Free Bible Study Material Precautions

By: Aleena Denison

With the popularity of the Internet today, and the vast resources that are poured into it, it is a prime place for doing research. One can look up just about anything and find huge amounts of information! But for Christians, there is a need for caution, and not just in general research. If you are looking for information on spiritual matters, it’s important to be careful and know your stuff!

What stuff do you need to know?

• According to the Bible, who is God? (Psalm 90:2; Jeremiah 10:6)

• According to the Bible, who is man? (Genesis 1:26 27; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 5:12)

• According to the Bible, what is sin? (Ephesians 5:6; Revelation 21:8)

• According to the Bible, who is Jesus? (Micah 5:2; Matthew 3:16 17; John 1:29 30)

• According to the Bible, what is salvation? (Acts 6:31; Colossians 2:13 14)

• According to the Bible, how do God, man, sin, Jesus and salvation relate? (Read an overview of the Bible to see how they all tie together)

This is just the beginning of what you need to know and understand. As you grow as a believer and seek to delve deeper into understanding the Word of God there are many more topics for Bible study, and there are many who want to give their own interpretation of the Scriptures. Here are some “hot topics” that are often misconstrued:

• Baptism – Is it necessary or just optional? Does the Bible talk about sprinkling and immersion? Is it wrong for infants to be baptized?

• Prayer – How important is it in the life of a believer? Does God hear everyone s prayers? How should one pray?

• Faith – Is amount of faith important for salvation and sanctification? How does it relate to salvation?

• Good works – Must one do good works as a part of obtaining salvation? How important are they?

Why are these things so important to know? Isn’t it okay for some to believe one thing and others another? Whatever you choose as your study guide must be in line with what the Bible says. If the materials you are researching don’t clearly follow the Bible, discard those materials. It’s not a matter of what one thinks about the topics that determines its truth, it is what the Bible says is the truth, and that is what you must study.

The Bible specifically talks about those who will twist the Word of God, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) Just because they claim the “Christian” label doesn’t mean that they intend to teach the Bible clearly, as it is written. Be careful!

If you have never before studied the Bible and are looking for studies to teach you about it, look for materials that begin with answering the first list of questions. Be sure it is the Bible being clearly explained, and not someone’s personal interpretation. I recommend finding something that will give you an overview of the Bible. Then you will have a solid understanding of what God is saying and a foundation on which to build.

Author Resource:-> Aleena Denison has a heart for seeing the message of the Bible presented in a clear way,and is dedicated to sharing Jesus with the lost and helping believers see their responsibilities in evangelism,discipleship,and Bible study. For more information and free downloads, see http://www.goodseed.com

Article From Article Storehouse

What Is Faith?

In the King James version of the Bible the word “Faith” appears 247 times.  One of my favorite passages on faith is Romans 5:1-2 NIV; Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

The call on the Christian is to have the sort of trust that makes us prepared to put our entire lives into God’s hands. Look at Proverbs 3:5 NIV; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Simply believing in God is no good to us. We are to have faith, and trust is the practical outworking of faith.

Faith in God sometimes seems like a nebulous, insubstantial or impractical concept, doesn’t it? It’s hard to pin down exactly what it means; it’s hard to know whether we really have “faith”.

Let me attempt to put faith and trust in terms that the average person can understand for it is a critical component not only of a born again Christian but those seeking to know and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

We know there are those who understand how the human body is nourished and sustained from the food we eat. They have studied how our bodies derive the necessary vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients from food to function and thrive. There are in fact entire careers built on this understanding.

There are also those who completely understand how an automobile engine functions to propel our vehicles from one place to another. Again careers are made from this understanding.

However the vast majority of us just assume or take it in “faith” and trust that when we eat our bodies will be nourished and continue to function or when we get into our cars they will transport us from one place to another. We cannot see our bodies working with the food we eat to keep us alive nor can we see inside an automobile engine and know it is functioning as it should to transport us where we want to go can we? We have faith and trust that all is at it should be in these scenarios.

It is the same with God who we can not see. We have faith and trust that he is there and his word, the Holy Bible, is working to keep our spiritual bodies nourished and that our souls will be transported from this place to another; The Kingdom of God, when our time here on earth is done.