Devoted to Teaching | Acts 2:42

There is nothing more paramount to the spiritual development of a believer than the study of the Word of God. Just as our physical bodies need nourishment to survive, our spiritual well-being would be starved without Scripture. Christ called Himself “The Bread of Life,” and we need to understand that it is with this “Bread” that we can be given spiritual nutrition to grow and develop in our sanctification. In the same way, Jesus calls Himself “Living Water,” which will satisfy the soul of the believer. “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you, O God, the Living God” (Psalm 42:1-2). “In the Beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1-6). Being a disciple of Jesus Christ demands that we are nourished with the Word of God.

We can see this from the original church in Acts 2. After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, the first New Testament Church is developed and the clear structure is laid out. These men and women, who put their lives on the line for the cause of Christ, “devoted themselves” to the things of God, no matter what the cost. Specifically, the original church “devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching.” This was the very first element of their worship, in which, they found a commitment to God. In order to be a disciple, they needed to learn about the things of God and how to apply it to their lives. The teaching of Scripture was of extreme importance to their lives.

The same is true for us today. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must have a devotion to the study of the Word of God. We must be committed to “the apostles’ teaching” just like the original church founded in Acts 2:42-47. This teaching consisted of understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of God unto salvation. It included understanding the transformation that occurs at our Justification. And it incorporated learning how to “walk by faith and not by sight” in our Sanctification.

Churches today should be teaching the exact same doctrine and theology as the Apostles were to the original church. God has revealed His divine will to His people through His Word, which we find in Scripture. And this Scripture is sufficient for our Justification and our Sanctification. God did not make a mistake in writing His Word, nor does He need to amend any book or chapter by adding new revelation today. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

As we read the Bible, we can trust that it is sufficient for our every day lives to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). God has provided us the necessary instructions to properly “walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). He has not commanded that we walk in accordance with His Word, and then chosen to leave us to ourselves trying to figure out life. Nor does He have a different, individualistic message that He “whispers in the ears” of children of God or paints signs in the clouds of the sky. God has spoken, and it is recorded in His Word. As Justin Peters often says, “If you want to hear God speak, then read His Word. If you want to hear God speak audibly, then read the Bible out loud.”

We must trust the supremacy of the Word of God in the life of the believer. There is nothing more vital to the soul’s nourishment. There is nothing more necessary to the sanctification of the believer. You cannot find fuel for the soul anywhere but Scripture. And we must trust this fact.

So often, we turn elsewhere for our life’s inspiration, because we are not satisfied with Scripture. We have convinced ourselves that the Bible is outdated or boring, therefore, we need something more relevant, which can apply to our daily lives in this time and culture. Places that we will turn for this type of encouragement are: music, self-help books, friendly advice, or new revelation. But we must remember that “there is nothing new under the sun.” People have been unsatisfied with the gifts that God has provided them since the beginning of time. Constantly, throughout history, we have seen the people of God look somewhere else to be inspired to live. But there is one place that God has provided for us the necessary substance to sustain the Christian life. The Bible is enough. Scripture is sufficient.

The driving question that has to be asked is this: Why does the believer continue to look elsewhere for spiritual nutrition? Do we really believe that the Word is enough for our life?

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17