We live in an age of information. The vast stores of this world’s knowledge are at our fingertips, accessible in a moment’s notice, and available anytime both day and night. Yet, despite all of this abundant data, we seem to be less and less knowledgeable about truth. You certainly can’t trust everything you read on the internet. The “facts” presented to us are usually either misleading, spun to support a certain viewpoint, or blatantly false. Large portions of our society regularly consume this bad information which, in turn, affects their life decisions and core beliefs. As bad as this situation has gotten in our world, the problem has become just as rampant in the church.

Many churches are built around the same “knowledge model” as the world. Most people today have short attention spans, limited Bible knowledge, and a desire for immediate application of what the Bible says. We have come to expect God’s truth to be presented like a pill we take each day to give us a health boost or to maintain our immunity against the world. As a result, Pastors have often resorted to focus on designing a Bible message for people that comes in small bites, uses trite sayings with broad application, and includes an inspirational picture or illustration (because text-only posts don’t get the likes!).

However, as Christians, we are called to STUDY God’s Word. Paul tells Timothy, his protégé in the faith, to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). When is the last time you really studied God’s Word? Years ago, I had a teacher tell me, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know”. I have not only found this to be true, but also this corollary – “The more you know, the more you will know that you didn’t know you needed”.

A few years ago, I began a journey toward earning my Ph.D. in Bible and Theology. While I know this isn’t the calling for everyone, it was a good decision for me and God has been in it. I had never taken formal studies in Greek or Hebrew until I entered this program and I have found this knowledge to be helpful in my preaching. Recently, the impact of my studies really hit home when my wife was reading a passage from a Bible study book from a Christian author whom I respect and would generally agree with theologically. The author brought up the use of two Greek words to make his point. My Greek knowledge immediately told me that he was off track. So, I looked up the terms he was using and found that he had not defined these terms properly and, as a result, was trying to make a point that the Bible text did not support! A few years ago, I could never have identified this error.

Now, I know that many look back at their time in education with relief that they made it through the process. It is a memory that you might rather leave behind. Also, I know that there is a danger in learning just for the sake of learning. Every overworked school student loves to point out Ecclesiastes 12:12 – “Be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” However, the Bible is an ancient book which has been inspired from the God of the universe. While there is much in Scripture that even a child can understand, there are also great depths of mystery and knowledge that a Bible scholar could not unlock through a lifetime of study. There is a great reward for those who will put forth the effort to dig deep into God’s Word.

If we are going to gain all that the Bible has for us, we must be diligent about studying His Word. Yes, read your Bible, your favorite devotional and even those faith-based “sound bites” on the internet (as long as they are credible!). But, don’t let that be a substitute for the hard-core work you must do to gain the “depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God”. God has more for you to feed your faith upon. He wants you to study and discern the Bible’s facts from the world’s fiction. He doesn’t want you to be “ashamed” at your infantile understanding of himself as a spoon-fed Christian. Make a plan to dig in and continue your education in God’s Word. It will reap great rewards for your faith!