It’s not about gathering facts.
Bible engagement isn’t about gathering facts, getting guidance, or learning how to be good. Satan loves it when people read the Bible for these reasons because as long as we’re only reading it to grow in knowledge, figure out what to do, or develop our morality, we’re not engaging with the Bible as we should.
Encountering Christ.
God wants us to taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8a). The goal of Bible reading should be to encounter Christ Jesus and to engage with Him in ways that lead us to become increasingly more like Him.
John Piper, the pastor and theologian, says, “Bible reading that only collects facts, or relieves a guilty conscience, or gathers doctrinal arguments, or titillates aesthetic literary tastes, or feeds historical curiosities – this kind of Bible reading Satan is perfectly happy to leave alone. He has already won the battle.”
How are you reading the Bible? Do you read it focusing on the fact that it’s ultimately the Story about Christ Jesus and how he sacrificed His life in order to atone for your sin and reconcile you to God? If not, you’re not reading the Bible as God intended.
Why we need the Word.
Here’s what Satan tries to hide from us: The overall Bible story centres on Jesus. It’s about His astronomical, unconditional, sacrificial, incomparable, transformational, and eternal love for us. A love that made the world right again by making it possible, through trust in Him, for our sin to be acquitted and our death sentence revoked. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” 1 John 4:10.
Christ’s love for us is why the Word we read has to be the Word we know. For this to happen, we cannot rely on pastors, professors or prophets. We must spend adequate time in the Word to encounter the presence of the living Word. Then, when we encounter the living Word, we should ask Him to renew us through His written Word. For it’s only through encountering Christ Jesus personally and openly that our minds and hearts will be convicted and changed to live a life of love emulating Christ’s love.
Reading the Bible the right way.
So, how are you reading the Bible? There are only two ways to read God’s Word. The right way and the wrong way. And the right way is to read the Word as the Word we know.
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Summary
Bible engagement isn’t about gathering facts, seeking guidance, or improving morality—it’s about encountering Christ through His Word. John Piper warns that reading the Bible solely for knowledge or personal gain leaves us disconnected from its true purpose. The Bible’s overarching story centers on Jesus’ sacrificial love, which offers us forgiveness and reconciliation with God. To truly engage with Scripture, we must seek a personal encounter with Christ, allowing His love to transform our hearts and lives.
© Scripture Union Canada
