If you had told me three years ago that I would do in-depth, line-by-line studies on eight books of the Bible across both the Old and New Testaments, and my favorite book so far — by a large margin — would be Genesis, I would have thought you were crazy. After all, the stories of Genesis are among the most commonly taught in churches starting in preschool. Not to mention, each January when I started my read-through-the-Bible resolution, I typically made it pretty well into Genesis before falling behind.
But here we are.
It was so engaging to study Judges and discover the truths of God in stories that I only vaguely knew. But there was something so rejuvenating about studying Genesis and having new truths revealed in stories so familiar to me.
I’m not here to walk you through every new truth, connection, foreshadowing or character of God I saw in the study. (The creation account alone would take me several pages.) I am here to encourage you.
Keep studying Scripture. Don’t discount a book just because you think you know all the stories in it or have read it over and over again. There’s always something new for God to teach us through Scripture.
Unlimited and incomprehensible
Our God is unlimited so how can we ever think there’s a limit to what God can show us in Scripture? Our God is incomprehensible so how can we ever think we could possibly comprehend any passage He’s given us to the fullest? You never know what “new” truths God has waiting for you.
The truths about God, Jesus, creation, forgiveness and grace I saw in my study of Genesis are not new to God. They’ve always been there in the pages of Scripture. And they aren’t new to other Christians. Numerous scholars, theologians, Bible teachers and lay people have studied those words for years and gleaned the same wisdom from them.
But they were new for me. They breathed new life into my faith. They gave me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship of God.
So don’t think that you already know everything about a book or passage in Scripture. Keep studying, keep returning to those pages, and watch how God will continue to shape and grow your mind and heart in a way that leads you closer to Him.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).
