Why Christians Really Read The Bible

When I became a Christian, God worked so powerfully in my life that all I wanted to do was read the Bible! I don’t say this to brag or boast in any way; God’s grace in my life drew me to His Word. I wanted so badly to understand who this Jesus was that had just pulled me out of the mire and completely changed my life. However, during the past several years, I realized that reading the Bible wasn’t as “natural” for everyone else as it had been when I became a Christian. For a while, I had no idea that for many Christians, reading the Bible was a challenge they struggled with.

1. I heard from people who felt overwhelmed at the thought of reading their Bible because they didn’t know where to begin.
2. I heard from people who “didn’t have the time” to sit and read like others.
3. I heard from people who had anxiety about the Bible because they didn’t have scripture memorized and didn’t want to look like fools for not knowing Bible references. Ironically, they thought the answer to their problem was to desert the Bible altogether.
4. I also heard it said that the Bible was boring, and none of it makes sense. Therefore, they don’t like reading it.

Listening to these people’s excuses for not reading the Bible, I realized that many of them lacked an understanding of why Christians read it. Rather than seeing it as a way to connect with Jesus, they viewed it more as an obligation or chore.

When Christians think they are reading the Bible to memorize scripture or to recite references, we have a problem.

When people have anxiety and feel overwhelmed by the Bible because they don’t know where to begin, we have a problem!

Lack of discipleship in the church.

Many churches today are not providing enough discipleship for believers, leaving them with little to no understanding of why and how to follow Jesus. While Bible reading is important, we have made it the primary focus of our communal gatherings at the expense of providing seasoned believers to help guide and mentor newer believers. This overemphasis on the pastor’s teachings has led to a dependence on them to read, explain, and teach the Bible rather than encouraging people to personally read, know, and study the Bible as a tool provided to them for their personal relationship with Jesus. I think the church must shift its focus from primarily reading the Bible to encouraging and equipping Christians to live out authentic Christianity for believers today!

In this article, I would like to share a few reasons why Christians consider the Bible invaluable. I also hope to encourage Christians living in the Western world who have numerous excuses for not reading the Bible to reflect on their faith and determine whether they are genuine followers of Jesus or simply “cultural Christians” with little understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

Encouragement before we begin.

Those who don’t know Bible verses or references and feel anxiety because of it… God wants you to know Him! He wants you to draw near to him and be in love with Him! While I believe the Bible is one of the best ways to get to know him while we remain on earth, I also think that Jesus does not want you to feel anxious for not memorizing His Word. He isn’t as interested in you reading his Word so that you can memorize it as he is interested in you reading it because he wants you to know him through it. He likes to commune with you, and you are special to Him!

Those who feel overwhelmed about where to start in the Bible can refer to my article, ‘How to Read the Bible,’ for a lengthy answer, but starting in the New Testament may be helpful. Choose a gospel to start and then go on to Acts, etc., until you make it all the way back around. Reading the Children’s Bible Translation may also be a good place to start if you think the Bible is hard to understand. Otherwise, NIV and NLT are good, too.  

 # 1 To know Jesus deeper and understand what is required of His disciples.

Who commits their life to someone and never gets to know them?

My husband and I dated for two weeks before we got married. Most people think it is crazy that we got married without really knowing each other. I think it would be crazier if we didn’t take the time to get to know each other after we got married. While I knew certain things about my husband, I couldn’t tell you how he liked his chicken cooked, his good and bad habits, or how he would respond to things; we learned about each other through experience as we got to know one another over the years.

The relationship you enter into with Christ can be likened to me dating my husband for two weeks before marrying him. We may know certain things about God before committing our lives to him, but by dedicating time to prayer and reading His Word, we get to know who He really is and understand His will for our lives. God wants to be known by you. He doesn’t want you to believe things about him through your church, parents, or friends. He wants you to understand Him on your own. God wants to commune with you personally! It can be inspiring and edifying to hear your pastor preach the Word of God on Sunday morning, don’t get me wrong, but if that is the only place you are getting the Bible, you are missing out on a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and what they are for.

To quote from Hailey’s Handbook, he says, “Christ is the center and the Heart of the Bible…the whole Bible is built around the Beautiful Story of Christ and His promise of Life Eternal to those who accept Him. The Bible was written only that men might Believe, and Understand, and Know, and Love, and Follow Christ.” – H.H.

After many years with my husband, I was more in love with him than when I first met him. I understood what he liked and didn’t like and his expectations for our family and home. I grew to trust his decisions because I learned that he always intended to do what was best for us.

Likewise, after reading the Bible for over a decade, I learned to trust God through His unfailing Word. I grew to love him more and more as I understood the totality of the Scriptures. When people make false accusations about God today, I can better determine if they are true. The Bible reveals the nature and character of God, and we can know him when we make the time to read it. If we don’t make the time to read the Word, we risk being little children “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

If you have devoted your life to Jesus, getting to know Him becomes the most important thing you can do for your relationship with Him. The Bible just so happens to be a book all about Jesus! God uses the Bible to reveal his nature and show His children what His will is for their lives. If someone wants to fully understand the true nature of authentic Christianity, reading the Bible is an essential aspect that cannot be overlooked. I would question any Western Christian who fails to see the value in engaging with the Bible if they genuinely want to be a disciple of Jesus.

# 2 For Growth and Maturity in Christ

A part of responding to the gospel is turning from our sins (John 8:11) and following Jesus (Luke 9:23). Our life is no longer our own but Christ’s (Galatians 2:20). Our aim in following Jesus is to become more and more like him. We become more like him through our growth and maturity (sanctification). The Bible is a tool God uses for our growth and maturity through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to convict, enlighten us through revelation, and grow our faith.

When you have been accustomed to living a certain way for so long, breaking the habits you’ve been making all your life can be challenging. For example, when you learn that sugar is a huge reason you are physically unhealthy and you want to cut all sugar from your diet, you may begin to notice that it is in everything! Eliminating many things from your diet would be best to reduce your sugar intake.

In the same way, Jesus desires to help us turn away from the wicked things we used to do and lead a righteous and holy life after we have chosen to follow him. The book of Ephesians (4:17-24) reminds us that we ought not to live like those who do not believe in Jesus and that we should shed our old ways of living, which were corrupted by deceitful desires, and instead be renewed by the Holy Spirit. We should adopt a new self that reflects the image of God, which is characterized by genuine righteousness and holiness. If we neglect to read the Bible, we are going to lack an understanding of what this “new life” ought to look like. Since the Bible gives us the moral principles that God desires us to live by, not reading it will cause Christians to define their own moral structure and live within that framework rather than living by God’s standards. This creates Christians who never really grow out of their old ways because they are not growing by God’s standards.

Before I became a Christian, I didn’t know how to behave in a Godly manner. Once I started reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit began renewing my mind to think like Jesus, and I saw practical ways to live out the call to follow him in Scripture. I used to be extremely angry and violent. Being in several abusive relationships and growing up as a violent child, I only knew to act out in rage when I didn’t get my way. It was by the grace and knowledge of God that I read verses like, “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20)” and, “The heart of her husband trusts in her…she does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life (Proverbs 31:10-11).” Reading these Scriptures allowed the Holy Spirit to convict me of my anger and begin walking in the spirit and not acting out in the flesh (Galatians 5:16). The Word is a tool God uses to grow and mature us in righteousness. We should read it for our spiritual health as long as it is available.

 The more we know the Word, the more growth and maturity can take root.

An unknown author once said, “The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.” When we read the Bible daily, we train ourselves to hear from God, learn from him, and have a healthy perspective on living a Godly life. If we only come to the Bible for special occasions, we are more likely to miss growth opportunities where we need them, and we are more likely to misunderstand Christianity altogether. Reading the Bible as often as possible from the perspective of wanting to hear and learn from God will safeguard your heart against the things of this world, allowing growth and maturity to take root as you learn to trust in Him.

“To know Him is to love Him, and to know Him better is to love Him more.” -HH.

Reading the Scriptures as often as possible will help deepen our understanding and knowledge of who God is and who we are in Christ. In doing so, the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us into all truth, growth, and maturity.

Bible reading doesn’t have to be a burden because when you love God, his commands don’t seem burdensome to you (1 John 5:3), but you desire to practice them to show devotion to him. The self-discipline we have to have to be in the Word, despite the pull to prioritize other things, is from the perspective that what God has to say is more beneficial than anything this world offers.

Anyone who wants to live out an authentic Christian faith in Jesus will see the value in reading and knowing the Bible with a proper understanding of what it is and why they should read it. It is God’s gift to all who want to know Him and follow Him. “For everything written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope,” Romans 15:4.