7 Key Reasons Why Every Christian Should Study the Bible

Whether you are new to the Christian faith or have walked with Christ for decades, studying the Bible helps keep us grounded, nourished, and growing.

Ironically, many Christians believe that bible study is only for pastors, ministers, Sunday school teachers, and other church leaders. However, Scripture makes it clear that ALL Christians – those who teach AND those who are being taught – should make it a point to study the Word of God.

It is in this light that I write this post to share seven key reasons why every Christian should study the Bible.

1. God Wants Us to Study His Word

Even before the complete printed Bible that we have today existed, when all God’s people had were the ten commandments and the Law of Moses written on stone tablets and scrolls, God inspired Moses to speak these words to his followers: 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV

I think we can all agree that the only way you and I can have the word on our hearts, impress it on our kids, or even talk about it at home, is to first study it.

Fast forward to roughly 1500 years later, God inspired the Apostle Paul to write these words:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

This indicates that part of living for God is to present ourselves as approved servants who correctly handle His Word.  In other words, we are to correctly understand, interpret, apply, and teach what we read.  And THAT requires study time. 

James gave the following warning to the first-century Christians:

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 

James 3:1 NIV

Notice it doesn’t say ONLY those who are teachers of God’s Word will be judged.  It says teachers will be judged more strictly.  This implies that ALL Christians will be judged for how they handle (or mishandle) God’s Word, but those in leadership roles where teaching is involved will be judged more strictly (as they should).  The point here is that no Christian is off the hook when it comes to studying God’s Word.

In his letter to the Colossian believers, the Apostle Paul wrote:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

Colossians 3:16 ESV

The word dwell means to live in.  Therefore, this verse tells us that the Word should not only live in us, but that we should let it live in us richly – meaning in a large dosage.

Why? For purposes of teaching, admonishing (encouraging), and singing praises to God with thankfulness!

Peter wrote this to the first-century believers as well:

Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

I Peter 2:2-3 CSB

As you can see, all throughout history, God has intended for ALL of His people to know His Word, which requires us ALL to study it, at least to some degree.

2. To Know God Better

The Bible is the living Word of God, and at its core, it is God revealing Himself to us. It’s impossible to truly know God apart from His Word. Every page—from Genesis to Revelation—shows His character, His heart, and His ways.

Studying Scripture helps us move beyond vague ideas about God into a deeper relationship with Him. It’s where we learn who He is, what He loves, what He hates, and how He works in the lives of His people.  

• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1 NIV 
• Come near to God and he will come near to you.  James 4:8a NIV
• You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

It’s like developing any other relationship.  You must spend time with the other person to get to know them better.

Regardless of how long you have been a Christian, or even if you have a Theology degree, when it comes to knowing God more, our attitude should always be like that of the Apostle Paul, who wrote these words at the height of his ministry:

I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. 

Philippians 3:10 NIV

3. To Better Understand the Christian Faith

Christianity isn’t built on opinions, feelings, or cultural preferences.  It’s built on the truth revealed by God in His Word. Without Scripture, our understanding of the Christian faith becomes shallow and easily swayed.

How will we learn what it even means to be a Christian if we don’t study the book on which Christianity is based?

I don’t know about you, but if I put my faith in something to the point where I decide to live my entire life by its standards, then at some point, I’m going to want to read the book on which it is all based—at least once.

• For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.  Romans 15:4 NIV
• Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.  Acts 11:25-26 NIV

The Bible teaches us about our spiritual heritage – who created us, why we need a Savior, who Jesus is, why the gospel matters, the gift of salvation, our purpose here on earth, what it truly means to live for Christ, and what awaits us in the future. When we study God’s Word, we can anchor our faith in truth instead of assumptions.

4. To Learn How God Wants Us to Live

The Bible isn’t just information—it’s instruction. God cares deeply about how we live, how we treat others, and how we represent Him in the world.

• All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
• Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 NIV
• Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 NIV
• Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 NIV
• Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. I John 5:3 NLT

Scripture teaches us how to pray, love, forgive, serve, and grow in holiness. It shapes our character and aligns our daily lives with God’s will.  It teaches us the true meaning of life and our ultimate purpose.

God invites us to meet Him regularly in Scripture and be transformed:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Romans 12:1-2 NLT

5. To Confidently Share Our Faith With Others

Every true Christian has a testimony of faith, which typically has three parts: what their life looked like before their relationship with Christ, how they came to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, and what life in Christ has looked like for them since then.

Sharing our testimony with others is easy because we are simply telling people our personal experience of what God has done, and like the psalmist, we should be excited about that:

Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me.

Psalm 66:16 TLB

However, God doesn’t call us just to share our personal stories.  Even more important than our stories is THE story – the true power, message, and person behind our stories – the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Jesus gave the initial command to his disciples to go and tell others all over the world about Him (the Great Commission):

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

And decades later, Peter reminded all fellow believers to always be ready to share their faith:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15 NIV

Of course, to be able to share the reason for the hope you have, you must first know the gospel message.  And like anything else that is learned, you must study so that you can share the message with confidence.

I want to clarify that some people have the spiritual gift of evangelism (1 Corinthians 12:4; Ephesians 4:11-13) and excel at preaching the gospel.  However, ALL Christians MUST know the basic gospel message of salvation.  And even if you can’t go deep into the specifics or don’t know all the supporting verses, you should be able to share the gospel with others – that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again!

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 

I Corinthians 15:1-4 NIV

The more we study God’s Word, the more we can learn to share the gospel message of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with both competence and confidence, just like Paul:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 NIV

6. To Learn to Discern Truth and Spot Lies

Throughout history, there have always been many false religions outside of Christianity and false teachings within Christianity.  Both Jesus and the disciples warned first-century Christians about this on several occasions:

• Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  Matthew 7:15 NIV
• I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard. Acts 20:29-31 NIV
• But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. 2 Peter 2:1-3 NLT
• Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. I John 4:1-3 NIV

Now, when you add to that all the nonsensical opinions, philosophies, half-truths, and outright deception that the secular world teaches, it can easily become difficult to tell the difference between what sounds true and what is true. 

• Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 NIV
• Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  John 17:17 NIV
• If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  John 8:31-32 NIV

Knowing the truths of God’s Word sharpens our spiritual discernment and makes us more aware of lies and deception.  It can set us free from any former false teachings, beliefs, religious notions, or traditions we have held, or that may currently be taught in our local churches.

It trains our heart and mind so that when lies show up—wrapped in religious language or deceptive secular philosophies—we can recognize them and stand on what is true.

7. To Learn to Defend Our Faith

You may have heard of the term “apologetics,” which refers to a reasoned defense of a belief system.  Christian Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith, rooted in Scripture. 

Just as with evangelism (sharing the gospel), some Christians are highly skilled in apologetics (often referred to as “apologists”).  And remember that even those who don’t have the spiritual gift of evangelism are still called to share their faith with others.  Similarly, EVERY Christian is called to be ready to defend their faith if necessary.

Studying the Bible equips us to answer questions, address doubts, and stand firm when our faith is challenged.

Jude (the brother of Jesus) wrote a letter to fellow Christians in light of all the false teachings that were starting to circulate within the various churches in the first century.  These false teachers were distorting the basic gospel message and even denying Jesus as Lord:

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Jude vs. 3-4 NLT

It’s not only important to discern between truth and lies, but it’s also important to know how to defend the truth on which we stand.  In other words, we need to know why we believe what we believe.

And the more we study God’s Word, the more we are equipped to confidently speak about Jesus and the truths of His Word.

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 

2 Timothy 2:24-25 NLT

We don’t defend our faith by being the loudest person in the room or with cleverly articulated arguments preached in a demeaning way.  We defend our faith with the solid foundation of Scripture.  And we should ALWAYS do it with gentleness, leaving it to God to work on the hearts of others.

Do you ever find yourself knowing what Scripture says on certain topics but not really knowing how to articulate it in conversation with non-believers?  This is where apologetics comes in.  With some good Bible study and the help of the Holy Spirit, any Christian can be equipped to defend the faith effectively.

Commit to Studying God’s Word More

The Bible is not just another book—it is the living Word of God, given for our growth, comfort, correction, and transformation. Every time we open its pages, God is ready to meet with us, teach us, and strengthen us.

Don’t worry if you can’t read through the entire Bible in a year. Don’t try to compete to memorize more verses than your fellow sister in Christ, or try to build your Bible resource library overnight.

The Bible is inexhaustible.  There will always be more to learn, which is why knowing God more through His Word should be a part of our lifelong Christian journey.

There are several study options:  individual study, group Bible study, and professional study (pursuit of a biblical/theology degree).  And there are several study methods:  reading, meditating/devotions, verse memorization, deep dive study, and Christian fellowship where the Bible is taught.

Regardless of what stage of study you are at, what method(s) you use, or which level you want to pursue, the goal of all Bible study is best stated by Paul in a verse I quoted earlier:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

It says to do YOUR best to be the Christian worker God called each of us to be – one that is not ashamed and correctly handles His Word.  That means at your own pace and comprehension level, but with due diligence.

Commit to making Bible study your habit.  And then pray that it becomes your joy, and your priority, and watch how it begins to change everything.  I promise, your spiritual life will never be the same!

• Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.  Psalm 1:1-2 NIV
• How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  Psalm 119:103 NIV
• For I delight in your commands because I love them.  Psalm 119:47 NIV
• The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.  Psalm 119:72 NIV

Tools to help get you started:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Demetra is a busy, self-employed, single mom who loves Jesus and is a fanatic about prioritizing her time with God!  She created In the Mirror of God to help other Christian women learn how regularly looking into our spiritual mirror (the Bible) equips us to cultivate a deeper relationship with God, think biblically about everything, conquer the challenges of everyday life, and truly enjoy life to the fullest, the way God intended.  Go here to learn more about her story, or visit her contact page to send a quick message.

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