5 Awesome Benefits of the Bible in the Brain

Men’s lifestyle has shifted a lot since the pandemic.

11:41 22 February 2021

While people have been reading the news about death here and there, Bible reading has also been declining alongside it. 

 

A study by the American Bible Society showed that Scripture engagement declined amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

 

The State of the Bible 2020 reported that US Bible readers' percentage dropped from 14-9% between 2019 to 2020. This is a sad fact, given the many wonders the Bible has to offer to its readers.

 

Thus, the church needs to constantly seek ways to hook people to study God’s words. Bible games are now being developed to reach people in ways leaders back then deem impossible.

 

The Bible has numerous benefits in the brain, five of which will be discussed in this article.

 

Here are five awesome benefits of the Bible in the brain:

 

• It makes the brain merciful.

• The social impact of reading the Bible.

 

Spiritual activities like reading the Bible light up the brain regions for empathy and emotions. A series of eight different experiments conducted with 529 adults showed that religious people are more empathic than atheists.

 

Religious people have a “deeper social and emotional understanding.” according to the researchers. On the other hand, the inactivity of atheists’ brain region for empathy and emotion are also observed in psychopaths.

 

• More social impacts of Bible reading

 

Individuals who are consistently reading the Bible attested that it helps to guide their choices and transform their relationships. According to a study, it leads them to:

 

1. Welcome immigrants to their community. 
   
   
2. Befriend people of other races. 
   
   
3. Befriend people of other religions. 
   
   
4. Care for the environment. 
   
   
5. Advocate for those who are oppressed by society

 

The Bible teaches its followers to be merciful as God is (Luke 6:33) because blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7). This shows how the vertical relationships (God and Man) developed from studying His words are extended to the horizontal ones (Man and Man).

 

• It gives off a less anxious and a more peaceful brain.

• The Bible is a great source of comfort.

 

``According to Historian Mark Noll,

“The Bible has historically been a source of great comfort and consolation for those who read it regularly or who turn to it in times of crisis. This historical usage of scripture seems to have continued, and with surprising strength, into the present.”

 

In a study conducted amongst atheists and believers, it was found that thinking and doing God-related activities such as reading the Bible made believers less anxious but atheists more distressed. Bible Centered people listed the Bible as their leading source of comfort (70%), followed by prayer (65%) and family (45%).

• Bible verses to give us peace

 

Now that the world is in crisis, the more we need to pray and study the Scriptures. Many promises in the Bible may keep us less anxious and be more peaceful amidst these trying times. Here are some:

 

1. John 16:33
   
   
2. Romans 8:6
   
   
3. Colossians 3:15
   
   
4. Psalm 46:1
   
   
5. Psalm 18: 32-36
   
   
6. Psalm 119: 166
   
   
7. Isaiah 41:10
   
   
8. Deuteronomy 31:6
   
   
9. Galatians 5:22-26
   
   
10. John 14:27

 

The brain is the central unit of the body. When it is distressed, all other functions will fail. Thus, it is essential to sustain its balance through the study of the scripture.

 

• It improves the emotional quotient.

• What is emotional intelligence?

 

Emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to process emotional information (in themselves and others) and use it to navigate social relationships.

 

• The brain’s activity while bible reading

 

Reading the Bible and prayer increase gray matter in the cortex. Thus, improving emotional resilience and preventing major depression. Meditating upon God’s words allows us to investigate our inner self, evaluate our feelings, and process our thoughts right. 

 

Thus, we develop trust, make peace with ourselves, and find joy to share with others. We are happier, so we get sick less often. “For a cheerful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22).”

 

Here are more example Bible verses to improve our emotional quotient:

 

1. Proverbs 14:29
   
   
2. Proverbs 25:15
   
   
3. Proverbs 26:20
   
   
4. Psalm 42: 5
   
   
5. Psalm 77:2-8
   
   
6. Psalm 139: 23-24

 

Try now reading the Bible for yourself!

 

• It yields feelings of pleasure or rewards like addiction.

• The definition of addiction

 

Dr. Marc Lewis, author of the book The Biology of Desire, mentioned that addiction is not a brain disease or disorder. It is a habit that starts from an intense desire or motivation to do something.

 

This habit gives so much pleasure, so the urge escalates. God specified brain regions for pleasure and reward. However, often people become a slave to these experiences such as shopping, eating out, gambling, watching pornography, smoking, etc.

 

• An alternative for vices

 

Contrary, thinking about God through Bible reading and meditation yields feelings of pleasure or rewards like addiction. It activates the brain, as does the activities mentioned above.

 

The nucleus accumbens, the brain's region for processing pleasure and rewards are activated when believers think of God while hooked to an fMRI. Such thoughts also started the brain regions that process spiritual or moral judgment and focused attention.

 

• It shields the brain from being tempted to smoke or use drugs.

• Bible reading lessens the likelihood that man may resort to smoke or drugs.

 

A survey of the American Bible society confirmed that non-Bible readers tend to find comfort on many things such as drugs. Moreover, a study conducted to more than 5387 Swiss army respondents showed that fewer religious young men smoked cigarettes and took psychoactive drugs compared to their agnostic or atheist counterparts.

 

• Is drugs prohibited in the Bible?

 

The Bible does not directly mention the prohibitions of drugs. However, many principles talk about this in the scripture.

 

1. The need to control the mental faculties- Matthew 22:37, 38; 1 Peter 1: 13; and Philippians 4:8
   
   
2. Obedience to secular laws- Titus 3:1; Romans 13:1
   
   
3. Keeping the body holy for it is the temple of God- 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20
   
   
4. Walking blamelessly- Romans 13:13; 1 Peter 4: 1-6
   
   

God made our brain an incredible masterpiece! Thus, we must care for it to the utmost of our capacities. 

 

The main organ that supports all life functions is the brain. It is also the medium in which we can communicate with the divine. Thus, the brain is constantly attacked by the devil to lead men astray. If the Bible is frequently in our hands, “we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water” as the Psalmist David says.

 

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Short Bio

 

Heroes 2 : The Game is a Bible trivia game released by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Hope Channel. It is a sequel to the game, Heroes, which was released way back in 2013. The latest game version is on its new 3D animation, comes with unique features, and has more challenging Bible questions in four languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. The game is available on both iOS and Android.