Reading the Bible
For many Christians, reading the Bible has become something we check off a list. We've been told it's the top thing we're supposed to do as believers—get up early, have a quiet time with God, read at least one chapter a day, or if you really want to be a good Christian, read through the entire Bible every year.
For a lot of us, reading our Bible has become a duty—a religious task to be completed each day. But that's not the way to approach reading the Bible.
Wrong Reasons to Read the Bible
1. As a Rule Book
Many of us thumb through the Bible looking for all the rules we're supposed to follow, approaching it as nothing more than a book of dos and don'ts. We want to know what we're supposed to do and what we're not supposed to do, so we read to figure those things out and try our best to live how God wants us to live.
2. For More Knowledge
Certainly, as you read your Bible, you'll gain more knowledge, but that shouldn't be the primary reason. Some people read to impress everyone with how much they know—all those little bits and pieces of information they can share whenever they're in a room full of people.
3. For Inspiration
Some people just read the Bible to find some thought to brighten their day before going out into the real world—the Bible as a dispenser of inspiration and good vibes. Maybe they're looking for motivational quotes to help them get a college scholarship, run a marathon, get more sales, move up the corporate ladder, or become an influencer.
It’s a motivational tool.
4. As Religious Duty
We've already touched on this, but it bears repeating: we don't read the Bible because it's our duty or part of a religious task to be completed each day.
The Right Reason to Read the Bible
So what is the reason we read our Bible? What's the right way to approach this book?
Jesus actually tells us in John 5.
The Story Behind the Teaching
Jesus was in Jerusalem at the pool of Bethesda, where many believed the water had healing properties. There He met a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
The man replied, "I don't have anyone to help me into the water when it is stirred and someone gets in ahead of me."
Jesus looked at him and said, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." And the man did—healed after 38 years.
The only problem? Jesus had done this on the Sabbath, a day of rest. When the religious leaders saw the man carrying his mat (considered work on the Sabbath), they confronted him. When he told them Jesus healed him and told him to pick up his mat and walk, they became livid.
Jesus Reveals the Purpose of Scripture
In responding to the religious leaders' accusations, Jesus reveals the right way to approach the Bible:
"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40)
The main reason to search the Scriptures is to know Jesus. The Bible leads us to Him.
We read the Bible for a revelation of Jesus Christ and to know Him—not just to know about Him, but to know Him intimately, through relationship. This is what we read the Bible for.
How the Religious Leaders Missed It
The religious leaders studied the Scriptures diligently. The major focus of a rabbi's work was to study the Torah. But Jesus says they were studying it for the wrong reasons.
They thought that the more they studied and learned about the Law, the more life they would have—that they would earn eternal life.
A first-century Jewish scholar named Hillel wrote:
"The more study of the Law, the more life…if he has gained for himself the words of the Law he has gained for himself life in the world to come." (‘Ab. 2:7)
They were studying for more knowledge and as a religious duty to earn something from God. And remember why Jesus and the religious leaders were having this conversation? Because He had healed someone on the Sabbath—because Jesus had broken one of the rules (or at least their interpretation of it after reading the Scriptures).
They approached the Bible for more knowledge, out of religious duty, and as a book of rules. But Jesus says that all of what is in the Scriptures points to Himself. We read to know Jesus. We read to allow God to reveal Himself to us through Jesus and to come to know Him personally.
The Bible as a Means, Not an End
A.W. Tozer expressed it beautifully:
"The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."
Spiritual disciplines, like reading the Bible, are not an end in themselves. They are a means to allow us to experience a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus—that we may delight in His presence.
God Speaks Through Scripture
Through His presence in our lives, Jesus may speak to our spirit through other people, situations we're going through, or other ways. But there is no more direct way that Jesus speaks to us than through Scripture.
We learn from 2 Timothy 3:16 that "All Scripture is God-breathed." These are the very words of God. The Holy Spirit inspired each writer to put these words down, and as we read Scripture, God is communicating to us.
As one pastor put it:
"Want to hear God speak? Read your Bible. Want to hear God speak audibly? Read your Bible out loud!" (Justin Peters)
How to Approach Scripture: Meditation and Delight
We read to hear from God, to allow Him to speak to us, to reveal Himself to us through Jesus as the Word of Life. And as we do, we delight in His presence and come to experience the intimacy we have with Jesus as we get into a rhythm of reading Scripture.
Really, not just reading Scripture, but meditating on Scripture.
The Meaning of Meditation
Eugene Peterson, in his book “Eat this Book,” points out that the Hebrew word "hagah" is often translated "meditate" and was used by our Hebrew ancestors to refer to writing that deals with our souls.
But that same word is also translated as "growl" in Isaiah 31:4: "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey..."
Peterson suggests that meditation is far too tame a word for what is being signified. He writes:
"Reading is an immense gift, but only if the words are assimilated, taken into the soul—eaten, chewed, gnawed, received in unhurried delight."
Think of a dog who has been given a bone with some meat on it. What does he do? He goes off by himself and chews it, gnaws it, turns it over, licks it, and just enjoys it with sweet, unhurried delight.
That is the way we're invited to read Scripture—to get into this rhythm of meditating on it with unhurried delight. Psalm 34:8 even says to "Taste and see that the LORD is good!"
Practical Ways to Read the Bible
Let's approach reading the Bible this way:
Read it slowly, prayerfully, and in unhurried delight
Use your imagination to picture yourself in the story
Look for what it's saying about Jesus and who you are in Christ
Journal about what the Holy Spirit reveals to you
Meditate on what you read throughout the day—internalize it and look for the Spirit to reveal even more
Allow Jesus to reveal more about Himself and enjoy listening for Him to speak to you as you develop intimacy with Him through reading the Bible
The goal isn't to complete a checklist or earn God's favor. The goal is to know Jesus—to experience His presence, hear His voice, and grow in intimate relationship with Him through reading the Bible.
