Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2-3 (NIV)

Some of you have noticed that my Bible doesn’t have many pages past the book of Revelation.  That is because my primary Bible doesn’t have a concordance or maps in the back.  It also does not have study notes.  It is a plain vanilla Bible with no chocolate sauce, whipped cream, or cherry on top.

I have this Bible because I found those ‘helps’ unhelpful.

“What?” you may ask.  “Do you think you know more than R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, or someone at Crossway Mike?”

No, I do not.  I am certain I do not.  That is why I decided not to let them do my studying for me.

I found it very difficult in small group Bible studies, Sunday school, and even my own devotional times to really study the Bible text.  With the expert notes right there at the bottom of the page, I didn’t need to.  I could read the Bible text and then immediately jump to the ‘answer key.’

This is a problem for all of us – especially those of us who very highly value the Bible.  I think the tendency to jump to commentaries and study notes stems from a lack of confidence coupled with a desire to know the truth.

Understanding the Bible takes effort and skill.  If we are not confident in our ability to understand it, but we really want to know what it means, we’re stuck.  It not only appears easier, but also much safer to let the experts give us the ‘right’ answer.

To counter-act this, one seminary professor starts every class with a mini-catechism to shape pastors-in-training:

Professor:        “Start with the Bible…”

Class:               “…not with the commentaries.”

The problem here is that the objective of Bible study is not to amass facts and knowledge in order to get the right answers on the test.  The goal is personal interaction with the living God who is speaking in the pages of our Bible.

Here we sit with this rare jewel from God himself and we settle for what other people think about it.  Like someone who purchases a flawless 72.22-carat gem, glances at it, and then settles for reading other people’s descriptions of it.  We are missing out on the wonderful experience of this beauty – of His beauty.  It is not through study bible notes and commentaries, but through God’s word that we come to know Him.

Only after our own efforts are exhausted should we turn away from the book to ‘check our work.’  Don’t settle for the ‘answer key’ approach.  Roll up your sleeves and get to know your Bible.  In doing that you get to know the living, loving, saving, speaking God.

If you have that Him, why would you need chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry?