Reading the Scriptures.
“Focus on reading the Scriptures …” 1 Timothy 4:13.
Reading the Bible should be for the Christian what eating and drinking is for the common man.
So, what’s involved with reading the Bible? Is it snacking on a verse daily, digesting a book in one sitting, or something else?
While a verse a day has some value, it doesn’t help Christians grow. A verse here and there cannot sustain us spiritually. Bible reading is about more than a few, brief, preferred encounters with the Scriptures.
Yet a verse here or there is the reality for many professing Christians. Somewhere along the way, a slew of us came to believe that Bible reading is something that only takes a few minutes a day. How so?
Scripture McNuggets.
For those of us subsisting on a diet of what Philip Yancey calls Scripture McNuggets, let’s stop kidding ourselves; we’re not reading the Bible! Scripture reading is more than a catchphrase, more than fragmentary bits, more than a short-lived inspirational text, and more than samplings of verses isolated from their historical, literary and cultural contexts.
Maybe one of the reasons why we’ve equated Bible reading with small readings is Facebook. Social media has altered the way we read. The average North American university graduate only reads one book a year after graduating, yet interacts with the equivalent of two books a year by reading Facebook posts.
It seems Facebook has hard-wired our brains for soundbites and little more. But, as Pavlov discovered, we can condition our brains. For willing people, we can spiritually recondition our brains to seek His Face and read His Book!
Lectio Continua.
So what’s involved in reading the Bible (as distinct from snacking on it)?
At the most basic level, when we read the Scriptures, it should involve what Glenn Pauuw refers to as big readings, i.e. “natural segments of text, or whole books, taking full account of the Bible’s various contexts.”
Why big readings? Because the Bible is not like other books – it’s a corpus – a living whole (cf. Hebrews 4:12). And as such, we need to enter into it and become a part of it through lectio continua, i.e. continuous reading in sequence over a period of time.
So, how do we read consecutively over a period of time? In bite-size meaty chunks! While the size of our spiritual mouths and appetites will vary, our personal Bible reading, as a bare minimum, should include whole forms of longer readings from the Old or New Testament every day.
Billy Graham, for example, found it helpful to read something from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day. To this end, we recommend Scripture Union’s online Bible reading guide, theStory™. It takes the reader through the Bible in 4-5 years with either New or Old Testament readings from Monday to Friday, a Psalm on Saturday, and Proverbs on Sunday.
Digesting the Scriptures.
Some may protest that big readings have too much in them – more than one can digest – more than one can understand. On one level, this is true; every word, sentence, and paragraph possesses multiple relationships with the whole and surpasses our understanding. So, none of us will ever fully understand or plumb the depths of the Word. But let’s not limit Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:3. And let’s not limit the capacity of the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in the way of truth (cf. John 14:26).
Reading the Bible adequately not only involves lectio continua, but it also requires us to read large enough chunks to understand and locate what we’re reading within the context, literary structure, form, themes and genre of the book, and ultimately, the Bible as a whole. In this sense, we should aim to read the Bible so that it becomes a set of books we intimately know, a story we simmer in, with words constantly transforming us.
Communal Bible reading.
Of course, we cannot do lectio continua by ourselves – at least not adequately. Personal Bible reading must be tied to communal Bible reading. The Bible is, first and foremost, our story; in a secondary sense, it’s my story. That means that when we read the Bible as big readings, we must also read it as members of a big family – as one of many listeners and participants (past and present) who are part of God’s plan to save us from sin and give us fullness of life in Christ (cf. John 10:10).
Much more could be said. All told, reading God’s Word needs to be slower, smarter, sizeable and shared.
Have your say. What would you add to help us think through what it truly means to read the Bible?
Related Articles
What Does the Bible Say About Reading the Bible?
Bible Reading and Bible Engagement
Summary
Reading the Bible should be more than just a quick daily verse; it requires immersion in larger sections of Scripture to fully understand its context, themes, and structure. While reading a verse a day offers some value, it’s insufficient for spiritual growth, as the Bible demands more than isolated snippets. Effective Bible reading involves consistent, continuous reading of the Bible in substantial portions, allowing the reader to engage with its entirety over time. This process also benefits from being communal, where we read the Bible not only for personal growth but as part of a larger faith community.
© Scripture Union Canada
