I’m a baby Greeker and most likely always will be. As mentioned before I’m thoroughly going through Greek for the Rest of Us.

I want to take advantage of Amazon’s Bill Me Later offer and I’m thinking about getting The Zondervan Greek and English Interlinear New Testament (NASB/NIV) by the Mounces. I’ve looked at the sample of Philippians and think it looks great but I don’t have experience with interlinears. I like having the Greek in its original word order and think it’s pretty brilliant how Mounce Sr. did a translation underneath it. What you do you think? This will set me back for my commentary budget but I would think it’s essential.

Do I need a dictionary in addition to this?

I’ve also been looking at Logos software. At $260 it’s way beyond my budget but it looks fantastic. Should I start saving for it? I’ve been an e-Sword user for quite a while and love it but Logos would be a few steps up. I’m not sure if it’s worth the money or not. (I’m an unfortunate Windows user so Accordance isn’t an option. And let’s not get into that you-know-what debate.)

I’ve been posting rather rapidly lately. I usually like to give people plenty of time to comment but I have a lot of questions lately.

This is an exercise from Greek for the Rest of Us. Mounce wants us to notice the verb forms and punctuation and do a translation of our own. I do this with fear and trembling and don’t pretend to be able to translate anything. In other words, I don’t know what I’m doing.

I admit I also consulted O’Briens commentary but only after I did my own by just looking at a Greek interlinear.

There is a disparity in punctuation in the Greek between the interlinear software I have (ISA) and the Greek NT at www.bibelwissenschaft.de.

Let me know what you think:

εὐχαριστοῦντες πάντοτε ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί.
20 Continually thanking God the Father for all things in the name of our Lord, Jesus the Christ,

Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ,
21 being subject to each other out of respect for Christ.

αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ,
22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands in the same way you do to the Lord.

:20 The word continually may be idiomatic, but I think it accurately conveys what always means. I changed the word order of God the Father within the sentence.

:21 I used the word subject because it seems to be a good literal translation that also conveys the meaning well—to me anyway. Although using it as a verb in the way I did may not make sense to some. I normally like the word fear and don’t like it when translations remove it, but in this instance I think respect fits well.

:22 I stayed consistent in using the word subject.

O’Brien says:

The use of the middle voice of this verb (cf. Col 3:18) emphasizes the voluntary character of the submission.

I know the use of the middle voice is very nuanced so I don’t know if this is up for debate or not. I just have to trust what he says in this instance. So I translated it in a way that makes it clear that it’s voluntary. Using the words your own makes it clear that they are subject to their own husbands, not all males or other wives’ husbands. Most translations say as to the Lord: what does this mean? I’m interpreting it as: being subject to your husband the same way you are subject to the Lord.

There could be a paragraph break after v. 21. Paul says to be subject to one another. Then starting in v. 22 he spells out how we are to be subject to and how to treat one another all the way through 6:9.

Comments welcome!

I have added a page of phrasing passages that I’ve done. I originally wrote about it here.

I won’t announce when I put up new ones. I will use the page as a place to keep them all.

There is a link to the page in the right sidebar and at the top of the page.

I have a new page here of the Belgic Confession. The Scripture plug-in used on this site is especially useful for a page like this as you’ll see.

As with the Heidelberg Catechism, this took some work to format the text in order for it to work with the Scripture plug-in. I put an ad at the top to try to recoup some of my efforts and I hope that doesn’t look too tacky.

Esteban suggested I take a closer look at the Belgic Confession. It’s a beautifully crafted document. I include one of my favorite sections below.

There may be some imperfections. If you see anything that needs correcting please let me know.

ARTICLE 13 – THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

We believe that this good God, after He had created all things, did not abandon them or give them up to fortune or chance,1 but that according to His holy will He so rules and governs them that in this world nothing happens without His direction.2 Yet God is not the Author of the sins which are committed nor can He be charged with them.3 For His power and goodness are so great and beyond understanding that He ordains and executes His work in the most excellent and just manner, even when devils and wicked men act unjustly.4 And as to His actions surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire farther than our capacity allows us. But with the greatest humility and reverence we adore the just judgments of God, which are hidden from us,5 and we content ourselves that we are pupils of Christ, who have only to learn those things which He teaches us in His Word, without transgressing these limits.6

This doctrine gives us unspeakable consolation, for we learn thereby that nothing can happen to us by chance, but only by the direction of our gracious heavenly Father. He watches over us with fatherly care, keeping all creatures so under His power that not one hair of our head – for they are all numbered – nor one sparrow can fall to the ground without the will of our Father (Mat 10:29-30). In this we trust, because we know that He holds in check the devil and all our enemies so that they cannot hurt us without His permission and will.7

We therefore reject the damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God does not concern Himself with anything but leaves all things to chance.

1. John 5:17; Heb 1:3. 2. Psalm 115:3; Prov 16:1, Prov 16:9, Prov 16:33; Prov 21:1; Eph 1:11-12; James 4:13-15. 3. James 1:13; 1 John 2:16. 4. Job 1:21; Isa 10:5; Isa 15:7; Amos 3:6; Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27-28. 5. 1 Kings 22:19-23; Rom 1:28; 2 Thes 2:11. 6. Deut 29:29; 1 Cor 4:6. 7. Gen 45:8; Gen 50:20; 2 Sam 16:10; Rom 8:28, Rom 8:38-39.

Do any of you diagram or phrase (as William Mounce puts it) Scripture? (This is not grammatical diagramming.) In his book Greek for the Rest of Us he describes this and shows us how to do it. I find it extremely helpful. If any of you do this and would like to help me, I will post examples of my work and you can critique it. I’ll post my first one which I have been working on this weekend on and off. Let me know what you think. The first one I’ve done completely on my own is
Phrasing of 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (PDF File), which is what we’re studying in our group Bible study. That may be a rather large one to start with.

He mentions that this is usually part of a commentator’s exegesis of a passage and this will help us to understand commentaries in addition to understanding Scripture itself.

I find this book fascinating. I’m taking the Greek part of it very seriously but the parts about Bible translation(s) and phrasing make it all the more worth it.

I’m pretty much through week two (of six) which means I know the Greek alphabet, pronunciation, basic translation philosophies and very basic phrasing.

I may or may not post more about this as time goes on.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t have time to really learn Greek but wants to know the basic grammar and be able to (hopefully) understand what those commentators are saying when they talk about Greek and its grammar.

I had no idea it includes more than just basic Greek. Thanks goes to Esteban for recommending this to me and helping me out.

Unfortunately the paperback doesn’t include the CD of his lectures. My library system has the hardcover which seems to be out of print right now.

Edit: As per Nathan’s review, as of now there are two hardcovers available at Eisenbrauns.

Jeff

I have a new page here of the Heidelberg Catechism. The Scripture plug-in used on this site is especially useful for a page like this as you’ll see.

Even if you don’t subscribe to each element of the catechism, which I don’t quite, there are many Scripture references on various topics which may be useful for some.

If only I was taught things of this nature instead of nothing Biblical in all my Catholic classes beyond preschool Sunday school when growing up!

This took some work to format the text in order for it to work with the Scripture plug-in. I put an ad at the top to try to recoup some of my efforts and I hope that doesn’t look too tacky.

If you have any suggestions or see any errors please let me know.

I would like to repost something I wrote a while ago. Then at the bottom is a link to a post called 7 Reasons to Say ‘God Willing…’ from another blog which complements this very well. Hat Tip to Challies.com.

———

Praying God’s Will

Someone was once saying that a preacher on the radio was saying that we shouldn’t be saying, “If it’s Your will” when we pray because we’re not having confidence in what we’re praying, or something to that effect.

I said that it’s Scriptural to say that because of a couple of passages/verses:

James 4:13-15
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” TNIV

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. TNIV

However I’ve rethought my reasoning. The James passage isn’t talking about prayer, it’s talking about plans, predicting the future etc. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” So while I think it’s Scriptural to say, “I’ll be doing … God willing”, the James passage doesn’t support saying, “If it’s Your will” when praying.

The 1 John passage is talking about God answering according to His will, not necessarily how we should pray. Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” But this needs to be balanced with 1 John 5:14 as mentioned above.

So when is it appropriate to say, “If it’s Your will?” I’m not trying to teach here. I’m just writing what my thinking is at the moment. Please feel free to comment.

If we are praying something that we know is Scriptural, it would almost be disrespectful to to add the if. For example–praying for growth in knowledge, wisdom (James 1:5-8) etc. If we are praying for miraculous healing, a certain material item etc. it may be respectful and reverent to say if it’s Your will. Some would say that shows a lack of confidence. I’m not sure if we could judge right or wrong either way.

As far as asking for something we know might or might not be in His will, it’s fine to ask and to be persistent as the parables of the woman in front of the judge and the man knocking on his neighbor’s door asking for food for a guest. If we should know the answer is no, then should we stop asking.

Paul pleaded with God three times for the thorn in his side to be taken away. God gave him a definitive answer, ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”‘ (2 Corinthians 12:9)

We don’t always know what to pray and the Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26-27). Thomas Schreiner in his commentary on Romans says that since the totality of God’s will is hidden from us, the Spirit fills this lack by interceding for us. The Spirit searches our hearts which long for God’s will, searches even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10) and intercedes for us according to God’s will with groans that our words can’t express.

I think it’s very important when praying for someone to always pray for things that you know are in God’s will according to Scripture along with any requests they may have or things you think they should have that may or may not be a part of God’s plan. For example if you pray only for healing and that isn’t a part of God’s plan, you’re not really doing them any good. But if you pray for comfort, perseverance, hope, strength etc. along with healing, you know you will be participating in glorifying God in their situation whatever the outcome.

———

7 Reasons to Say ‘God Willing…’

I’ve been tagged by TC Robinson for a meme started by Roger Mugs.

“In an effort to keep it simple, short, and easy to follow, I’d like to challenge you to quote one verse (not one chapter). And then say what the Lord has been teaching you in one sentence (not one paragraph). Then tag 5 peeps (you know the drill).”

Psalm 51:4 TNIV
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

God is the holy lawgiver and when we sin it is against the one who not only gave the law, but is the Holiest of holy who is infinitely more offended by sin that any people we sin against, and caused David to declare that only against Him was he sinning.

That verse always mystified me. In a future post I may elaborate on this regarding forgiveness which is more personal in nature.

I’d like to tag:

• Stefan – even though he doesn’t have time right now
• Mike – ditto
• Bryan – I follow Christ (or whatever it’s called now)
• John MacArthur

I never knew until recently that the Greek word most often translated as hallowed only occurs twice in the New Testament.

Update: As Peter Kirk pointed out to me, this isn’t true. While the specific verb form may be used twice in Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2, it occurs many more times in the New Testament. Please see the ISBE portion of the PDF file. (And read it more carefully than I did the first time around.)

Matthew 6:9
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Luke 11:2
When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

I put together a PDF file of some definitions that I printed out for a Bible study using out of copyright sources and thought I’d make it available here.

Here is a quote from the book we’re studying:

By requesting that God honor his name, Jesus teaches us to ask God to make all creation recognize and revere his holiness. Of course, included in creation is the one praying. So in the same breath that we request God to make his name holy everywhere else, we also ask God to make our own heart honor him.

By praying, ‘hallowed be your name,’ we make God’s holiness our highest priority and ask him to promote his glory in, around, and through us. Thus the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer asks that all creation reverence God and that God exercise his will in ways that will advance his name in all the earth. The petition for God to hallow his name asks God to fulfill his righteous purposes for his glory.

–Bryan Chapell, Praying Backwards

Galatians

Please excuse this post for being like a rough draft. I spent too much time on it already. If you can make it to the end you will either be rewarded, frustrated or wonder why I’m writing about things you already know.

Galatians 2:16 NRSV yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.

Most of us believe that works (of the law) will not save us and it is by God’s grace through faith in/of Christ that we are saved. Longenecker defines Paul’s use of “the law” as:

…the Mosaic law as a religious system associated in some manner with righteousness.

Paul adds another dimension to this in his letter to the Galatians. He is also saying that the law can’t add anything to what Christ has done for us nor can it perfect our salvation. There is no supplement regarding our standing before God. If we “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9) and then try to perfect it by works of the law, we are going backwards:

Galatians 3:3 NRSV Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?

Longenecker says,

The main point of Paul’s rhetorical question here, however, has to do with the incongruity of beginning one’s Christian life on one basis (‘with the Spirit’) and then shifting somewhere in progress to another basis (‘by human effort’). What Paul wants his converts to see is that the Christian life is one that starts, is maintained, and comes to culmination only through dependence on the activity of God’s Spirit (Gal 5:25; also see Phil 1:6…the point is made that completion of the Christian life comes about on the same basis as its inception, viz. by God’s working).

Longenecker quotes Betz,

Paul’s missionary efforts were taken as merely the first step, and that the opponents claimed to provide the necessary and final measures to bring salvation to completion and perfection.

Longenecker:

As such it combined faith in Christ for initial acceptance before God and a nomistic lifestyle* for true holiness, thereby claiming to work out in full the meaning of righteousness. Paul, however, was not content to allow any supplement to the work of Christ, either for one’s initial acceptance before God or for one’ life as a Christian. For him, to start talking about supplements [including circumcision] was to bring matters back to square one and the issue of legalism, even if it be claimed that nomism alone was the question.

It’s interesting to note that whenever Paul mentions Abraham and the covenant, he never mentions circumcision, which is one of the ‘works of the law’ that the Judaizers where claiming the Galatians needed to perform. The promise of Abraham did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith (Rom 4:11-13; also see 1 Cor 7:19).

Galatians 3:6-18 NRSV Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

Galatians 5:18 NRSV But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

*According to Longenecker, nomism is “expressing their Christian convictions in their lifestyle in ways compatible with Jewish tradition” which was not to be foisted on the Gentile Galatians. Although, “To be a Jewish believer in Jesus did not mean turning one’s back on one’s own culture or nation. Yet no longer could it be argued that circumcision, Jewish dietary laws, following distinctly Jewish ethical precepts, or any other matter having to do with a Jewish lifestyle were requisite for the life of faith.”

Update: Please see the first comment by Bryan.

I like what I’ve seen so far of the HCSB translation. I bought an inexpensive one on Amazon to try out for a while. If I like it better than any other I want to wait for next year’s revision to buy one I really want. Otherwise I’ll stick with my NRSV.

I went to their site today and found a very useful feature. The translation is heavily footnoted. If you’re unfamiliar with the site, try it out and click on a footnote, which is a number inside brackets (as opposed to verse numbers). The footnote will expand. (This works for me on Windows XP using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari but unfortunately not Firefox.) Some are explanations of a word, some are alternate translations and some are cross references.
http://hcsb.broadmanholman.com/crossmain.asp

Update: You can also hover over a bullet point word to see a definition.

I don’t like writing about myself but thought this might be a good way to describe the purpose of this blog for those who are too lazy to read the About page. <smiley would go here>

This subject has been going around the biblioblogosphere.

Rule 1) List three reasons for your blogging.

1. To record what I’m learning and cement my thoughts.
   • Writing things down often prompts me to look up more Scripture and do a little more research than I normally would.
   • When I read commentaries, I usually post the things that stuck out to me about a month after I read them. This helps me to better retain what I learn.
   • I’m going through the NT by reading carefully and reading commentaries to clear up misconceptions, false teachings or find Scripture for true teachings and (try my best) to develop sound doctrine.
2. To have a repository for what I learn and for quotes, articles and blog posts that I collect.
3. Hopefully others can learn a little with me.

This may sound the oppostite of altruistic and it is, partly because I don’t claim to be able to offer any new scholarly insights.

I would love to learn from others by their posting comments to this blog. The problem with that is my blog is a “tween-er”. I’m not a scholar and am not scholarly enough for scholarly people to want to read and post to this blog. (Although I do get an occasional gem from Estaban and others.) And this blog may be a little much for those who are casual Bible readers but come across it doing a search for something like Jeremiah 29:11 (link) or free will.

I’m so blessed in that God has given me a zeal for Him and His Word. I want to learn and grow more and more* in all spiritual knowledge and wisdom.

we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:9 b NRSV

*possibly a future post

We can accomplish more by time and strength put into prayer (and bible study) than we can by putting the same amount of time and strength into anything else.

–R.A. Torrey

Make up your mind that you will put some time every day into the study of the Word of God. That is an easy resolution to make, and not a very difficult one to keep; if the one who makes it is in earnest. It is one of the most fruitful resolutions that any Christian ever made. The forming of that resolution and the holding faithfully to it, has been the turning point in many a life. Many a life that has been barren and unsatisfactory has become rich and useful through the introduction into it of regular, persevering, daily study of the Bible. This study may not be very interesting at first, the results may not be very encouraging; but, if one will keep pegging away, it will soon begin to count as nothing else has ever counted in the development of character, and in the enrichment of the whole life. Nothing short of absolute physical inability should be allowed to interfere with this daily study.

–R. A. Torrey, introduction to the New Topical Textbook.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NRSV Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(The Shema)

Matthew 22:37 NRSV He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

There has been a lot of buzz in the biblioblogosphere about the book Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament, D. A. Carson & G. K. Beale.

Some blog examples:

• In Light of the Gospel – Best Christian Books of 2007
• Biblical Foundations – Best of 2007
• The Road To Emmaus – Top Ten Books of 2007
• The Riddleblog – Five of the Best Books of 2007 (#2)
• The Henry Institute – Ten Good Books from a Good Old Year (#3)

etc.

Here is an interview in Christianity Today with the editors of the book:
Two Testaments, One Story
Top evangelical scholars team up for landmark commentary on New Testament use of Old Testament.

Some people say that the Bible is our owner’s manual. I think it’s much more than that and thinking of it in that way devalues what the Bible is. However I think of commentaries as owners’ manuals for the Bible. Not that they are a necessity. After all, many Christians in the past and in some cultures now don’t even have a Bible in written form. And the Holy Spirit teaches us as we read God’s Word.

But commentaries can give us insight that we normally wouldn’t find and informs us of ancillary information pertaining to history, culture, society, politics, literary style etc. which help us to better understand why something was written the way it was. They can also teach us how to read and interpret the Bible by following their model of using Scripture to interpret Scripture, looking at context etc.

Here is a two part blog post I came across that I want to pass along.

Using commentaries in Bible study
Tips on using commentaries to study the Bible

HT: Using Commentaries in Bible Study

There are a couple of past entries on this blog related to commentaries:
Spurgeon In Defense of Commentaries
Bible commentary reviews

[pruh-pish-ee-ey-shuhn] or [pro-pish-ee-ey-shuhn]

Propitiation: peace with God forever at CAMPONTHIS
Be sure to listen to the excellent Podcast which lasts about 15 minutes.

Some translations use “atoning sacrifice”, “sacrifice of atonement” or “expiation” (RSV) among others. If you want to read more about why different terms are used you can find plenty on the web by using Google.

These are the four instances the term is used.

Romans 3:25
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Hebrews 2:17
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Many Christians have lost or never learned a sound doctrine of regeneration. They believe that the only thing that matters is their standing with God or with the church. They assume that a past decision for Christ or a decision to affiliate with a congregation determines their standing with God. Having made that decision, they make no effort to allow the Spirit to renew them. The Spirit is not imposed upon us, and Christians must engage in spiritual disciplines that make the Spirit’s work possible in changing our lives at the fundamental level. God’s Spirit empowers us to do what we want to do and makes what we want to do to be what is right so that Christlikeness flows from us naturally.

–David Garland, 2 Corinthians

Related Scripture:
Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Peter 1:3-10

When reading and studying I don’t want to just build up knowledge, especially not knowledge that “puffs up”. (1 Corinthians 8:1) In addition to praying prior to each time I read and study I have come up with some indicators.

1) Does what I read and study cause me to pray about what I’m learning or being convicted of?

2) Do I ponder and meditate on what I’m reading?

3) Is what I’m learning producing change?

4) Does what I’m learning cause me to worship God?

5) Am I growing more humble with an attitude of fear and trembling instead of being puffed up?

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Do you have anything to add? Since there aren’t many reading this blog I know I may be risking silence as I shout alone in my little corner of cyberspace.

Why Study The Bible?

Also:

Understand the priority the Bible gives to the Bible – especially reading it. The Kings of Israel were required to read the Law closely enough to make their own hand-written copy (Deut 17:18-20). This makes sense, after all how can one lead a people by something he has never read? Paul also writes to Timothy and tells him to think over what he writes (2 Tim 2:7). This implies he has read Paul’s words and should do so over and over again. If the Bible is God’s Word, then we should we make our life’s goal to know it inside and out. We should knows its every nook and cranny, the famous passages and the obscure ones. For to know well God’s Word is to know well the Author of the Word.

From: Are Christians Still a People of the Book?

1 Timothy 4:13
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.