Why Exactly Is Reading the Bible So Necessary for Christians?
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If you like living a defeated life, if you enjoy feeling disconnected from God, if you want to be religious but not deep in a relationship, then avoid Scripture at all costs.
However, if you desire to live in victory, live in communication and connection with God, and be in an intimate relationship founded on a covenant of truth, then get in the Word. We have all had times in our lives where we have been tempted to put aside the Bible and chase after other things. But why is reading the Bible necessary as a Christian?
What if You Hate Reading?
Growing up, I hated reading. When it came to accelerated reading testing in school, it would be like pulling teeth to get me to finish books and take the dreaded multiple-choice tests. But after I became a believer, as a young girl in youth group I prayed for the Holy Spirit to give me a desire to read and love His Word. I knew that I was not capable on this on my own. However, with the help and empowerment of His Holy Spirit, I became completely taken with the Scriptures and participated in Bible study, led small groups, read Scripture from up front, sang songs based on the Bible, and began a journey of intimacy with my Savior by reading His Word.
This was nothing short of a miracle of God. If you knew me and knew my distaste for reading and sitting for hours with a book, you would know that the Spirit did a work in my life. To this day, I love the Bible. I love connecting the dots found within Scripture. I love that I will never know it all and that there is always more to discover. I love that the Bible is living and active, that it applied to readers thousands of years ago and is still speaking today.
Even if you do not like to read or are slow at reading comprehension, God can equip you with a heart for His Word. He delights to give us that desire.
Jesus Is Described as the Word
The Bible is the gospel message. When we read the Bible, we get to know Jesus. Jesus is identified as the Word. When we go to read His Scriptures, we are consuming the Bread of Life. We are getting manna (provisions) for the day. We are connecting with our Savior and growing our understanding of who He is and who were are in Him.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The Word and Prayer Are the Only Offensive Weapons of Spiritual Warfare
Are you tired of living in defeat? If we never pray or read our Bibles and know them for ourselves, then we can put on the rest of the armor of God and only be on the defense. Have you ever played a dominating team in a sports competition? Defending for the entire game leads to exhaustion and ultimately defeat. You never score.
If we neglect to pick up the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and pray, we are essentially being attacked by the enemy and our flesh each day while only remaining on the defense. If we truly want to get in the battle and live for Christ, we need to stand and put on the full armor of God.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11, emphasis added).
“…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b).
I hear so many people who rely on social media influencers for their daily devotions. The problem with this is that we are being fed from other people’s relationships with God, and what they share is great, but they are not the Lord. Only His Word is divinely inspired. No one else can add or subtract from it (Deuteronomy 4:2).
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Having Access to the Bible Is a Gift
It is easy to believe that we will never come to a time when the Bible would be taken away from us. However, this is the case in many places around the world. So many believers would be overjoyed if they had even a page of Scripture. How often do we take it for granted to have a Bible in our own homes or on our phones or computers? May we never get to the place where we neglect the Word of God.
Every day, Jesus is inviting us to spend time with Him, but we are rejecting Him for other things that are temporary and fulfill us in the moment. We have priority issues. We have heart issues. I know this because I wrestle with this as a mom. It is very challenging to have the discipline to meet with the Lord in the Bible when I am tired and wish I could use “my time” for other things. However, where is my heart? Am I recognizing the desperation for being filled up by the Holy Spirit and equipped with His Word?
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
More Than a Feelings-Based Faith
If I don’t feel married to my husband one day, it does not make me less married to him. If I don’t feel like a Christian one day, it does not mean that I am not one. Sometimes we are tempted to rely on our feelings to such a degree that our relationship with God and reading His Word or praying can easily become an emotionally driven decision, versus a daily practice of meeting with Him. The truth is that not every day will we “feel” like reading the Bible. However, is our relationship built on feelings or a covenant?
“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:27-28).
Jesus made a covenant with us by His blood. His covenant is not based on what we do. He has made it very clear that we are not righteous, not one of us (Romans 3:10). That means that even when we are not faithful to grow in our intimacy with Him, He is faithful to His covenant to us. We are always and forever His, so let us delight in His Word, His love letter to us.
If you are struggling getting into the Bible daily, seek Christ by praying for a heart for His Word, get accountability from a friend, or get in a local Bible study. There are so many great resources to help you seek God. Reading the Bible is necessary as a Christian. However, the necessity of it is for our benefit in knowing our Savior Jesus and in loving Him more.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw
