Gospel Insights: Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet

In wartime, due to the blackout, we used a torch to see where we were going after dark, and this is the sense meant in the Scripture passage above describing the Bible. This passage tells us it is God's Word, not man's word, which must guide us. John 1:3 says, "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made". This is quite contrary to the thinking of most folk today who would have us believe that the Bible is merely a book written by men just as any other book, and who try to elevate man's reasoning - philosophy, psychology, evolutionary theory, and such like - above the Word of God. In countries where Christianity is persecuted the governing authorities fear the Bible and ban it altogether (in some former Communist countries, for example, the Bible was so reviled that it was used as lavatory paper). Without God's Word to teach us the truth about the world and our place and purpose in it, mankind can only stumble in the darkness of his own foolish thinking and reasoning (John 3:19).

Like a maintenance manual for a new car or an instruction leaflet to help us understand how our new washing machine works, the Bible is God's guide book which tells us how to live a godly life on this earth, and how to prepare for living in eternity with God and His people. It tells us all we need to know about God, sin, salvation, judgement, heaven and hell, and that what we believe and do here is all important. No other book or religion's writings do this. The book of Leviticus repeats 56 times that God is the Author of the Bible, and in the other four books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), the word 'Torah', meaning law, is written into every few words of each book, just like someone signing each page of an important document; a feat impossible for any man, however clever, to do.

The Bible is a living Word from a living Lord, and the key to reading and understanding the Bible is to expect God to speak through what we read therein, and to ask Him to do so. Then the Holy Spirit will bring the Scriptures to life as we read and we will understand just how pertinent this precious Book is to every aspect of our lives.

Why is the Bible so Important?

The Bible is GOD BREATHED (2 Timothy 3:16-17),

The Bible teaches us about the need for SALVATION (2 Timothy 3:14-15),

By prayerfully reading the Bible, in faith, we can receive SPIRITUAL and ETERNAL LIFE (John 5:39),

The Bible is useful for TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING and TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (2 Timothy 3:16),

The Bible EQUIPS a Christian for spiritual battles (2 Timothy 3:17),

The Bible is part of our SPIRITUAL ARMOUR (Ephesians 6:10-18),

The Bible is a spiritual LAMP and LIGHT to guide us (Psalm 119:105),

The Bible acts as a BRAKE in our lives to stop us sinning (Psalm 119:11),

The Bible is written to be READ and then ACTED UPON (James 1:22-25),

The Bible NOURISHES us so that we may GROW SPIRITUALLY (Colossians 3:16),

The Psalmist MEDITATES on God's Word day and night (Psalm 119:97),

The Psalmist prays that God will help him UNDERSTAND the Bible (Psalm 119:18).

The Bible is a Christian's spiritual food to nourish the soul and help us grow nearer to God, in the same way we eat food every day to nourish our body and help us grow physically. Are you getting your daily spiritual intake?

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