How Passionate Are You About Reading Scripture?

In the subject of Bibliology (the study of the Bible), I thought it necessary to begin with this introduction. It represents the standard by which we should be studying theology.

A common phenomenon in the church today is the initial passion that new believers bring to the reading of the Word of God. New Christians dive into the Scriptures in search of understanding. However, as time goes by we slowly begin to see a dwindling and lost of interest, and most importantly, a lost of the importance of reading the Word of God daily.

The results can be seen on a recent poll of how many Christian actually read their Bibles. According to the results of the poll, 16% of Americans say that they read the Bible every day, 21% say they read it weekly, 12% say they read the Bible monthly, 10% say less than monthly and 41% say that they rarely or never read the Bible. (Source: http://www.centerforbibleengagement.org)

Another danger that we encounter is a moving away from the Scriptures and replacing it with the reading of materials that reference the text. Whether it be commentaries, Christian history books, writings by theologians (both past and present), they cannot replace the need to open the Bible and reading the text for yourself. Although there is nothing wrong with utilizing other references in its study, we have moved into an age where the place of the Bible is second to all other writings that are filled with its interpretations. We must use the Bible first and hold all other writings accountable, comparing what the Bible has to say about any given topics.

Why is it important to return to the study of the Bible? Well, it is in the Word  that you find daily instructions for living a life for God. It is His revelation of Himself. It represents His revelation to you. The Bible is not just a book filled with stories and good advise. It is a guide to experiencing all that God has for you in this life.  We find that we easily get caught up on the technicalities of its structure, only to diminish the application of its message.

So yes, the Bible can be viewed as a book composed of many other books and letters, written by many authors, in a span of thousands of years. It is filled with the accounts of many lives, poems and songs, and the history of a nation. It is a book that provides the accounts of creation and the introduction of man and his fall from an original position of relationship and intimacy with God.

However, it also gives an account of God’s plan of redemption put into action in Jesus our Lord. It is a revelation of the God we have chosen to serve. It provides us with instructions and corrections to living a victorious life in Christ. It provides the right words in our time of need. In it we will find a living Word that will discern our intentions, adapting itself to any circumstances, bypassing the age of its writing to become applicable to today’s world.

If you want to live a victorious life now, get passionate about reading the Word of God. You do not have to wait to get to heaven to begin living a blessed life.