Bible Reading
Discipleship Lesson 3
II Timothy 3:16-17: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
The Doctrine of the Word of God
There are three aspects to the Bible’s inspiration every Christian should know:
- The inspiration of the Bible is COMPLETE
Every single part of the Bible—each book, each chapter, each verse, and even each word—is inspired, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21; they are all equally God’s very word. Even the smallest letters and strokes/markings on them, the jot and tittle, are the words of God (Matthew 5:18; cf. Matthew 24:35). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” not just certain parts. There are strong words in the Bible against any who would add to or remove from God’s words (Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6). All books outside of scripture which purport to be divine (e.g., the Catholic apocryphal books, the Qur’an, the book of Mormon) have been roundly discredited and shown to be of mere men (ungodly, demonic men even), not from above.
- The inspiration of the Bible is CONFLUENT
While God is the principal author of the Bible, he used men to write his word. Though God’s own hand wrote literally nothing of the scriptures on the papyrus/parchment they first appeared (but see Exodus 31:18), his “hand” of divine guidance and direction was upon the hands of the Biblical authors (see I Chronicles 28:19). “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit “moved” (guided, directed) men to write the words of God. As a joint-effort, then, the personality and style of the particular human author played a role in the shape of scripture, all according to God’s purpose and plan. The Biblical authors have been likened to individual pipes in a magnificent organ, yet all filled with the same breath of the Spirit. Nevertheless, whatever the Biblical authors wrote under the guidance of the Spirit bears a divine authority, as exquisitely from God himself: “the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (I Corinthians 14:37; see also 7:40). It would therefore be correct to attribute the authorship of the Bible to God (see Hosea 8:12, “I have written”), and/or to God and man, but not to man alone.
I Thessalonians 2:13: For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
- The inspiration of the Bible is INERRANT
There are no errors in the Bible whatsoever. The Bible is called “the scripture of truth” (Daniel 10:21) and “the word of truth” (Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5; II Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). Jesus testified that “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), and confessed to the Father, “thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Because God knows all (Psalm 139:4; I John 3:20), he cannot make errors, and because the Bible is the very word of God, it also cannot err; it is impossible. Any perceived “contradiction” or “error” is due to a lack of understanding in the mind of the person claiming there is any error.
Psalm 119:160 (see also verses 128 and 142): Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
The Importance of Bible Reading
There are four things the Bible is to the Christian:
1) God’s word is our spiritual food – our meal
Just as we need and crave physical food, we should also habitually desire to read the Bible (see Jeremiah 15:16). Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). There are two times in the Bible where someone was commanded to literally eat a book of God’s words (Ezekiel 3:1-3; Revelation 10:8-10), because the Bible is our spiritual food. The word of God is likened unto various edibles in scripture, like milk (I Peter 2:2), meat (I Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12), bread (Deuteronomy 8:3), and honey (Psalm 19:10; 119:103). There are a few common aspects to eating meals which we can apply to our Bible reading:
- You should read the Bible daily, just like you eat daily (see Matthew 6:11), and, usually, multiple times in a day (e.g., Exodus 16:8; I Kings 17:6).
- You should read the Bible attentively, just like you eat your meals in a proper posture (see Nehemiah 8:3, 5), and often with great focus (see Job 37:2; Luke 19:48).
- You should read the Bible abundantly, just like you eat enough food to fill and satisfy your physical appetite (see Proverbs 13:25; “to eat sufficiently,” Isaiah 23:18; see also Haggai 1:6; Psalm 107:9). “Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved” (Song of Solomon 5:1).
Deuteronomy 8:3: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
2) God’s word is our spiritual treasure – our money
The value of the word of God far surpasses any earthly possession or worldly riches. Just as men strive and search for wealth, the Christian should seek after the word of God “as silver,” and “as for hid treasure” (Proverbs 2:4; see also Psalm 119:36, 162). The wisdom of the Bible is “more precious than rubies,” and “all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared” to it (Proverbs 3:15; cf. Proverbs 8:11). Therefore, we should love the word of God “above gold; yea, above fine gold” (Psalm 119:127; cf. Psalm 19:10). We should wholeheartedly pray with the psalmist, “Incline my heart unto they testimonies, and not to covetousness” (Psalm 119:36; see also v. 72). The spiritual riches of knowing and treasuring God’s word are “durable riches” (Proverbs 8:18), whereas worldly riches “make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). He is a fool who chases after the world’s wealth and not God’s, who “layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21); it is a laboring merely “for the wind” (Ecclesiastes 5:16).
Revelation 3:17-18 (cf. 2:9): Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
3) God’s word is our spiritual guide – our master
Everyone is heading in a particular direction in life, but most people are not walking according to God’s will. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Each of us has a candle of sorts, and we must go to God’s word each day to light it anew (see Psalm 18:28), because only in the light of God’s word can we see light (see Psalm 36:9). Without reading God’s word, you won’t fully know what is right and wrong (Romans 7:7). There was a time in the kingdom of Judah when the book of the law of the Lord was forgotten, not being read or learned. When it was finally rediscovered and read, the people understood that they had been committing great sins against God, and God said, “therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched” (I Kings 22:17ff). Bad things happen when we don’t read the Bible.
Proverbs 4:18-21 (see also 6:20-23): But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
4) God’s word is our spiritual treatment – our medicine
“It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:8; 4:22). God’s word has a profound effect on the well-being of a Christian, and can therefore be likened unto a medicine. God’s word teaches (Psalm 19:7-8), enlightens (Psalm 119:130), guides (Psalm 119:105), and develops (I Timothy 4:6). God’s word convicts (Nehemiah 8:9; Romans 7:7), brings joy (Psalm 19:8), uplifts (Psalm 119:25), strengthens (Psalm 119:28; Daniel 10:19), relives (Psalm 119:107), and comforts (Psalm 119:50; I Thessalonians 4:18). The Bible is the water for our cleansing (see Psalm 119:9; Ephesians 5:26), the binding roller for our wounds (see Ezekiel 30:21; Jeremiah 30:17), the balm for our pain (see Jeremiah 51:8), and the juice for our infirmities (see I Timothy 5:23). Read the Bible, “for this is for your health.”
Psalm 119:50: This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The Practice of Bible Reading
Reading the Bible on a daily basis is a fundamental practice of a devout Christian, just as central to their life as any other habit essential to life (e.g., sleeping). The Bible commands us to “give attendance to reading” (I Timothy 4:13), which, among other things, can be taken personally as an exhortation to set apart time in our day for reading the Bible. “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read…” (Isaiah 34:16). Jesus often exhibited his experience in both searching through and reading the Bible (Luke 4:16-17). Just like the king of Israel was commanded by God to daily read the Bible, we must read the Bible daily, because we are “unto our God kings and priests” (Revelation 5:10). Just like the children of Israel would go out and collect the manna from heaven to eat on a daily basis (see Exodus 16), we should read the Bible every day.
Deuteronomy 17:18-19: And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them
Jesus rhetorically asked people at various times in the gospels, “Have ye not read?” or “Did ye never read?” (see Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31; Mark 2:25; 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3), which shows God’s expectation that we read his word, and his rebuke towards us if we don’t. You should never make excuses, like Martha (Luke 10:38-42), for why you can’t sit at Jesus’ feet and hear his words; “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
II Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Tips for Bible reading
- Set goals. The best way to read every day is to set goals. The Israelites gathered the manna “a certain rate every day” (Exodus 16:4). It takes about 15 minutes per day to read the entire Bible once a year. However, most people have at least an hour of time they can devote to reading the Bible each day. The best time to read the Bible is in the very early morning (see Psalm 63:1; Proverbs 8:17), just like the manna had to be collected by the Israelites early in the morning before it melted (Exodus 16:21). Even if you miss a day, start the next day where you left off. Keep a record of how many times you finish reading the Bible cover-to-cover to motivate yourself.
- Keep reading. As you read the Bible, you will come across words you do not know, passages you do not understand, and concepts you may not fully grasp. Do not stop, but just keep reading. Read the Bible as a normal book; do not pause to think on verses or passages for too long if you have not completed your daily goal. When reading the Bible, especially the first few times through, do not “read to understand;” read to read.
- Read out loud. Whenever possible, always read the Bible out loud. Reading aloud (as opposed to just reading silently) will massively improve your comprehension, memory, and pronunciation. You can also use a KJV audio Bible to improve your pronunciation, and give you guidance on better reading practices.
Psalm 119:13: With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
- Take notes. As you read, certain verses or passages may strike you as significant. It is wise to take small notes on what you read (underline or highlight verses, note cross reference verses, write down a few thoughts, etc.), as this will assist you in learning the Bible. Always finish your daily goal before being too detailed or carried away with note-taking.
Be careful not to spend time that you should be using to read the word of God to instead read devotionals or commentaries. Most Bible study materials are written by unsaved people, and abound with false doctrine. Although we do benefit from teachers (see I Corinthians 4:15; II Timothy 3:14), as a saved believer, you do not necessarily need someone to explain the Bible to you (see I John 2:27), because you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Let the Spirit of God be your main teacher as you personally read the Bible.