Although it is good to start learning the scriptures - the Bible at any age, it is best to start learning as young as possible while our minds are most open to new things and before one's mind is crowded with ungodly or godless thoughts or views. Although it is good to know the scriptures, and that is necessary, what is indispensable is to have that knowledge of the scriptures mixed with or lead to faith in God, Jesus Christ and his salvation by faith alone in Jesus according to His word the Holy Bible. The scriptures leading to salvation through faith in the all sufficient death for our sins and resurrection from the dead to give us new and eternal life is the characteristic of true wisdom in God's sight. Although there is much good advice in writings of the world including other philosophy and religions they are all imperfect and at most show how humans can give their best effort to God and are inspired only by people or even by evil angels but the Bible is fully inspired or breathed by God by His Holy Spirit through its human writers from start to finish or Genesis through Revelation and shows God's salvation through being justified by His best in His Son Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection from the dead. The scripture or Bible is profitable in many ways especially including the following: for doctrine or teaching, for reproof (to show us how not to live), for correction (to show us how to live better for God), for instruction in righteousness (to show us how to live better or fully fully or consistently for God when we are already living well for him). The aim of these profitable things of the inspired scriptures is so the man (or woman) of God may be perfect (spiritually mature or complete) and well equipped or in abundant possession and experience or reputation of good works. The scripture passage from 2 Timothy 3 of the inspiration of the scriptures - God's Word - the Holy Bible and its profitability for salvation and Christian service is as follows:
And that from a child thou (you) hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee (you) wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ (Messiah) Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
The Lord Jesus Christ said that he gave the words given him from the Creator God or God the Father (although Jesus also had a part in creating the world) to his apostles or disciples. He goes on to say that they received them and believed the Lord Jesus came from God from heaven and that God the Father sent Jesus on his mission to die for our sins and rise again and return to heaven. Jesus goes on to pray for Christians in general (those that would believe in him through the words of the apostles in the New Testament that are words from Jesus and then from God the Father.) Here Jesus is making it clear that the words of the New Testament aren't just from the human writers and many people say or believe these days but from God through Jesus to those human writers. Therefore we should give our utmost consideration to the New Testament as well as for this age secondarily the Old Testament scriptures as they are given also by God and we are accountable to God how we respond to them with only trusting in the Lord Jesus as the way to eternal life and a relationship with God. The scripture reference from the Gospel of John 17 that mentions that the words of the New Testament writers are words God has given them through the Lord Jesus Christ is as follows:
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. ... Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. Gospel of John 17:8, 20.
It is stated here in the scriptures that the people in Berea in Greece near Thessalonica were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They were called more noble because, compared to the Thessalonicans received the word of God with all readiness of mind or not with a critical or faithless spirit and they searched the scriptures daily whether these things, (the things in their lives and the world), were so. That they were so means whether these things are true as claimed or presented or whether there was some bias or agenda or what we might call "spin" in some things that were said. This is also good even critical advice for everyone to do in the fast paced current days of the information explosion. Among other things that we should compare to the scriptures are politics, economic matters, religion, entertainment, military, history, science and technology, philosophy. Searching the scriptures to be done profitably should be done in a literal not symbolic or allegorical interpretation as the latter dismisses many of the legitimate biblical details or history, science and technology and prophecy. Although there is room for improvement this is what I have tried to do throughout this website and in Bible reading and life and would offer my website as a pattern how to apply these verses in Acts 17. This searching the scriptures should include holding professing or actual Christian teachers including myself who at best aren't perfect to a check of literal interpretation of scripture in context. For one to use this practice effectively a person should have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour so the Holy Spirit can give understanding to what we read or study in the Bible and what we compare other matters to the Bible. We should also pray and try to confess and forsake any known sin (as defined in the Bible) before reading or studying the Bible to best get understanding by the Holy Spirit although we don't have to wait to read the Bible until our lives are perfect but the more our lives are free or unconfessed sin the more God will likely help us get spiritual insights and understanding when we read His Word. We should as soon as we are able make serious effort to read all of God's Word the Holy Bible if we are a genuine Christian to be aware of all of its teaching so we will be able to better discern between truth and error in what we see and hear in the world as consistant Bible reading is expected by God and not an option for any faithful or healthy Christian or child of God as this is our spiritual food for our new or born of the Holy Spirit nature. The effect or receiving the word with all readiness of mind and searching the scriptures daily whether the things we hear of see claimed in the world are so is given in the next verse but note that this should be done daily for best effect. The effect of this upholding the word of God was that many believed in God and Jesus including well off women and men. God always honours Christians or Christian workers, preachers or evangelists who honour his word. The scripture reference in Acts 17 of how to honour God by honouring his word and his blessing this by bringing people to faith or deeper faith in Him and His only begotton Son the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is as follows:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures of daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. Acts 17:10-11
One time Jesus spoke to some Jews that believe on him meaning he was giving instructions not for salvation but for growth in a life of faith in Jesus and in God through him. Jesus said to them and he would say to all Christians now that are true believers in him that if we continue in his word which means to at least continue reading and studying it and hopefully also putting into practice what God shows us in our reading and study of his word then in Jesus' sight we are his disciples indeed or in truth. Jesus then says if we continue in this course we will know the truth because when we read God's word with a careful and prayerful heart God's Holy Spirit indwelling the believer in Jesus will lead us into more and more especially spiritual truth and understanding. Jesus says that with this truth we will be free including from a lack of understanding about God our purpose in this life or our destiny after this life among other things and that we can be free from the enemies of the Christian the lust or cravings of the flesh, the desires for more of this world system or to be accepted by it more or by the temptations, lies, or opposition of the devil or demons. The scripture reference from Gospel of John 8 of Jesus' exhortation to continue in his word to be his true disciples and to know the truth and to be especially spiritually free is as follows:
The said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32
Some people might say that the written word of God is not eternal but the thoughts and even some of the words in it convey God's plans even from eternity past including his creation of the universe and his plan of redemption of mankind through a saviour. Here in Hebrews 11 the scripture says that by faith that other scripture says comes primarily from the word of God we understand that God planned or conceived the ages which means that the word of God must contain ideas or even words of God as old as any of the ages and as far into the future as them. This would also include the basic outline of the things visible and invisible that would characterize each of these ages. The statement that those things which appear might appear out of those things which are not seen means based on other scriptures that the ages and the things in them are created or planned by God's word as the book of Genesis as some other scriptures make plain in saying that certain things appeared after God spoke them into being. This aspect of God's word helps us mature as believers in God and Jesus Christ to help us understand or perceive that it is by his word that he creates, plans and sustains or develops the ages and the things in the universe and on earth in particular in each of the ages. The scripture reference from Hebrews 11 of the Word of God viewed as the means that God created and unfolds his plan for the ages is as follows:
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:3
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