The Character of a Bible Student
It was said that Socrates was the wisest man of his times because he knew he was ignorant. This allowed him to ask questions of everyone and to always assume a student’s posture. He had nothing to prove to anyone. Educationally, he was truly humble. Jesus asks us to come to him like young children, still asking what, and why, and how.
God is greater than us. We don’t come to know him and his ways in a day, a year, or a lifetime. He is so deep that no matter how deep we go with him there is more to learn. I believe that God contains all truth, but that I am still a student. This requires me to hold lightly to what I think I know when I stand before God. I never want him to find me unwilling to let go of my dim picture so that I can’t take hold of the clearer picture he offers me each day. Humility is essential in a bible student.
Hand in hand with humility is teachability. I come to God knowing that my life must change if I am to know God better and to enter into his many blessings. A good bible student is not just looking for knowledge but also for growth.
A good bible student is worshipful. The truth that Scripture reveals is not something I can dig out for myself. The truth is found in a proper relationship with God. While Jesus offers himself as an approachable friend, he is also God. I am not God’s equal. He is my creator and I am his creature. Worship is the purposeful act of reminding me of my place within creation. Worship reminds me that I come to Scripture for more than just another opinion on how I should live my life. It reminds me that I have come to the living and eternal God whose wisdom knows no ends. I am coming to the one who created me and knows me better than any other person will ever know me. I am coming before the perfect one, without fault or flaw. He has an authority behind his teachings that can be found nowhere else.