There is no substitute for knowing your Bible

The Bible is a big book, and we live in an era where most people do not read big books. While the literacy rate is very high in most countries, our attention is drawn in so many directions and fractured in so many ways that focussed attention on one book seems so difficult. It’s not that we cannot read; it is that we tend not to read.

This is a problem because the Bible is such a great gift and intended to be central in the lives of Christians. Let’s look briefly at just a few well-known places:

• Psalm 19 expresses joy in observing the world God has made. Considering the sun and the stars helps us understand the might and wisdom of our God. Yet while David expresses wonder at the world (v1-6), he finds his real joy in the law of the Lord (v7-14). It is in the law that we find such incredible riches and a deeper understanding of what God is like and what God wants from us.
• The famous armour of God passage in Ephesians 6 has Paul list a series of things we should put on to protect ourselves from the evil day we live in. Yet in this armour is only one weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:17). If we are to live well in this world, we need a sword. We need to use the weapon given to us by God.
• In 2 Timothy 3, Paul instructs Timothy to continue in the word of God he has been taught from a young age. The Scriptures are useful for many things, to equip the man of God for every good work (2 Tim 3:17). If we wish to be equipped to live well in God’s world, there is one place to look: the Bible.

There is no substitute for knowing your Bible. We get information on how to live and what matters from all kinds of sources these days: podcasts, blogs, Google searches, conversations with friends, even social media (scary as that might be). Even if what we hear is wise, it is not God’s word. God himself has told us what He is like, how He has acted in this world, how we can be saved, and how we should then live. Surely we need to listen to this!

How are you going with your Bible knowledge? Do you know the basic storyline of the Bible?

I have had the privilege of leading a lecture series which explores the Big Picture of the Bible associated with my local theological college a number of times. The people who come to this course are generally committed Christians who have been believers for many years. I usually ask them how many of them have read the entire Bible. The usual answer is around 20%. Think about that. These are the committed ones who come out to a night course, so I think it would be safe to say the general population of most churches would have a percentage much lower than this. There are a great many Christians who have been believers for many years who have never read the Bible through even once. That is so sad, for the Bible is so central, and so many are missing out on important information about God that is so readily available.

So what can we do to know our Bibles better? The obvious answer is to read it. There is no substitute for regular Bible reading. It is better to read five minutes a day than have a burst of an hour or two every month. Read a bit, think about it, and pray. If you’re not a reader or you find it difficult, perhaps listen to the Bible read to you while you commute to work. Be creative in trying to get more Bible into your life.

And go to a church that faithfully teaches the whole Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament. That gives opportunities to meet others in groups or one-to-one partnerships. That has a library of resources that can help you understand it. That preaches from the Bible, not popular culture with the odd verse or two thrown in.

Don’t feel guilty. Whatever your current level of knowledge is, go deeper. Read it again. If you have gaps, read the bits you don’t know well. Ask a more mature believer for help.

The Bible is an incredible gift to believers. Don’t leave it on the shelf.