Wednesday: Bible Claims
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 22nd of April 2026
What might change in your home if you turned to the Bible when faced with a big decision, relationship problem, or challenge? What might change in your workplace or church if the words of the Bible truly became the lens through which people viewed the world and chose to live by?
The Bible authors knew how valuable the words of the Bible were. No other book can speak to your life as these words can. The words can sit on the page in your Bible, but how can you keep them in your heart?
What is David’s advice in Psalms 119:11, and how might you follow it? (See also Hebrews 4:12.)
Image © Kevin Carden Goodsalt.com
One of the claims the Bible makes about itself can be found in Hebrews 4:12. A two-edged sword is powerful and sharp, but the Bible can do what human tools cannot for the human soul. The Bible describes itself as being alive. Perhaps you’ve wondered how this could be, given that it was written thousands of years ago, but Jesus said, “ ‘The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life’ ” (John 6:63, NKJV). If your heart is broken or your life is falling apart, God can speak His words into your world and change things around. The Old Testament also describes God’s words as being very active and not at all stagnant or passive (see Isaiah 55:11). When David reflected on the impact of God’s words on his life, he wrote, “This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life” (Psalms 119:50, NKJV).
Perhaps you’ve experienced severe hunger at some point in your life, or maybe you’ve fasted or gone on a diet. Doesn’t food taste good after you’ve been hungry? In a spiritual sense, the Bible is food for our souls.
If your soul is empty and hungry, open the Living Word. Read Jeremiah 15:16, 1 Peter 2:2, and Matthew 4:4.
God’s words taste good to the mind and heart, and when we read them, they will fill us and sustain us as promised.
The messages in God’s Word, the Bible, come from God Himself. God sent them specifically for us and for every other person who has sought Him. When we read them with a prayerful, open heart, those words won’t be wasted.
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How much time do you spend daily in the Bible, and how do you spend that time? What can you do to make that time the most spiritually profitable? |
There are many ways to read the Bible, and I have tried quite a few of them. As a kid I read the whole Bible through in one year, primarily because it was a requirement for “Missionary Volunteers’ and so I could boast to my mates that I had read it through. Most of you will want to chastise me for such a self-centred approach, but I submit it was useful and had given me a spiritual orientation that still helps me today. Now-a-days Carmel and I tend to read a few chapters every worship time. We don’t do it in order but rather we just pick a book and go for it until we need a change. Reading whole books at a time is useful because you tend to focus on the big picture rather than get bogged down in detail.
Personally, I like following up lead ideas in Bible study and I find that modern AI-based search engines and make links between ideas that are both informative and uplifting. I am also very interested in how people have interpreted the Bible over the years. As I have reported elsewhere ,I am reading about Adventism in the period from 1890 – 1915. It is interesting to note how Seventh-day Adventists exegeted the Bible in this critical period of our history.
I am repeating here a comment I made yesterday is response to Christinq Waller. It was a long way down the page so most of you will not have read it.
I don’t have much trouble reading; I’m an academic and that comes with reading as a prerequisite. I had a father-in-law who did not read at all. He said he read a book once and it was just full of words. I was travelling in a car with him once and I put on a cassette (you can tell this was a long time ago) of one of the Gospels in “Strine” (Australian). He was captivated by the story told in typical laconic Australian and when we reached our destination he wanted me to continue to play it because he was enjoying it so much.
I think is some respects we kid ourselves when we talk about lesson study and Bible study that everyone should become academics and read for ourselves. There are a lot of folk who cannot for one reason or another do that. I appreciate alternate ways of communicating. I like those animated summaries of Bible books that we sometimes link to here on Sabbath School Net because they provide an alternative way of conceiving the message to the usual printed text.
In other comments, statistics were shown for bible reading. It would be useful to put up the statistics for newspaper reading. I think you would probably have very similar results. I used to read the newspaper every day. Now-a-days I don’t even think of buying a newspaper. I still watch some news on TV but the bulk of my news information comes from websites these days (Yes I know the issues of credibiilty etc) We can hardly expect Bible reading to run contrary to the reading trends in the general population. I would like us to think about how we can help our non-reading friends to enjoy the message of the Bible too.
I won’t repeat my answer to you as that makes it seem like I am full of myself! (Which I probably can be)
But probably my biggest point is that there are other forms of the Bible and I don’t think they’re inferior to the printed text. Audio Bibles are a good alternative, although a person may need to pause them frequently to really mediate on a verse. I have heard there are visual type forms of the Bible too. I personally enjoy reading and sometimes get restless listening, so I much prefer the printed word, but everyone is different.
I do feel it’s crucial to get the Bible first hand however we get it. I am not really comfortable with people who get all their spiritual food from Hope Channel or 3 ABN or even the Adventist Review. All these are good but they can’t be our principal spiritual food. We need to eat for ourselves, not eat regurgitated food.
I don’t believe God expects us to “become academics” to have a relationship with Him. However, He has given us the Bible through which He speaks to us and through which we may form a relationship with Him. He has promised that His Spirit will lead us into all truth – and this applies to all. In our part of the world where the Bible is freely available, it forms the basis of our view of God and our relationship with Him. That’s why He has, on occasion, done some special things to allow people to read the Bible, even though they were unable to read anything else.
I also personally know of four students who were not doing well in school and were discouraged from pursuing the ministry for that reason. (One of them was my student.) The first three decided to spend serious time in Bible study, claiming the promise for wisdom and the ability to learn the Greek that was necessary for their degree. God blessed them abundantly and they graduated with better grades than they had ever earned before.
My student could barely pass High School English, and I was worried about his passing Greek. So I told him the story of the three students of my generation, and I encouraged him to follow their example. He did just that, and he also became a pastor.
I’m telling this story because I believe God has special regard for His Word, and He will give the needed reading skill and understanding to any earnest seeker.
Christine used a vivid analogy for second-hand spiritual food, and it’s probably appropriate. But there’s another consideration: The Bible is not just a source of information to get us to heaven. The Bible is the chief objective medium through which God communicates with us and develops a relationship with us. (Nature needs some interpretation, and our minds, including our conscience, need to be educated.) This relationship cannot be formed by proxy – as in watching Adventist TV or clever summaries of Bible books. These can be an adjunct to our own study, but without studying the Bible for ourselves, we will be in danger of missing out on eternity.
I also believe we need to read the full books of the Bible, rather than just studying prepared lessons, such as the Sabbath School lesson. We were warned that none but those who have fortified their minds with the truths of Scripture will be able to stand through the last crisis, which I believe is just about upon us.
I know that when I spend time with God in the morning by praying and reading His Word, it changes the rest of my day. God wants special time with each of us every day, and He makes sure that time is never wasted.
(I know God can work through exceptional circumstances, but most of us reading this blog are capable of reading the Bible.)
For most people, it is about priorities. God works with those who for whatever reason cannot read. For most of us, however, we read well enough to study the Bible. Maybe long passages are too much for some people. But each one can read a verse and meditate on it.
I have to believe God knew what He was doing when He made the Scriptures written. Many cultures have oral traditions and God could have worked with that. But He chose otherwise. That tells us something.
Amen also to the Bible being a conduit for a relationship with God. That really is what it’s all about.
We who enjoy reading may need to pay more attention to those who don’t read to ensure they do not feel left out. Not everyone finds enjoyment in study but most people like to be engaged. In the last few years our church has put on a couple of musicals and have invited the public to them. The performers are exposed not just to the performance part but also the biblical basis for the musicals. The engagement of working together on a spiritual theme opens some peoples eyes to spiritual truths. I remember one particular communion service where the students acted out the last supper. They scripted it themselves, the event providing the impetus for a fair bit of Bible reading.
The Bible is not just informative but very powerful (transformational) because of its divine origin. The Bible is alive, active and powerful. The Bible fulfils what in claims it can accomplish. This is the Word of God in written form. The Word of God in spoken form, brought forth the created universe (Isaiah 55:11). The Word of God (the Bible) has power to strengthen and establish our spiritual life. As food strengthens the physical body, the Word of God is our spiritual food. To grow spiritually, we need to “eat” the Word of God on a daily basis.
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32, NKJV).
The Bible makes a very bold claim that man cannot survive without the Word of God. “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). Without the Word of God in our lives, we are spiritually dead. We cannot neglect the spiritual nourishment and pretend to be spiritually healthy! It is the Word of God that sanctifies us. “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17).
Our spiritual growth in Christ Jesus is anchored in the Word of God. Our relationship with God will be stunted if we fail to devote our time and attention to the Word. Martin Luther the Reformist, once said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”. In essence, Luther was simply saying that the Bible has power to transform lives. My sincerest plea to God is to help us this quarter and henceforth never to neglect and belittle the Word of God.
“ The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge them at the last day.”/b> (John 12:48).
We are constantly bombarded with information—through social media, news outlets, and endless entertainment. Because of this, even believers find their thoughts drawn to the attractive things of the world rather than to the Word of God, which is a treasure far greater than anything the world can offer. Scripture reminds us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (1 John 2:15). Instead, we are called to set our minds higher: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). When we treasure God’s Word, we discover its surpassing worth, as the psalmist declares, “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psalm 119:72).
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, humanity has been estranged from God, and this enmity has blinded us to biblical truth. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Yet there is hope: it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven and cleansed. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). As we grow in Him, part of our sanctification is recognizing our sin more clearly and grieving over it more deeply. This reflects the promise, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), and the assurance that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
The best defense against sin and temptation is to store God’s Word in our hearts. The Holy Spirit uses that Word to convict, guard, and strengthen us as we live in this present evil age. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). When temptation comes, Scripture equips us, for “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Through this, the Spirit helps us stand firm, just as Paul encourages, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). By filling our hearts with His truth, we are guarded and strengthened to live faithfully in a fallen world.
As previous lessons already pointed out, the devil is not comfortable seeing us study the word of God as God’s word reveals the truth to us about his character and deceitful strategies.
Permit me to add that studying the Word of God brings us into a close connection with the Godhead; Jehovah, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – Holy Spirit helping us to understand the instructions from Jehovah about Jesus Christ the Word and our salvation, this is what the devil fears most, and by studying God’s Word we are made impregnable to his attacks and deceptions, another issue for him, the reason why he endeavors to make sure we don’t study God’s Word.
Today, inline with the 4-year Seventh-day Adventist Church Bible reading plan, we are reading 2 Chronicles 4, it’s a 4 minutes reading according to http://www.Revivalandreformation.org, but how many of us have 4 minutes to get to connect with the Godhead today?
Psalms 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path”
As we connect with the Godhead daily in Bible study, the light will shine brighter because the supply is constant.
God I pray for the Holy spirit to give me wisdom to know how to apply this Bible truth in practical ways in my life🙏
Personally in my moments of distress, some verses in the Bible came to my rescue.They gave me hope for something better ahead,they inspired me to trust and have faith in the Lord. Those verses did not erase the problem. Rather, they sustain me until when God will work it out completely.
John 6:63 – ”It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and are Life.”
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, but they could not understand Him. As many of His disciples deserted Him, Jesus asked the Twelve if they want to leave too. Peter answered Him: ”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of Eternal Life<. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” – John 6:68.
No changes will happen in a heart not ready to receive the Spirit contained in the Word of God. The lesson’s picture shows beautifully God’s Spirit enveloping the believer in a deep, spiritual embrace – the believer becoming one with Him, and He becoming one with us. The Spirit, revealing God’s Truth contained in His Word, provides the needed nourishment for the hungry, living, born-again soul. The ‘Bread of Heaven’ – Jesus Christ, the Son of God – has become our sustenance! This is the Way God designed for us to experience true Life – John 6:57-59.
I am suggesting that some of the things we can do that would be a source of encouragement to us in studying the Bible is creating what I call a “climate for Bible Study”.
One of the things I do before interfacing with the Word is to play some really beautiful songs. For example before I began the study of the Sabbath School Lesson this afternoon I played “He is able” by the Maranatha Singers; after which I played by the self-same group the song ” He is able”
Bible Study for me is distinctive from all other forms of Study. I always ask for the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit in this exercise. My study of the Word involves a dynamic interplay of the rational exercise of my mental faculties; the opening of my mind to be controlled by a Higher Power ; the release of my pre-conceived ideas and opinions ; the embracing of the challenge to perceive what I have never seen or grasped before; the attitude of homage to the One and to the Truth as it is revealed in Scripture and to concur with Martin Luther as he stood before Rulers, Princes and Bishops -Here I stand, I can do no other ; so help me God.
I am also a believer in the need to pray for guidance before reading the Bible.
God’s Word is amazing! God is amazing! Whatever He says, even through His servants, it will happen! So, I have to trust the Lord, because His will for me is perfect!
I am also a believer and need prayer to get a better understanding of Gods words so our eyes and mind can be open.