His people to Himself through Jesus Christ.
That is why the whole Bible matters.
Genesis helps us understand the Creator who made us and the rebellion that separated humanity from Him.
The historical books reveal His faithfulness and the repeated failures of sinful people.
The law teaches us about His holiness and the seriousness of sin.
The Psalms give voice to worship, lament, confession, and trust.
The wisdom literature challenges our assumptions about life and teaches us to fear the Lord.
The prophets confront rebellion while announcing God’s purposes of judgment and redemption.
And the New Testament reveals the arrival of Jesus Christ, the accomplishment of salvation through His death and resurrection, and the life of the people He has redeemed.
These writings differ in their historical settings and literary forms.
But they belong to the one inspired revelation of God.
And when we understand them within that larger story, we begin recognizing the extraordinary wisdom of His redemptive purposes.
Now, none of this means we will understand everything God has revealed during our earthly lives.
We remain finite creatures.
There will always be truths about God’s nature and purposes that exceed our full comprehension. There will be difficult passages that require further study and questions that Scripture does not answer as completely as we might desire.
But that should not discourage us.
It should humble us.
The God who has graciously revealed Himself is infinitely greater than our ability to comprehend Him.
And yet He has spoken in ways that we can genuinely understand.
What an extraordinary gift.
We do not need to discover God through our own speculation or construct an image of Him according to our preferences.
He has revealed Himself.
And most fully, He has revealed Himself through His Son.
Hebrews 1:1–3 directs our attention toward Jesus Christ as the supreme revelation of God, the radiance of His glory and the exact imprint of His nature.
That is where the richness of Scripture ultimately leads us.
Toward the Savior who has made the Father known.
Toward the One whose perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice accomplished our redemption.
Toward the risen Lord in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, as Colossians 2:3 declares.
And the more we grow in our understanding of Him, the more reason we have to worship.
Discovering More of the God Who Has Spoken
Let me return to the question we began with.
Have you ever read a familiar passage of Scripture and suddenly recognized something you had never understood before?
I hope that continues happening throughout your Christian life.
Not because God’s Word changes or because we are constantly searching for new interpretations.
But because our understanding of His unchanging truth should continue growing.
We may have read the Bible for five years, twenty years, or most of our lives.
Yet there is still more for us to learn about the holiness of God, the wisdom of His providence, the seriousness of our sin, and the extraordinary grace He has revealed through Jesus Christ.
And I believe that should encourage us to keep studying.
We should not become content with knowing only a few familiar passages while neglecting the rest of Scripture.
Nor should we treat the Bible as a collection of religious sayings designed primarily to make us feel better about our circumstances.
God has given us something far greater.
He has given us His inspired Word so that we might know Him rightly, understand His redemptive purposes, and learn to live in obedience to His will.
And as we study that Word, we should be willing to be corrected.
Sometimes Scripture will reveal that our understanding of God has been too narrow.
Sometimes it will expose sinful motives we have carefully justified.
Other times it will deepen our appreciation for truths we already believed but had never seriously considered.
And there will be moments when a passage we once found confusing begins making sense as we recognize its place within the larger biblical story.
All of these can be part of our growth.
But we should never confuse growing in biblical understanding with becoming more spiritually impressive than other Christians.
The purpose of knowledge is not pride.
It is worship, faith, gratitude, humility, and obedience.
And the more we understand the gospel, the less reason we have to boast in ourselves.
We are sinners saved entirely by grace.
Every measure of spiritual growth is dependent upon God’s gracious work within us.
Even our ability to receive and respond rightly to His Word is a gift of His Spirit.
So perhaps the next time you open your Bible, you should approach it with a slightly different attitude.
Do not simply ask whether you can find an encouraging verse for the day.
Ask what God is revealing about Himself.
Consider how the passage fits within its surrounding context and the larger message of Scripture.
Pay attention to what it teaches about His character, His commands, His promises, and His saving purposes.
And ask how those truths should shape your understanding, your desires, and the way you live.
You may not discover something extraordinary every time you read.
Some passages will require patience. Others may seem familiar, and there will be days when you struggle to concentrate.
But do not mistake the absence of an exciting new insight for the absence of spiritual value.
God’s Word remains true and profitable even when our experience of reading it feels ordinary.
Continue studying.
Continue learning.
And continue looking to Jesus Christ, the Savior toward whom the Scriptures direct us.
Because the richness of God’s Word is not measured by how many unusual facts we can uncover or how many theological arguments we can master.
It is found in the inexhaustible glory of the God who has graciously made Himself known.
The more deeply we understand Scripture, the more clearly we should see the holiness of God, the greatness of His grace, the wisdom of His purposes, and the glory of Jesus Christ. And the more clearly we see Him, the more our hearts should be moved toward genuine worship, humble obedience, and gratitude for the salvation He has accomplished.
That is why we should never stop studying God’s Word.
Not simply because there is more information to learn, but because the God who has spoken is worthy of being known, trusted, loved, and glorified throughout our lives.