Augustine, was one of the greatest theologians in church history. One writer describes him as having "...by far the greatest influence on the beliefs, practices and spirituality of Western Christianity." Even with all the learning and understanding that God graciously gave Him, Augustine never got bored of the Bible. In fact,it was quite the opposite. The more he studied and understood the more of an appetite he had for Scripture. In a letter he says this about the Bible:
There is such depth in the Christian Scriptures that, even if I studied them, and nothing else, from early childhood to worn-out old age, with ample time and unflagging zeal, and with greater intellectual ability than I posess, I would still each day find new treasures within them. The basic truths necessary for salvation are easily found within the Scriptures. But even when a person has accepted these truths, and is both God-fearing and righteous in his actions, there remain so many things which lie under a great veil of mystery. Through reading the Scriptures, we can pierce this veil, and find the deepest wisdom in the words which express these mysteries, and in the mysteries themselves. The oldest, the ablest, and the most eager student of Scripture, will say at the end of each day: "I have studied hard, but my studies are just beginning."
This stands as a challenge to us when we're tempted to think that we've 'mastered' the Bible. Or when we begin to think that we, pretty much, know what it all says. Let us be those who are ever saying, "My studies are just beginning."
