The Church and its study

Study

The church is called a pillar and buttress of the Truth (1 Tim.3:15). How can the church know what the truth is unless the church is a church that studies the Word and actions of God? Mark Dever in his book, “The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church” centers everything that a church does and knows on a Biblical understanding. God’s word is a double edge sword (Heb. 4:12) that is good for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). This all means that the church must be a church that studies the word of God and knows what God is call the church to do and stand for. The Bible is God’s inerrant Word (Titus 1:2) and the Bible is the first, only, and final authority at which the church must live by. That means for the church to understand God and His truth, follow where God is leading, spread the good news of Jesus, and truly worship and honor God; the Bible and God must be studied and this study must be a huge part of what the church is all about.

Also, not only must the church study God’s word and God Himself but the church must also study the world and culture which it lives in. The church is called not to separate itself from the world but to live in and be a part of the world. The church is not suppose to sin in the world it lives in but it is called to redeem the world and culture and spread the good news of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20). This means that the church must study the culture and world so it can reject the things that are wrong and sinful, it can use and approve the things that are good and honor to God, and it can lastly redeem the things that can be useful for God and furthering His mission in the fallen and sinful world.