The rest of the sentence is, read the Bible! The Church as a whole, is biblically illiterate. Ouch, that hurts!
Different research shows slightly different results to the question, “What percent of Christians have read the whole Bible?” But nevertheless the Spiritual blood of Christians in America is anemic. Only 1-3 in 10 professed Christians, have ever read the Bible in its entirety. That means that although every person’s opinion is valid and important, not every Christian’s opinion is informed by the word of God. Only about 10%-30% even know what God says.
God expects more of us. Paul told the young Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable to teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Hasn’t God given us His word that we might understand Him a little better than we would otherwise? Every other year, I read the Bible in full. I can honestly say there are a couple books – Numbers being one- that are very dry and extremely difficult to get through. But this should not discourage us from reading this wonderful set of love letters that God has so graciously bestowed upon us. I have read the Bible in a number of different ways: cover to cover, New Testament then Old Testament, and the use of Robert Roberts one year study, which offers a reading of the Old Testament and two readings of the New Testament in a year. This year I have chosen The One Year Bible for Women using the New Living Translation. It breaks the Bible up so you are reading Old and New Testaments along with Psalms and Proverbs each day. I haven’t quite figured out the “for women” part of the title yet, perhaps it’s the pink accents.
God has a voice; He has chosen to speak to us in a most personal way. He has given us a book full of wisdom and love along with guides for the ways we should live our lives. If we don’t dive in and seek His truths, we will never know. We will never be able to discuss Christ and His fullness to others that may be seeking Him.
As a pastor’s wife that has read her Bible numerous times, I still have difficulty understanding some of its messages. But each time I read it, God enlightens me to new insights that He has for me to learn. He has also given me a great source for learning – my pastor. Christians are blessed to be offered free counseling by their pastors. Our pastors are there to help spiritually guide us and to preach and teach those parts that may be difficult to understand. God has put our pastors in place for this purpose among others. So don’t be afraid to seek out your pastor to help you.
This year, why not make a New Years’ resolution to read your Bible in full? Let’s get the percentage of Bible readers up and be able to live as per 2 Timothy 2:15. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of Truth.”
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