There's a thought out there that I go back and forth on a lot. It's a thought that is impacted by a lot of things. First, we live in a very literate society. The Bible is available to read in many different formats, versions, sizes, levels, etc. Lots of churches have Bibles that they will give out to people if they need one. Access to the Bible is not typically a problem.
That has led to an emphasis on regularly reading the Bible. The phrase you often hear is, "get into the Word." It's a great idea. Read what God has said. Not only do you grow in knowing what God actually said (since there a lot of things out that there are supposed to be from the Bible, but that actually aren't out there, such as 'God helps those who help themselves'.), but you also give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to nurture your faith.
The thing is, such an emphasis has often seemed to lead more to guilt than to building up people in faith. The Bible is available, and yet, so many have a remarkably difficult time creating time to actually sit down and read it. I honestly wish I had a quarter for the number of times I've heard something along the lines of, "I just haven't had the time."
Part of me wants to point out to people that it's a matter of priority. However, there is another part of me that works in my mind. It's the part that thinks about the centuries of illiteracy. For a bulk of Christians who are part of God's eternal kingdom, access to the Bible wasn't something that they enjoyed. They didn't have the opportunity to have one or more sitting around at home. Even if they did, they couldn't have read them. So saying that they really need to be in the Word would almost be a laughable statement.
Were those Christians worse off than us today, because of their inability to regularly be reading the Bible? Sure, they may have heard longer sections during their worship times, but still, we have so much better access now. And yet, do we think that their faith life was somehow inadequate? Were they "less" of a Christian because they didn't have the opportunity to read and study as we do?
Granted, different times, different ages, different expectations. Plus, God makes it pretty clear that we don't get welcomed into His eternal kingdom based upon how much we know or read or studies, or how much time we devoted to His Word. And so, I really do struggle at times with telling people that they should be reading their Bibles. Are they "lesser" Christians if they don't? Are they dishonoring God if they aren't reading? And if we assume they are, then what about those who didn't have the ability or opportunity?
It would seem, in the end, to boil down more to our attitude toward what God has said, much more than the opportunity that God provides. What if pre-literate people valued what God said more because it was less accessible? What if we don't value it as highly simply because it is at our fingertips most of the time? We could access it at any time, and so we downplay the opportunities we miss because there will be more of them. And then, they just keep getting pushed off again and again and again.
In the end, it seems like the discussion revolves more around our attitude toward the Bible than in our reading of it. Yes, the benefits of reading it and spending time with it are incalculable. However, if we spend five minutes at the beginning of the week memorizing a verse, and then spending the rest of the week reflecting often on that verse, it would seem a far better thing than if we said we would read for 10 minutes a day, but not really process what we read because we were more intent on just getting through with the reading.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.
That has led to an emphasis on regularly reading the Bible. The phrase you often hear is, "get into the Word." It's a great idea. Read what God has said. Not only do you grow in knowing what God actually said (since there a lot of things out that there are supposed to be from the Bible, but that actually aren't out there, such as 'God helps those who help themselves'.), but you also give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to nurture your faith.
The thing is, such an emphasis has often seemed to lead more to guilt than to building up people in faith. The Bible is available, and yet, so many have a remarkably difficult time creating time to actually sit down and read it. I honestly wish I had a quarter for the number of times I've heard something along the lines of, "I just haven't had the time."
Part of me wants to point out to people that it's a matter of priority. However, there is another part of me that works in my mind. It's the part that thinks about the centuries of illiteracy. For a bulk of Christians who are part of God's eternal kingdom, access to the Bible wasn't something that they enjoyed. They didn't have the opportunity to have one or more sitting around at home. Even if they did, they couldn't have read them. So saying that they really need to be in the Word would almost be a laughable statement.
Were those Christians worse off than us today, because of their inability to regularly be reading the Bible? Sure, they may have heard longer sections during their worship times, but still, we have so much better access now. And yet, do we think that their faith life was somehow inadequate? Were they "less" of a Christian because they didn't have the opportunity to read and study as we do?
Granted, different times, different ages, different expectations. Plus, God makes it pretty clear that we don't get welcomed into His eternal kingdom based upon how much we know or read or studies, or how much time we devoted to His Word. And so, I really do struggle at times with telling people that they should be reading their Bibles. Are they "lesser" Christians if they don't? Are they dishonoring God if they aren't reading? And if we assume they are, then what about those who didn't have the ability or opportunity?
It would seem, in the end, to boil down more to our attitude toward what God has said, much more than the opportunity that God provides. What if pre-literate people valued what God said more because it was less accessible? What if we don't value it as highly simply because it is at our fingertips most of the time? We could access it at any time, and so we downplay the opportunities we miss because there will be more of them. And then, they just keep getting pushed off again and again and again.
In the end, it seems like the discussion revolves more around our attitude toward the Bible than in our reading of it. Yes, the benefits of reading it and spending time with it are incalculable. However, if we spend five minutes at the beginning of the week memorizing a verse, and then spending the rest of the week reflecting often on that verse, it would seem a far better thing than if we said we would read for 10 minutes a day, but not really process what we read because we were more intent on just getting through with the reading.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.
While not being literate and not being able to read the bible would not make someone less of a christian, it could lead them to believing false doctrine. This is what led to Luther questioning the Catholic church's teachings and brought about the reformation. It is important to encourage bible study so that Christians do understand their faith. Of coarse, if an individual doesn't read the Bible, this doesn't make him/her a lesser christian, but could leave them open to being open to believing the Anti-Christ when he arrives. We could look at bible study as the armor protecting us against the coming false prophets. Bible study also helps Christians understand their faith better and hopefully be more ready to share that faith with others. Having small group bible study is good for helping people to schedule time to be in the word and being held accountable.Lastly, Parents have a responsibility to teach their children about God and the more they know, the easier it is to show their children what it means to be a Christian. Emma just asked this week:"Where in the bible does it tell us where Satan came from? While I know that I won't always have the all the answers to her questions, it is always great to be able to spend time talking about faith questions with her. As Emma exclaimed recently,"The Bible is such a great Book. It has it all: Action, Adventure, History, Romance, Poetry, and so much more."
ReplyDeleteI was aiming a little more at the faith aspect of reading over the knowledge aspect. But you highlight the danger which many pre-literate people faced. You only can believe what people tell you if you can't read, and they didn't always get the best direction. Sadly, many don't read for the purpose of deeper understanding or faith, but to get more bullets for their theological guns these days. Yet, that does miss the point. God gives so much in the Bible that Emma's response is right on.
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