One thing that has always bothered me about many Christians I know, is that most of what they claim to know about the Bible comes from what they have been told or how they were raised. To me, it is shocking that some will base their core beliefs on second-hand knowledge. And consequently, some things that I hear them say about the Bible, doesn’t really line up with what it actually says. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 24 Jesus tells a parable encouraging us to build our house on a rock. It says:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”
Truly knowing the words of Christ are best learned by reading his words for ourselves. Believe me, I appreciate our pastors, Christian books, Christian music, Christian friends or anything that can positively influence our Christian walk. But why do so many of us depend on the words of others to base our faith? I can’t encourage you enough to read the words of the Bible for yourself. You may find that much of what you were taught is absolutely correct. Yet others, though well-meaning when shared with you, may not be completely true. Even these words that you’re reading right now should be filtered through the word of God. After all, how can we build our house on the words of Jesus if we’ve never really read them for ourselves?
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Jesus encourages us to build our house on a rock, and that rock is the truth found in the Holy Bible. But how can we build our house on that rock, when we depend only on what others tell us about the Bible? I believe that every believer should be a student of the Bible. We should study it as if it were the actual words of God to us – because it is! Think about it, the Bible is God’s one and only written word to us. Why wouldn’t we learn everything we could about what is in it? Unlike many unfortunate brothers and sisters around the world, most of us have the privilege of owning our own Bible. We’re able to read directly from the scriptures. So please, don’t depend on what others tell you about the Bible and accept it as truth. Read the word of God for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit reveal the truth to you first hand. You may find that it supports and affirms what you’ve heard all of your life, or you may find that some of what you’ve been taught doesn’t really lined up with what the Bible says.
