What do we mean by the term Bible engagement?
Bible engagement is the process that connects us with the Bible so that we have meaningful encounters with Jesus Christ in order for our lives to be progressively transformed in Him.
To elaborate: Bible engagement happens throughout our lives as we find our part in God’s Story. For Bible engagement to happen, we must first develop a vital relationship with Christ. The relationship begins and proceeds by grace and faith as Christ saves us from sin and sanctifies us by the Spirit. Bible engagement is evidenced through ongoing obedience to God’s Word, which is seen in life changes that occur individually and in the community.
Four Parts of Bible Engagement
According to James 1:17-25, there are four actions involved in Bible engagement:
- Receive God’s Word – “humbly accept” James 1:21.
- Reflect on God’s Word – “looks intently” James 1:25.
- Remember God’s Word – “not forgetting” James 1:25.
- Respond to God’s Word – “doing it” James 1:22-23, 25.
7 Things You Need to Know About Bible Engagement
To effectively receive, reflect, remember and respond to God’s Word, there are several things we need to know:
Bible engagement flows out of an intimate, reciprocating relationship with Jesus.
Our motivation for reading, reflecting, remembering, and responding to the Word is only as strong as our love for Christ. The more we love Jesus, the greater our drive to engage with His Word will be.
Bible engagement is a process.
There are no shortcuts. It involves what the scholar and author Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction” – a course of action that’s repeated over and over again through life’s ups and downs.
Bible engagement involves desire.
When our desire to receive, reflect, remember, and respond to the Word exceeds our desire to stay where we are, we’ll be on the way toward regular and consistent engagement with the Word.
Bible engagement requires discipline.
We must make daily choices about prioritizing our time to strengthen our engagement with God’s Word. Praying or hoping for a better connection with the Bible is futile if we spend our time glued to the TV or consumed by social media.
Bible engagement is fuelled by the Holy Spirit.
“The same Holy Spirit who inspired Bible authors to write inspires Bible readers to understand and accept it as God’s Word,” says David Jackman, president of the Proclamation Trust. Self-efforts to improve our engagement with the Bible will fail. We’ll only mature in receiving, reflecting, remembering and responding to the Word when we seek the daily filling of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Real Bible engagement is initiated and enabled when we recognize our impotence – then invite the Holy Spirit to equip us as we listen, learn and live out God’s Word.
Bible engagement is a challenge.
The enemy of God, Satan, does not want us to engage with the Bible. The spiritual forces of darkness actively distract, divert, daunt, deceive or defeat us when we seek to receive, reflect, remember and respond to God’s Word.
Bible engagement results in action.
In the Parable of the Sower, the story’s climax comes when people “hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop” Mark 4:20. When hearing the Bible results in people becoming living epistles, i.e., being life words, Bible engagement has occurred. Producing a crop is the ultimate goal. It’s not enough to hear and accept the Word; the inward must become outward – the concealed must be revealed.
All told, Bible engagement is foundational and imperative for God’s people. So “get them (the Scriptures) inside of you and then get them inside your children” Deuteronomy 6:7 (MSG).
Bible engagement defined. What would you add or subtract from this definition?
Related Resources
Working Definitions of Scripture Engagement
Summary
Bible engagement defined: It is the process of connecting with the Bible in a way that fosters meaningful encounters with Jesus Christ, leading to personal transformation. It involves a dynamic relationship with Christ that begins with grace and faith, resulting in ongoing obedience to God’s Word. This process includes four actions: receiving, reflecting, remembering, and responding to God’s Word, as outlined in James 1:17-25. Effective Bible engagement requires love for Christ, discipline, desire, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in the face of spiritual challenges, ultimately leading to action and growth in both individual and community life.
© Scripture Union Canada
