I see danger in them and I want to tell you why.
1. Using a Bible study book does not promote good Bible understanding. Using a Bible study book gives you a good understanding of what the author of that book thinks, but it does not give you a good understanding of what the Bible says. Every single Bible study book contains errors. Every single one. Avoid these errors by using the Bible, not a study book that has errors.
2. Bible study books taint the Bible. When my son was deployed to Iraq, I cherished his letters. I would never have allowed someone else to read them then tell me their thoughts and ideas about what he had written. No way! I had to read them (devour them) for myself. It's the same with God's Word; I have to read the Word for myself and can never be satisfied with someone else's summary or thoughts about the Word. To study by reading someone else's take on the Bible taints the Scriptures with that person's ideas and thoughts. Everyone has filters....whether they admit it or not...and those filters taint the Word. I'd rather not have their take on it; I'd rather have the Scriptures alone.
3. Bible study books lead to idol worship. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people in "Bible" studies never open a Bible. They use some study book they found and never open the Scriptures. They've said the Scriptures are printed within the book, but I have only seen a few verses referenced in such books, followed by pages of commentary. The authors of these books have taken the Bible completely out of its context, put their own spin on it, then called it "Bible" study. It is not a Bible study; it's a book study. When you're studying what someone else has said about the Bible, you're not studying the Bible. These books are taking the place of the Bible in people's lives. They, and their authors, have become idols because they take the focus completely off God and put it on themselves. They do this by making application the primary focus. The primary focus of the Bible is not its application to your life; the primary focus of the Bible is Jesus. If we are thinking about ourselves and our response to His Word, we are no longer looking to Jesus, we are looking to ourselves. We then become the idols and you can see this play out all over social media.
4. Bible study books stunt spiritual growth. Because the main focus of these books is mostly application, the work of the Holy Spirit is replaced with the principles taught in these books that people think are "Biblical." The most you will get from a "Bible" study book is a list of things the author thinks you should or should not do in light of their interpretation. This is not spiritual growth; this actually stunts spiritual growth because these so-called "Biblical principles" only last until the next book is published, then a whole new set of "Biblical principles" takes shape. News flash: Biblical principles are a myth. They do not exist. If we could truly glean some "Biblical principle" from Scripture, then we could make the argument that becoming a prostitute and committing treason is a good principle. Look how that worked out for Rahab.....she's even in the line of Christ!
5. Bible study books are filled with misinterpretation and false teachings. I have not found even one Bible study book that teaches Truth without error. They all have errors because they are all made by people and people make mistakes every single day. Many authors, in their book introductions, even exalt themselves, telling people their book will change their lives and they need it (Beth Moore's books nearly all say this). Their books will not change your life. They might make you feel good or better in a given moment, but that fades with reality. The misinterpretations are hard to spot because they run very close to Scripture, but with small, dangerous changes. Be wary of any study that quotes a small portion of Scripture then builds an entire lesson around it. There's a 99% chance those verses are taken and used completely out of context, but you might never know if you're using that book instead of the Bible as your main text.
I'm not condemning all teachings from all people; I'm condemning "Bible" study books that are anything but. We can all learn something from each other. I'm not against learning from others. I am against replacing true, real Bible study with a book written by a human author that takes the place of my Bible. I've been in "Bible studies" where the participants often don't open or even bring their Bibles!
True, real Bible study is not difficult; I'm perplexed as to why anyone would choose a Bible study book, especially in a classroom (think Sunday School) setting, instead of the actual Bible.
God has promised His Word will not return void. No human author can make that claim. Their words are all void. Why do so many people settle for so much less when the Bible is so rich in doctrine, comfort, learning, teaching, truth and a host of other benefits?
Settle for More....more true understanding of the Bible.....more interaction with the Holy Spirit.....more knowledge of the Bible.....more of the Word.
Using Bible study books causes people to settle for less.
~Tricia
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