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I have been listening to Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things and the author, Adam Grant who is an organizational psychologist. In this book, Adam Grant mentions a paper that was published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics which is the oldest professional journal of economics in the English language and is Edited at Harvard University's Department of Economics. The paper is entitled Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of Protestant Economic History.

Before we discuss whether or not Weber was wrong it would be good to know a little bit about Weber. Max Weber was a German sociologist, economist, and politician. His book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is considered a founding text in economic sociology and a milestone contribution to sociological thought in general. It is the 8th most cited book in the social sciences published before 1950. (Green, Elliott (12 May 2016). "What are the most-cited publications in the social sciences (according to Google Scholar)?". LSE Impact Blog. London School of Economics.)

In their paper, Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of Protestant Economic History Sascha O. Becker, and Ludger Woessmann argue that though Max Weber attributed the higher economic prosperity of Protestant regions to a Protestant work ethic they provide an alternative theory: Protestant economies prospered because instruction in reading the Bible generated the human capital crucial to economic prosperity. Becker and Woessmann test the theory using county-level data from late-nineteenth-century Prussia, exploiting the initial concentric dispersion of the Reformation to use distance to Wittenberg as an instrument for Protestantism. They find that Protestantism indeed led to higher economic prosperity, but also to better education. (Sascha O. Becker, Ludger Woessmann, Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of Protestant Economic History, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 124, Issue 2, May 2009, Pages 531–596, https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2009.124.2.531)

I do not want to focus on the argument about Protestantism leading to higher economic prosperity. This issue is very complex and beyond my scope of training, I am not a sociologist, economist, or statistician. I also do not want this to be taken as some sort of prosperity gospel, read the Bible and you will become financially successful. What I take away from this is the emphasis that the Protestant Reformation placed on the study of the Bible. Another book that gave me a lot to think about regarding the impact of the Bible on the world is The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi.

The question worth asking is, should we take time to study the Bible for ourselves?

Do you read the Bible on a regular basis?

I am really curious about what percentage of those who identify as followers of God, at least the God of the Bible, take time to read the Bible every day.

Do we feel the need to actually read the Bible? Isn’t it enough just to have a general idea of the stories? At what point do I know enough and can stop reading?

Why would I keep re-reading a book I already read once? If we are familiar with the main plot points and know how the story ends, is there value in reading it again?

There’s a story in the Bible that gives us important insights into this.

The Road to Emmaus

When I think about the importance of studying the Bible there is one story that stands out in my mind, and it is found in Luke 14:13-35. I go through this story verse by verse on Making The Bible Come Alive. The story begins with two men returning from Jerusalem after the festivities of the Passover. They are probably headed home but we do not know the exact location of Emmaus.

As the men are walking home they discuss recent events and Jesus joins them on their journey and in their conversation.

So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
- Luke 24:15 NKJV

Jesus begins to ask them questions that cause them to reflect on the meaning of the things that had just taken place, mainly the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection.

But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
- Luke 24:21-24 NKJV

The men hoped that Jesus was the Messiah, but now they seem sure that He was not, but they are not even sure what happened to Jesus’ body. They are unsure if Jesus is the Messiah, they don’t really believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, and this makes them sad. Current events have them confused regarding their theology and hope and faith in Jesus.

How would you have felt?

I have heard so many people say,

“If I had been there and witnessed the miracles of Jesus I would never doubt!”

It seems more difficult to trust in Jesus just from the stories of the Bible, but if we had been there in person then we would have believed and never doubted. If we could have heard His teachings. If we had witnessed His miracles, then we would have faith in Him.

However, Matthew 26:56 tells us that when the angry mob came to arrest Jesus all His disciples fled. Even Peter, a close friend and disciple of Jesus denied Him three times (Luke 22:54-62). We may not want to believe it, but chances are we would have probably doubted Jesus if we had been alive back then and witnessed His miracles. We see similar issues with Israel, they witness God’s miracles and still doubt and complain.

After witnessing the 10 plagues and crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, the children of Israel complained.

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
- Exodus 16:3 NKJV

God then gives them bread from heaven (read the rest of Genesis 16 for the story) and in the very next chapter, Genesis 17 we read.

And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
- Exodus 17:3 NKJV

I am not going to go in-depth into Exodus 17, but ultimately the issue was a lack of faith in God’s presence and ability to provide.

So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
- Exodus 17:7 NKJV

Is that not our struggle today? Is that humanity’s struggle? This is what the two men on the road to Emmaus are struggling with. Is Jesus the Messiah or not? Is He God or not? What is going on?

Our doubts and struggles are not new. The specifics and the triggers may be new, and the way the temptation reaches you may be different, but the core issues, doubts, and questions are as old as the fallen human race.

So what is the answer to our struggle?

Jesus’ answer

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:25 NKJV

According to Jesus, these men are sad and confused because they are foolish and slow of heart to believe the words of the prophets. Jesus could have asked them about the miracles they had witnessed. But instead, Jesus mentions prophecy. Jesus could also simply reveal Himself to them. Jesus could have shown them His scars. He could have worked a miracle to prove that He was the Son of God, but that is not what He does. I gave you only part of His answer. Jesus also told them

26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
- Luke 24:26-27 NKJV

Jesus’ answer to the faith crisis that the two men are experiencing is a Bible study. Would not that take much longer? Jesus walks for 7 miles while giving a Bible study when He could have just given them a sign, or worked a miracle. Why do you think Jesus chose to give a Bible study as opposed to simply allowing them to recognize that He was indeed Jesus the Messiah?

If Jesus used His physical appearance to prove it was Him, how would we know if it was Him? It could have been a lie fabricated by those two men. If they show up and say we saw Jesus raised from the dead, who could verify it? How would we know it’s true? What if the disciples had simply found someone who looked like Jesus and started claiming that it was Jesus back from the dead?

What would keep someone else from showing up and claiming he was Jesus?

If the only way of knowing Jesus was through a personal subjective emotional experience, how would you know what to follow when you experience conflicting emotions? Would God’s love become less real when you felt down and unloved and lonely?

If multiple spiritual leaders have conflicting views, how do you know who to follow? How do you choose what faith community to belong to?

Bible study helps guide you in all those situations.

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

The Bible itself encourages us to study it. It is also worth noting that the scriptures that the New Testament writers mention are what we call the Old Testament. I highlight this not to downplay the New Testament but rather to highlight that a proper understanding of the Old Testament is key to a proper interpretation of the New Testament writings.

The importance of the study of the writings of Moses and the Prophets is not a New Testament invention. While many ancient cultures had access to writing it was usually limited to the elites. Israel seems to be an exception to the rule. A paper published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), (a peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)) shed some light regarding the literacy of Ancient Israel. There is much debate regarding the origin of the Hebrew Bible, the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, date back only to the 3rd century BCE.

Now, a cross-disciplinary team of nine Israeli scientists from Tel Aviv University has taken a fresh look at a collection of inscriptions from circa 600 BCE, and—with the help of a machine-learning computer algorithm—has concluded that literacy was already on the rise in the ancient Kingdom of Judah (a.k.a. Judea) in the years prior to the Babylonian conquest in 587 BCE. And that, they argue, points to an “educational infrastructure” that would have made the writing of the Biblical texts possible.
- Mental Floss

The paper is entitled Algorithmic handwriting analysis of Judah’s military correspondence sheds light on composition of biblical texts. If you wish to read the paper in its entirety you can click here. But here is an excerpt that summarizes the key findings.

Our algorithmic analysis, complemented by the textual information, reveals a minimum of six authors within the examined inscriptions. The results indicate that in this remote fort literacy had spread throughout the military hierarchy, down to the quartermaster and probably even below that rank. This implies that an educational infrastructure that could support the composition of literary texts in Judah already existed before the destruction of the first Temple.
- Shaus, A., Sober, B., Levin, D., Sass, B., Turkel, E., Piasetzky, E., & Finkelstein, I. (2016). Algorithmic handwriting analysis of Judah’s military correspondence sheds light on composition of biblical texts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(17), 4664-4669. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1522200113

The importance of the biblical text was already evident in the Old Testament

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
- Joshua 1:8 NKJV

If you ever wonder how to relate to God’s word and especially His law, as the Old Testament often refers to the writings of Moses just check out Psalm 119. It’s a long Psalm but here are a couple of verses.

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
- Psalm 119:11-12 NKJV

Ancient Israel was aware of the importance of knowing, studying, and memorizing God’s word. The New Testament writers encourage us to continue to study the Word of God. Not to mention that Jesus used the Scriptures when He was tempted by Satan, always replying with “it is written” (Matthew 4:1-11).

Devotional books are nice. I enjoy many Christian authors and I own several different Bible commentaries. But nothing replaces the reading of the Bible itself. I do not wish to discourage anyone from reading other books, but if you have time to read just one let it be the Bible. It is likely that the devotional book you have is easier to understand and the practical application is spelled out by the author. There is value in that. I have benefitted from many books written by gifted and godly men and women. But do not allow your faith to be made up entirely of secondary resources. Please take time to go straight to the source and read the Bible for yourself.

I know the Bible is not an easy book to read. But it is worth it. I have been reading it my whole life and I still come across passages I do not fully comprehend. I don’t lose sleep over what I do not fully understand, but rather I focus and apply the parts I do understand. When you prayerfully read the Bible you give God an opportunity to teach you something new or just remind you of powerful truths you should never forget.

I am not saying that Bible study is the only way to learn about God. Theologians talk about Natural Revelation and how God reveals Himself in nature, and I do not deny that.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
- Psalm 19:1 NKJV
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
- Romans 1:18-21 NKJV (bold mine)

However, though the search for God may begin with revelations received from the natural world, there are certain truths that can only be revealed through special revelation. Special revelation is revelation given by God through particular persons, experiences, writings or historical events. Special revelation is normally distinguished from general revelation. (C. Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 110. When I say special revelation I mean even more specifically the Bible.

The best way to avoid deception

I have often been asked, how do I find the right church, denomination, or religion? I like to answer that question with a similar approach that Jesus used. The law and the prophets are a great place to begin. If you are already convinced that the Bible is the word of God, you don’t have to study all the denominations, just pick a church and start attending, but bring your Bible with you. If you can come in and leave and you don’t have to open the Bible once I would encourage you to maybe find another church. Even if the music and childcare are amazing, if the Bible is not being studied it is a social club, in my humble opinion.

If you attend the church but you are not sure that the Bible says what the preacher is saying it says, make an appointment, ask for clarification, and if he or she can’t show you in the Bible to your satisfaction continue to search. I encourage everyone who asks me this question to find a church that teaches the Bible and encourages you to read the Bible for yourself and that welcomes dialogue.

If you are not sure if the Bible is inspired I would encourage you to study Daniel 2. It is the easiest prophecy in the Bible to understand, the vision and the interpretation are found in the same chapter. The prophecy is pretty simple and straightforward and can easily be compared to Near Eastern/European history. I have audio that tackles this in my post Can God be Trusted? Feel free to leave a comment on this blog if you wish to discuss this further.

Essentially, beware of any religion or denomination where you are asked to follow a human leader blindly. That is a red flag. Follow a leader that you believe is leading well and most importantly that is leading in accordance with what the Bible teaches.

Jesus used the Bible to reveal to His followers that He was indeed the Messiah because He fulfilled prophecy. Did you know there’s a whole list on Wikipedia about people who have claimed to be the Messiah? There is much more to be said on this topic, but I think this is enough for this post. Let me know any questions this post may have raised in your mind and maybe I’ll work on part two in the near future.

Practical Application

I encourage you to develop the habit of starting each day with the reading of the Bible. Whether you read one chapter or an entire book of the Bible in one sitting doesn’t make much difference to me as long as you are reading the Bible in an intentional way. Read the Bible to learn from it. Pray and ask for God to guide you as you read. Find a translation that you understand, and use the internet and websites like BibleGateway, BibleHub, and BlueLetterBible for access to different translations and even the original languages for more in-depth studies. All these websites are free. Mostly just start reading the Bible, the one you have on you, open it and begin today, and continue each day.

For more tips on ways to read the Bible (especially the narratives (stories) in the Bible) check out my post Making The Bible Come Alive.

What are you waiting for?

Open your Bible and begin reading!

Not sure where to start? Luke is a good place to begin if you want to read about the life of Jesus. Genesis is a great place to begin to gain a good foundation for everything else that is in the Bible. I spent over a year studying Genesis and you can find my posts and audio at Journey Through Genesis.

May God bless you as you explore the Bible, God’s love letter to His children.