Small Group Bible Study
THE OLD BOOK IS EVER NEW
Small Group Bible Study
THE OLD BOOK IS EVER NEW
One of the greatest evidences of the divine inspiration and absolute uniqueness of the Bible is its perennial freshness. To one who truly studies it, every page, every paragraph, though read a hundred times before, gives something new to the one who approaches the sacred text with expectancy, desiring to learn. The tragedy is that the Bible is stale and uninteresting to many who read it today, and, regrettably, even to some who are teaching it. There is a danger that Bible teachers, as they begin a lesson, will fear that having perhaps taught the lesson before there may be nothing new, either for themselves or for those in the study group. But here awaits a glorious surprise. No teacher of the Word of God, whose life is yielded to God, and who will give his whole heart and mind in loving obedience to Jesus Christ, can devote time to the study of familiar scriptures, without experiencing a wonderful joy, as new and precious truth never seen is revealed. As the opening rose reveals new beauty every time it rolls off an envelope, and as tints of tenderer and more refined beauty play upon its petals the nearer you approach its heart: so, the nearer you come to the warm and living heart of divine revelation, the more sensibly you will see and feel the blissful power of heavenly things.
Every Bible teacher should, each day, pray for and expect new revelation concerning some portion of the Holy Scriptures. No one gets new great ideas very often – when they do come they are rich enough to feed and quicken the heart for months following. However, concerning the deeper meaning of some word, the interrelation of one passage of Scripture with another, the content of some phrase of our Lord, the glory of some precious promise, new light on some character being studied, may be expected to come with frequency to anyone who is seriously searching the Holy Word of God. It is the privilege of every obedient believer to seek out new phases of truth, breaking the seal of a Scriptural truth that one has never broken before, unfolding new meanings and discovering new thoughts of God in His inspired Word.
