You’re a fairly new Believer or, maybe, a brand new one. Being saved is the end of something bad...the history of our death-dealing union with Adam. But it is also, just as importantly, the beginning of something good...our life-giving union with the last "Adam," the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17-19).

You need to know all you can about how this life is lived, and the sooner one begins to learn the dynamics of "Grace living," the better. The new life is not lived in the same way that the old one was, so it is important to recognize some of its important parameters right away (Romans 6:9-14).

First of all, our old life--the life we knew before we met the Lord--was lived in the flesh (Romans 8:7-10). Our resources were limited, and we measured our success or failure by the things we did or didn’t do. It was all a matter of human emotions, human will, human intellect. We dreamed our dreams and planned our plans with a "carnal" or fleshly mind. It was all that Grandpappy Adam could bequeath to us, so it was all that we had to work with. Even now that we are Believers, "the mind of the flesh" still resides in us, and we can choose to follow its lead as often, or for as long as we desire. The Corinthians were believers with all the equipment necessary to succeed in their new lives and ministries, but chose to govern their lives by human viewpoint rather than divine viewpoint (1 Corinthians chapters 1 through 4). Many of today’s Believers choose to be Corinthians for an entire lifetime; all of us fall back into human viewpoint from time to time.

Our Lord, in His earthly ministry, said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Make the steady intake of Bible doctrine your number one priority! (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The importance of this truth cannot be overemphasized! The life in the flesh, our former experience, was quite possible apart from the Word of God...even flourished without it. The life in the spirit is a life driven by the energy of God’s Word! Learn to love the Word of God. Some people read it, even study it, every day, but it is a chore to them. They grit their teeth and approach Bible study as if it were an "act of penance." Good food is not only nourishing but enjoyable! Whenever I eat I think to myself, "I’m putting health into my body;" I frequently thank God for stocking the world with so many flavorful foods, for giving man the genius to combine flavors and prepare foods, and for giving us taste buds that can distinguish between delights and pass the happy information on to our brains. People overeat when they are bored because food is exciting! Food is meant to be delicious and also nourishing. The Bible, correctly understood, is exciting, but it should also be nourishing... "Grow in Grace," said Peter, "even in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

Secondly, make the Bible your sole rule of authority in matters of faith and practice. Many people claim to do this but fall back on man as an authority when their views are challenged. God having spoken, we must understand everything else in the light of His Word, and not the other way around. Learn the "keys" to Bible understanding. Every scientific discipline has its rules, and Theology, "the Queen of the Sciences," is no exception. We cannot take liberties with the Bible that we would not take with any other legal document. Learn the rules and follow them and the Word of God will make sense. Learn to "rightly divide" the Scriptures; a "wrongly divided" Bible is no Bible at all (2 Timothy 2:15)!

Begin your Bible study with Romans. When you have a good grasp of the Doctrine of Salvation study the other Pauline Epistles. Then, having grasped the wonders of your new position "in Christ," study all of the Bible in the light of the Pauline Epistles. All of the Bible is for us; the Pauline epistles are to us and about us! Mark your Bible with a highlighter and take notes.

Finally, begin to acquire helpful Bible study tools. There are good books that can assist you greatly in your pursuit of a working knowledge of God’s Word. (See The Home Library .) Men can teach us; God meant that they should. Just never let man be the final authority. God is the only authority. The Bible is the only Vicar of Christ on Earth (Romans 3:4)!