Know What You Don't Know

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 ESV)

If you were headed to Italy, you would probably try to learn some Italian to converse in the native tongue. So, you loved Italy and planned to return, so you began immersing yourself in the culture and language. You next decide to move to Italy; it is there you find peace, solitude, and love.

The same thing happens or should happen when Jesus Christ saves us. First, we begin to learn Scripture. The more we know about God, the more we love God and start immersing ourselves in Scripture. Finally, God calls us home. We have now been justified and sanctified so that with God, we find peace, solitude, and love; nowhere else can we find these things.

Immersion in Scripture is essential. It is how we become fluent. Brother Jimmy has such a grasp of Scripture he makes me want to immerse myself so that I can have a similar appreciation of God’s Word.

Read The Word

To remember Scripture, we have to read it regularly. You must learn grammar, verbs, and nouns like when you were younger and learned English in school. You could speak it, but you had no idea how to diagram a sentence.

One problem is that people only read what they like, Psalms, Proverbs, Romans, Hebrews, whatever their favorite is. Christ told us that the Old Testament was about Him. He was not a megalomaniac. I read the Old Testament to find out how it points to Christ.

To become proficient in Scripture, you have to have a plan.

Meditate and Pray

Remembering Scripture also takes meditation on Scripture, yet many have no idea how to do this. You have to read it to meditate on it. One of the first things we can do is pray through our scripture reading. Ask God to open your eyes to what the Scripture means spiritually. Pray that God shows you the wonderful hidden things within Scripture. Asking God to give you comprehension shows spiritual wisdom, knowing what you don’t know and asking God for it. Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of worldly things, and God blessed him for his request (1 Kings 3:1-15). Even praying on genealogies shows understanding; everyone gets hung up on genealogies, but ultimately they show us God’s devotion to His covenant thru the generations. We are the generations of the New Covenant, and God is still devoted.

Speaking of generations, we must also incorporate Scripture into our family lives. Family devotions, prayers together, and remembering God’s mercies and grace to our individual families help to pass down the cultivation of the knowledge of Scripture and how to recognize the blessings of the Lord.

Be a Part of the Crowd

Corporate learning is essential. Finding a church where the pastor is an expositional preacher is important. This type of pastor reads the word, dissects it for the church, explains its meaning, and then how it applies to our lives. They are becoming rare, but pastors like this exist, find one. You will learn much more about Scripture from a man of God who preaches this way. When you are in a corporate worship situation, understand exposition is worship. The Spirit is present and moving through the church, enlightening those who seek knowledge.

John Calvin

John Calvin believed that Scripture is necessary for human understanding of God’s revelation, that it is the equivalent of direct revelation, and that it is both “majestic” and “simple.”

Read the Bible, Find God There.

Peace, Grace, and Mercies of the Lord be with you.