Applying God’s Word to the Next Generation

If you want to be stronger for it. If you want to grow conformity to the image of Christ. You need to know the truths of God.

That's doctrine, that's theology and the whole point of this Bible is to help you learn the theology that God reveals in his sacred word that was the Pharisees for talking about the Reformation study Bible and today we are pleased to let you know about the recent release of the new student edition of the study Bible: welcome to a special edition of Renewing Your Mind. We well before we get to this I want to take us back to 2015 to that interview that I had the privilege of doing with Dr. scroll. When we release the thoroughly revised edition of the Reformation study Bible.

So many of you have made this year study Bible of choice and that I have as well as my my constant companion during the student is broadcast each day I begin that interview by asking RC what publishing the Reformation study Bible communicates about your ministry. Well I can answer this question that I've asked of people before and that is what will drive a man to spend an entire year hiding from the world being disguised as a night under a different identity in order to translate the ancient Greek texts of the New Testament into the common language, so that even the youngest child could understand the basic message of sacred Scripture, knowing that if he were to be discovered and captured. It would mean his death. In the course of speaking about Martin Luther one in 1521. After the died of warm sea flood under a fake kidnapping episode to go to the Wartburg Castle, where he there in the skies undertook this task and taking the Bible and putting in the vernacular was an anathema to the church, Luther was told by the church, the Roman church that if you translate the Bible into the vernacular, you're going to open a floodgate of an equity. There will be hundreds of different denominations or arise, each claiming to base their faith on the Bible. Luther agreed that that could very well happen. He said, but if it means getting the gospel that's plain enough for every child to understand into the hands of the normal person that if a floodgate of iniquity be opened so be it.

Or, why would a man like William Tyndale across the whole continent of Europe, moving from city to city to escape certain execution translate the ancient Hebrew into words that a literate plow boy could read and understand both of these men, Luther and Tyndale host of others, like Wycliffe before him had a passion to get the word of God into the possession and into the minds and hearts and souls of every person imaginable.

Dr. scroll. When was the first English study Bible developed the first English Bibles overproduced by men like Wycliffe and Tyndale and Coverdale and others were not annotated they didn't have teaching notes in the margins that came to pass, originally with the Geneva study Bible that was published in the middle of the 16th century were refugees fleeing the persecution of Buddy Mary of England left England and went to other parts of Europe, but the scholars found their refuge in Geneva with Calvin and John Knox was there at the time and these scholars there spent their time in exile producing the first really English translation. That was a study Bible, the Geneva Bible was the Bible, Shakespeare was the Bible the Puritans the Bible the pilgrims the Bible that the first generation of colonists in America learned as they were growing and it's in the spirit of that Geneva Bible that we produce the new Geneva study Bible than the Reformation study Bible, which really excites every Tuesday morning. Now I'm involved in a Bible study. I don't lead the Bible study friend of mine leads it.

I'm just one who attends it with a few other men were going through the book of Genesis and you talk about aha moments, serendipitous experiences these men is there working their way through Genesis verse by verse by verse can't get over how much is in Genesis that informs the whole scope of redemptive history and of our understanding of Christ and his work, and that's one of the features that you have here in this new Bible to show the people before they even read a book weathers Genesis or Hebrews how this particular book. Remember, the Bible is not just a book.

It's a library of books of 66 books put together in the one volume and each book relates to each other book in a singular manner of this important but it helps people see that vital principle of sacred Scripture that's already there will without these aids to help them see RC there are some Christians who will save it to doctrine divides that we don't need doctrine week.

We just need the Bible honey responded that there is this antipathy I should say a distaste in our days even in the church for Dr. Davis. I can have a Christian life without being concerned about Dr. Mo if you're not concerned about doctrine and the blessing and do with your Bible is thrown away because that's what the Bible is at 66 books of doctrine of God's divine revelation. When Jesus was in this last night on this planet before his execution he met in the upper room with his disciples and he gave his high priestly prayer. He poured out his soul to the father in behalf of his followers and his disciples, and those who would come through the ministry of the disciples, and his prayer was for their sanctification and he said father sanctify them through thy truth by word is truth. If you want to be sanctified. If you want to grow in conformity to the image of Christ. You need to know the truth of God. That's doctrine, that's theology. It's inescapable. And so the whole point of this Bible is to help you learn the theology that God reveals in his sacred word that will shape your life and bring you into conformity to Christ Dr. scroll. I think our listers would be interested in hearing how you use a study Bible. Well my pretreatment and that when I prepare a sermon idea course you check all the commentaries and that I go into a much broader examination of comments than I can get out of the bottom of a page of a study about, but at the same time, I just, in many cases, just look at the bottom of the page and I'm really moved by the poignancy and the accuracy of those notes and and and I'm just reading the Bible in general without preparing a sermon and I look at these notes all the time as they help me come to an understanding of difficult texts. You know I'm a systematic theologian by training and and and so on. The task of the system. Attention is not to bring an alien system and force the Bible into that preconceived system like a Procrustes in bed or something of that sort, but rather our job is to look at the whole scope of sacred Scripture and see the system that's their inherently in the Bible and then a holistic lady articulate the doctrines that are found throughout Scripture, we can't do that without the benefit of the specialists who are the biblical scholars who were experts on the Old Testament or experts on the New Testament or even beyond that experts on the Gospels versus the epistles were experts on the historical board for the poetic books of the Old Testament.

As I said earlier, there are some who are experts in biome one book and so that's the resource for the systematic theologian to do his work and we make distinctions between biblical theology and and systematic theology, but those are not a distinction that refers to an ultimate difference.

It's more of a proximate difference on how we do our work. That was part of my conversation with Dr. RC Sproul on the occasion of launching the thoroughly revised edition of the Reformation study Bible and today were letting you know about the recently released student edition which we believe will serve the next generation of Christians so well. I joined her the studio by litigators, Pres. and CEO Chris Larson and that unit Chris after hearing Marcy's remarks back in 2015 release of the student edition really is a significant milestone. Polygamy resented it is because legionnaire is a Bible ministry. That is what we really exist to do is to get the word of God into people's hands but ultimately into their hearts so that they live it out and being able to pass on the faith to the next generation is incumbent upon all of God's people today so all of our listeners are united with us in this calling to transmit the truth to the next generation so that they might understand what God has revealed about himself who they are and how they are to live in this world and if there's ever a time that the next generation needs to have that sense of grounding that sense of orientation to the truth. It is now when they are being bumped guarded by so many lies and opinions. It seems that everybody's got an opinion about everything today. What's lacking is God's opinion and that's really the only opinion that matters. So to get the student edition of the Reformation study Bible out there to the next generation is really a great privilege, and no responsibility. Chris, would you talk about the great care that went into publishing this resource. This was many years in development. It has the bones of the Reformation study Bible, of course, imbued by Dr. scroll's teaching and so it's got his rigor and theology diffuse throughout the project, and we even brought in a group of teenagers to read the notes and just to make sure that they could understand what we were talking about so that we can make these study notes as accessible as possible so that really an offense for every age and stage of the Christian life there be a good starting point for Christians who want to study the Bible for now, this may not be for our most advanced students alligator ministries but I guarantee you those advanced students. They know someone that he would like to get the student edition of the Reformation study Bible to soak one since yes it's for Jen Z in the next generation. But this could be a good introductory resource for somebody who's just come to faith in Christ. We'd like to see how the Lord uses this and so we produce this and we are praying that the Lord would take this and introduce millions of people to who he is, really, is just getting people into the words of Scripture itself because that is what is going to change lives holistic down into that a little deeper. Chris, what makes the student edition distinctive from the thoroughly revised edition of the Reformation study Bible. First of all, when you pick this up you'll see how it is laid out its beautifully designed, particularly designed for that next generation and the study notes are right there integrated into the design of the page, but not in a way that distracts from the Scripture we've always tried to take great care in making sure that the Scriptures stand out. We do not want our study notes to supersede God's word steadiness at the end of the day really just man's word and we have brought together the best scholarship to explain the meaning of the text and I know that when I come across a text that I find difficult to understand study Bibles have helped me to quickly orient to the larger themes of Scripture and to ensure that I'm interpreting something theologically correct and how important it is to help the next generation to do that. Students will also see some helpful Q&A's that are written just for them. For instance, questions like does science contradict the Bible or even this important question that they may have never thought of before. What is a covenant we know that covenant theology really informs Genesis to Revelation and how we approach the Scriptures and so to be able to equip the next generation. With this framework of understanding you can see just how important it is to get a resource like this into the hands of a young growing Christian you hearing questions like that Chris does science contradict the Bible and and what is a covenant. It really brings to light the need for a resource not just for students but people of all ages. Considering the lack of knowledge that people have about God's word to the right. It's shocking to us when we've done different surveys here at legionnaire to observe how few people actually know the content of the Bible and so help like this with the student Reformation study Bible is an easy place to begin your study of the Scriptures.

She could give it with confidence to a friend a child or grandchild and to know that you're going to help them to begin to understand the framework of Scripture and to give them confidence in knowing what God has revealed about himself, recently the president of Reformation Bible college. Dr. Steven Nichols sat down with some current and past RBC students to talk about the new student edition of the Reformation study Bible and the importance of young people digging deep into God's word.

It's always a pleasure to sit with students from RBC both present and past you. Dr. scroll would often say it's not enough to read the Bible we also have to study the Bible how important is it how urgent is it for young people today to study God's word.

I think the absolutely essential growing up, there's this push to think for yourself and there's many many competing ideas. So if you have no basis if you have no foundation. I think it's very possible to be quite confused and perhaps just fit a mold that that people are impressing upon you, so I think it's absolutely critical and really urgent for people to be building a solid biblical foundation and I think it's one of the most important things that a young person could do angry. I have been thinking about how as a young cursing young people in our culture are very prone to looking for identity and where searching for who we are and in a culture there is a lot of false head at that who you are in how you find out about who you are and selling we read Scripture we are being informed a few God is ending. Here we are in relation to her hand and said I just think that it's one of the most important things that a young person can do is read Scripture. I often think of Psalm one and since Blessed is the man who walks not in the accounts of the wicked stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the laws of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night and what you find is that he said tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit in season and its leaf does not wither and that to find meaningful living to find fruitful living. You have to be planted by streams of God's word and that's where fruitfulness comes from and so trying to find a meaningful life trying to find fulfillment trying to find a God glorifying life to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

You must be planted by God's word because that's how you you shall thrive. I think it's so important I can't remember. I mean, I'm young, but from hearing about the past.

I can't remember hearing about a time when there's been such rampant false teaching, especially among young people in our culture. I think the Bible is where we need to go to find the answers to really hard questions and attacks that young people are getting an elementary school, high school that a lot of adults don't really have to face. I think young people need Scripture like first Peter tells us to have a defense for the accusations that are coming at them right now I think there's so much wisdom in what you've all been saying there are so many voices coming at young people today so many influencers and much of that influences entirely in the wrong direction. We really need to turn our attention to Scripture and to study it as you've all said, what are some practical ways that you, as young people, even dipping back into your youth and teenage years I what are some practical ways that you devoted your time and your energies to studying God's word. I think the most essential thing is daily interaction with God's word. You need to be reading God's word and praying daily. One summer when I was a kid, my dad forced us to memorize Colossians chapter 3, and that proved to be very fruitful for me.

I think Colossians is is at least as far as I was concerned. Growing up, it was a great roadmap for what it means to really live the Christian life and what that looks like in many ways.

Colossians 3 paints a very broad stroke picture but it's a very sufficient summary for for what it means to live the Christian and so memorizing that proved to be very fruitful.

But then I think also not to be burdened by by reading Scripture. I think it's easy to feel that as a young person know I have to do this because this is the right thing to do but it's like Alex said it's it's a Blessed is the one who delights in the will of God. It's a joy and a privilege to be able to not only read Scripture but study it and and it's it's a fruitful experience and it doesn't have to be a burden but if you can read a chapter a day read a Psalm read the proverb that accords with the day of the month and and and that will reap significant benefits. Like Maggie said is just important to be in the word. I think I really like what you're saying Stephen I just encourage young people to have a daily interaction. We live in a time where we are able to access Scripture very easily sail listening to Scripture, is really good by your driving or wet whenever you're dealing listening to Scripture by just interacting in small ways, maybe even over and over again through the day and praying over which he read and taking what you can know small interactions will benefit you a very long term.

I think faithfulness where you can be faithful is what's really important. God's word is active, it never comes back. Avoid Mike Stephen said just that daily interaction it's going to help grow and sanctify you going along with that 90 dead weight is to interact with Scripture with the people that year-round so take advantage of listening and charity take advantage of Bible studies that are available to you. Take advantage as devotion times with your family. I think those are really practical ways to interact with Scripture. It does seem as if busyness is increasing but I also think there is a significant rise in the amount of wasted time we have in a day.

In fact, the iPhone now has a feature where it will tell you at the end of the week. How much screen time you spent and where it was allocated in and that can be a harsh awakening when that pops up on the end of the week. I think there is a lot of wasted time on on technology on phones and iPads or whatever.

One thing I used to do in high school is made a contract with myself that I would not go to bed. Having scrolled through social media, but not read my Bible for the day and I think that's that's the to a type of thing that you could do to set up some insurance for yourself and and sort of help hold yourself accountable to that.

Think about that how much time do you spend on your phone, scrolling through meaningless things that are gonna have no eternal effect on you or perhaps a negative effect on you. Rather than immersing yourself in the word of God to comment along with the allocating of small amounts of time. When you eat when you can't allocate a lot of time is to realize that there is a necessity to dig deep to take time and that's going to make even when you have short times can make those more fruitful. One of the things I did in the prophets course here at RBC was that I outlined the books the prophets, and I wrote somatic summaries and those two things outlining the book and summarizing the themes proved very fruitful because what happens is that you understand a book of the Bible as a whole. And so then when you zoom in and you just read the one chapter.

It's so much more rich because you can provide the context to it with the learning and knowledge that you already have and so to take time to understand the book deeply.

Maybe with the help of a study Bible is really important to dig deep to dig deep wells that you can draw from.

Even when you have just a little time just read one Psalm, Alex, that's great advice to dig those deep wells. Thanks to all of you for encouraging not just young people, but everybody to read the Bible study the Bible as you said Sivan even to delight in the Bible and take those moments to make the vibrant part of our life. Bring it into her daily life. His emotions thank you for these encouraging words for all of us to study it was Dr. Steven Nichols with several of his students from Reformation Bible college and and Chris as we listen to what those students had to say.

I thought it fit hand in glove with what RC said. When the Reformation study Bible was first released and that is that he hoped it would spark a Bible study Reformation within praying and striving for an awakening to the reality of who God is, at this ministry since 1971. This is just another link in the chain of continuing that ministry outreach so I would even ask your listeners to pray as we release this resource that God would be pleased to use it the lives of millions of people around the world, not just now but in years and years to come because we desperately need the next generation to own for themselves, the historic Christian faith in this resource can be a great help. To that end, we'd like to send you a copy of this new student edition of the Reformation study Bible.

Contact us today online or by phone with the donation of any amount your financial support will help the teaching that you enjoy from Liggett or reach younger people around the world and begin getting the study Bible on high school campuses around the country that would be a good time to consider a family member or friend who would benefit from receiving a copy of the student edition so I can request your copy of the new student edition of the Reformation study Bible today by contacting us at 800-435-4343. You can also make your request and give your gift online and Renewing Your Mind.org Chris, thank you for being with us today and we think you are listeners for being with us for this special edition Renewing Your Mind. This is the listener supported outreach ministries and we hope to see you right back here next time