On Thursday we kicked off a new men’s Bible study at my church. The first introductory topic was why studying the Bible is important and beneficial for Christians. It also allowed me to show the men how the discussions would be structured. Rather than a lecture style, we will be using a more Socratic format. I prepared some verses, quotations, and questions for discussion and steered the conversation. This format was inspired by my friend Tom’s Bible studies at my previous congregation.

So, why should we study the Bible together? In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther wrote:

It helps to be occupied with God’s Word, to speak it, and meditate on it, just as the first Psalm declares people blessed who meditate on God’s Law day and night.

LC LP 10

The first Psalm is a memorable description of the righteous man vs. the wicked man. Pastor Wolfmueller has a great video about the poetic structure and imagery of the first Psalm.

As Lutherans we often talk about the Law, how it has three uses, its distinction from Gospel, etc. For some of the faithful, references to “the Law” in the Bible are taken to mean “the Old Testament” or “the Pentateuch” (which is the first five books of the Bible). However, a student of the Bible needs to learn early that God’s law is more than just a subset of the Bible’s books.

In the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, the Reformers wrote:

The Law is a mirror in which God’s will and what pleases Him are exactly portrayed. This mirror should be constantly held up to the believers and be diligently encouraged for them without ceasing.

FC SD VI 4

The Law shows a person how they are broken, unable to meet the expectations of God. It convicts, condemns, and sentences us to death for our sins. The first few chapters of Romans explain this. It also provides an example for how a good person would live, striving to follow the Law, even though it is impossible to do so by one’s own strength. Why is it, then, that Psalm 1 calls the man who loves God’s law blessed? The Law itself convicts the man as unrighteous and a sinner!

This is where the other part of the Bible comes in. The good news of Jesus Christ: the Gospel. Paul writes in Romans:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26

This scripture relates Law and Gospel together in a way that is dense but can be unpacked for the benefit of the reader. Understanding Law and Gospel, as the two parts of scripture, is essential to studying the Bible. Paul makes clear that the good news of Christ is that, while men cannot be righteous according to the Law without God, God has provided for us his Son to believe in, that we may be made righteous through faith in Jesus. Studying any portion of the Bible brings out the lessons that lead to life in Christ. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of God!

For those that doubt the usefulness of the writings of God’s prophets and apostles, there is comfort in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3: 14-17

The scriptures are truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, the breath of life that comes from God. Paul lists how they can be used in daily life. Pastors use scripture to teach their congregation. Reproof is a call to repentance for one’s sins. Correction provides the repentant person with a path forward, since part of repentance is wanting to do better. The topic of training struck a chord with my men’s group. The Bible has many other references to endurance, running the race, and persistence. A competent man of God that knows the scripture well has truly prepared himself for doing the good works that he wants to do.

A biblical example of using scripture for correction is the story of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. At the end of the third Chapter of Matthew, Jesus is baptized by John. Chapter 4 begins:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4: 1-4

This is one of my favorite verses about the Word of God, and it is actually a quotation by Jesus of Deuteronomy:

The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go on and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 8: 1-3

What a beautiful picture this is! Man lives by the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is our manna from heaven. The Bible is our daily spiritual nourishment, so a hunger for more understanding of the Bible is like a hunger for more righteousness. When we eat the body of our Lord Jesus, it is no coincidence that it is in, with, and under the bread! Jesus uses this beautiful scripture to correct the devil’s malicious and twisted lies.

Another popular picture in the Bible was featured on the wall of my Sunday school growing up. Paul paints this picture in his letter to the Ephesians:

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prater and supplication.

Ephesians 6: 13-18

The battle armor described by Paul is what God has equipped us with for spiritual warfare. These defensive items are given to us by the Word of God to defend ourselves against the devil. In ancient times, arrows were dipped in pitch and set on fire. The countermeasure for such “flaming darts” was to soak the shield in water before battle. In the same way, God soaks us in water in baptism to give us faith, that we may use that faith to protect against the devil’s evil. We cannot defend ourselves without God giving us these gifts. The sword of the spirit is seen in some Christian art as a sword literally coming out of the mouth of Jesus.

Our first Bible study was a success, strengthening us in the faith and getting us excited to continue each week. As a group, we decided that we will do a verse-by-verse study of the book of Romans. We are looking forward to diving into a book of the Bible that Martin Luther called “pure Gospel.” I am excited to be leading these studies and I am grateful to Pastor Josh for his support and the men of the congregation for their joyful participation!

Lord Jesus, by your strong Word you convict us of our sins and lead us to eternal life in your name. Remember those that hunger for your Word just as the Israelites hungered in the wilderness, and as you fed them manna, feed us your Word and body, that we might be strengthened in faith. Bless all those that study your word and bring us closer to God our Father, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.