In this post entitled STAGE THREE – OVERARCHING PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS, I discuss several overarching considerations for the Bible student to keep in mind.
The first is that the Bible is God’s inspired word to humankind. The contents of the Bible comprise God’s very words that He intends to be heard and acted upon by human beings, and especially a “Christ-follower.” Please pay attention to this definition of a “christ-follower:”
To say that, “I’m a follower of Jesus Christ” (or “Christ-follower”) that means two basic things. First, it means I have a right relationship with God the Father forever because I repented of my sin and trusted completely in what His Son Jesus Christ did for me through His atoning death on the cross and His physical resurrection from the dead. Second, it means that I strive to practice with no compromise the teachings, especially the moral and ethical teachings, of Jesus as set forth in the Bible. .
The second is that God’s Word is understandable for a Christ-follower. Every Christ-follower has the Holy Spirit living inside of them (see Romans 8:9) Who will help them to understand better the message in God’s Word. See 1 Corinthians 2:13.
The third is that when a Christ-follower takes action on what God says in His Word life change will take place. See Psalm 119:9; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Finally, the Bible student may want to use a Bible Study Journal to record their journey through God’s Word and their encounters with God.
A much more expansive PDF version is at this link: https://stevebelsheim.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/STAGE-THREE-PDF-Text-Overarching-Preliminary-Considerations-Rev-1.pdf . It includes a sample of a page for a Bible Study Journal.
If you are not a Christian, please go to the following link, and read God’s Plan of Salvation and take appropriate action: https://stevebelsheim.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/BLOG-IF-YOU-ARE-NOT-A-CHRISTIAN-REV-1-426.pdf .