Why Bible Study Groups are Necessary

One of the distinguishing marks of humanity is the ability to think. Possessing intelligent thought is something no animal or object enjoys. Understanding is one of the chief marks of being made into the image of God.

Amazingly, humans don’t just possess intelligent minds that can understand, but we also possess the ability to learn. This is a staggering, often neglected wonder of human existence. Not only do we learn as we grow – as children learn their letters so that they can spell so that they can read and so on – but we possess such intellectual capabilities that we can look at any given problem, comprehend it, resolve it, and then teach others to do the same. In fact, we can assess any area in which there is a perceived lack of understanding and remedy it by gaining that understanding. We often say that we need to “wrap our mind around” a something as a way of saying that we are going to learn and master it.

Sure, every person has different intellectual abilities. That is by God’s design. Humanity thrives, in part, because we are diverse. Some are good at math while others are good at writing. Some are good at constructing while others are good at theories. These differences help us to achieve things we otherwise couldn’t if we were all identical. The point is: we are all gifted with certain intellectual abilities and this ability to understand and learn sets us apart as creatures made in the image of God.

Naturally, we should not waste such a precious gift like comprehension. Throughout life we should take opportunities to increase our understanding, not so that we may become puffed up (1 Cor. 8:1), but so that we might understand the character of God as we learn of His detailed work in creation. Yet still, we shouldn’t just seek to grow in general understanding. We should strive for a specific knowledge. That specific knowledge should be centered upon the Scriptures.

Indeed, it is one of the chief privileges and responsibilities of humanity to bring all their intellectual capabilities to bear concerning the knowledge of God’s Word. Why? Because God has revealed Himself in His Word, and there is no greater way to exercise our learning capabilities than in spending them in the pursuit of knowing God.

Now, one may say that this can be done privately. Certainly, the personal reading of God’s Word should take place and be a source of knowing God. However, I think the personal study of God’s Word is a supplement to our corporate learning of God’s Word. The reason is simple: it is easier to be in error when alone, but a company of Spirit-indwelt minds acts as a safeguard from falsehood.

All of that being said, my argument here is that Christians have both an obligation and a privilege to bring their intellectual powers together to study God’s Word. Here are a few reasons why I want to encourage you to be in Bible Study Groups.

1.      The Scriptures are Communal

There is a tendency in American Christianity to view things through the lens of individuality. One might say that this is a product of increasing secularism – which it is. But there is also a deeply ingrained American idea of personal privacy as one of the chief rights of humanity. Our government was largely built around this principle.

This has had some negative consequences that are hard for some Americans to see. Some of the safety features of life in the church have been neglected because of an unwillingness to sacrifice personal privacy. As we survey the early church, and the principles of a New Testament church through the Scriptures, we find a level of intimacy and familiarity that is impossible without relinquishing personal privacy. That is not to say that all things should be known by others. However, true accountability and true community cannot take place in the fullness of their blessing without opening up to others – as hard as it may be.

Thus, as we look through the Scriptures we can see that Christianity is a communal faith with Scriptures that are written to the community – i.e., the Church. Yes, learn from the Bible in personal study and with personal application. But don’t only learn from the Bible in isolation. The Scriptures were given to the community and meant to be studied in the community.

2.      Embedded Accountability

As a group of Christians study the Bible and come to a shared, accurate understanding of its teachings, it leads to a shared expectation that we all strive to adhere to it. In other words, when truths are learned in community then it becomes harder to ignore them. This is built-in accountability. This is not to say that communal study of the Bible leads to perfection. Rather it is to say that communal study of the Bible leads to a shared commitment to strive together in the things it teaches.

When brothers and sisters all know the same truths then it becomes difficult to discard those hard, convicting passages that demand change in our lives. Additionally, these shared understandings produce real encouragement as we strive together to honor the Lord by obeying His Word. The accountability that comes from studying the Bible with other Christians is both preventive – it keeps us from neglecting hard truths – and it is supportive – it helps us strive for obedience as we watch others apply the same truths to their lives.

3.      More Light for Clarity

As said before, a company of saints help guard against error. While this is obviously not a fool-proof point, the principle is still real. We are intellectual creatures, but we are also creatures corrupted by sin. This means that our ability to understand isn’t perfect. Furthermore, our ability to understand actually tends toward error and not truth. The Fall of humanity into sin didn’t just affect parts of us, but it corrupted our entire being – even the work of our intellectual minds.

Try as we may, we will not perfectly understand any subject on our own. Our frame of reference is too limited, our abilities to skewed, and our application often one-sided. Yet, as brothers and sisters begin to speak about God’s Word and apply it in varied ways, we begin to see it in a different light. This different light brings more clarity. Studying the Bible together helps to peel back unforeseen blinders. It helps hold up the truth of God’s Word so that it can be studied from more angles. These are things not available to us if we study it without the diverse minds and gifts of other Christians.

4.      Deep Rooted Community

Some things bind people together in strong bonds. Tragedy can do this. Joyous occasions can do this. Prayer can do this. And studying the Bible together can do this. This is because studying the Bible with others requires us to share our thoughts, struggle through texts, and be vulnerable as we apply it. If we do this long enough with other Christians then both intimacy and trust begin to blossom. Before long, there is a deep bond between people because they have wrestled through living out the Christian faith together.

Every discussion, every application, every timid and unsure comment about a text builds genuine community. This community goes far beyond familiarity and extends past what mere presence can accomplish. It forces the heart of people to the surface. When the heart is shared, it often endears people to one another. The best way to build Christian community is to study the Bible together over a prolonged period of time.

We are accustomed to hearing that we should be in church. We are accustomed to hearing the pleas to join small groups or attend Sunday school. But we rarely think about why these things are important. The reason is because God has ordained unique work to be done in the communal learning of His Word. Next time you are tempted to think that it is just another Bible study that you can skip, think about what you may be giving up.