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Have you ever been challenged to ponder a spiritual question?
I have! The question was, “Why do believers know so little about the Bible?” My semi-short answer and thoughts follow.
I have been a Bible teacher in church, homes, and outside venues, and I have been astonished (sort of) encountering people, even long-time believers, who know so little about the Bible.
When this occurs, I silently ask myself questions like…
– Does the Word go in one ear and out the other?
– Do they not ever look at their Bible outside of Sundays?
– Do they have selective memories?
– Does Satan wipe out what they have heard or learned?
– Does a person have medical memory problems?
– Is some sin blocking them from being involved in the Bible?
– Why don’t they take the Bible seriously?
– Are they really believers?
It baffles me that “so many know so little about the Bible” because since I accepted Jesus Christ 50 years ago, I have taken the Bible seriously from the get-go. I say that with as much humility as I can muster because I do not want it to come out prideful. “Lord, please forgive me if it is.” That is not my intent. I am not perfect—far from it, believe me. But what happened that was different?
To be effective in ministry, we should have a good handle on God’s Word. We should desire to read the Bible and learn what God wants us to do and what His will is. If we are disciples of Christ, we should not neglect the Word, and I mean the entire Word, including the Old and the New Testaments.
I believe the church should be used to lead people to Christ and then see them being transformed into Christ-like individuals.
While the church should be an instrument in one’s transformation, people make choices. They choose not to open their Bible. They choose not to read or study their Bible. And they choose not to attend church, Bible studies, or discipleship classes.
People must make the Bible a priority in their lives.
For a solid Bible believer, one act of kindness is to pray fervently for those who do not take the Bible seriously. Find out if they have a personal relationship with the Lord, encourage them to grow, and then stand by their side as they start the exciting life of knowing God through His Word and His Spirit.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2 NASB).
God Bless.
AMEN, Patti! Really enjoyed reading your snippet.
As for me, it was a matter of curiosity to learn the Bible: it had these books about kings and judges and stuff, and some things about God, too, so I had to find out who all these important people were! 🙂
And being curious, a little knowledge and insight led to my wanting to know more, and listening to preachers in church and on the radio fanned the flam even more, so now I can’t NOT seek to dive deeper into God’s infinite and multi-dimensional Word.
We’ll have all of eternity to explore it, and even get to interview the One who wrote it… and it still won’t be enough.