Let The Bible Speak



Obstacles to Bible Reading

An April 25, 2018, Pew Research Poll reports that although eight in ten Americans say they believe in God, only 56% of Americans say they believe in God “as described in the Bible.” () The Gideons have placed nearly 2 billion Bibles in hotels, motels, hospitals, prisons, and students. These Bibles have been translated into over 90 languages in 196 countries around the world (). Guinness World Records says the Bible has been translated into over 2100 languages and that 5 billion copies of the Bible have been distributed.  

We have Bibles everywhere. With a click of a button online you can go to dozens of translations and a wealth of Bible study helps (). With such easy access to God’s word, why don’t more of us regularly read the Bible? Do you read the Bible regularly? If not, why not?

The Bible Literacy Center of Lincoln, Nebraska, associated with Woodrow Kroll, surveyed over 5,000 people asking this very question – “Why do people who own Bibles fail to read them?” Today and next Sunday, we review the top ten responses. Today, we will cover reason six through ten and next week we will address the top five reasons people do not read the Bible. Our goal: recognize and remove hindrances from making Bible reading and Bible study part of our daily lives. First, we have a song…

If you were taking final exams and needed a solid grade to graduate from high school or college, would you not prepare? If faced with the employment opportunity of a lifetime, would you not be sure you had done everything within your power to be ready for the interview? If someone in your family had a dreadful disease and was given only a short time to live, would you not thoroughly research the treatments to learn about possible cures? If you were on an important business trip and realized you were lost, would you not get out the map to be sure you are heading in the right direction?

The Bible teaches man is lost; that man has the dreaded disease of sin; that, despite this, man has the opportunity to serve God in heaven throughout eternity and that there’s going to be a test we must pass. But mystery of mysteries, people are not preparing. Isn’t that strange? What’s wrong? Why are people taking the word of God so lightly? What excuses have we used for not making Bible reading and study part of our daily routine? We have all gone through periods in our life when we did not read God’s word like we should; we justified ourselves; we made excuses. And if you still don’t know the Bible like you should, what excuses are you using?

Our goal is to agree there is NO good reason NOT to read the Bible. Remember: an excuse is just the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Even the casual Christian should realize Jesus wants us to “Search the Scriptures,” while Satan seeks to draw us away from God’s Word. Jesus says, in The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:12), “the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” So, let’s expose the alibis of the Adversary we buy into and get on with the business of getting to know God and His will for our life.

The #10 most common excuse the Devil uses to keep us away from God’s word: "I don't know where to start." Any book of nearly 800,000 words can understandably be intimidating especially to the young Christian. This one is unique because it is a book composed of sixty-six books. It is God’s library for mankind. Some may think, “The only way I’ll be able to truly benefit from the Bible is if I can read the whole book in a short period of time.” Obviously, we should plan to read the Bible in its entirety, but we can profit enormously even from reading small chunks of Scripture. So don’t think about the size of the task of completing the Bible, but just decide to start even if it’s a little bit at a time. The value of reading even a minute at a time can be seen by reading Proverbs. Chapters or several sentences focus on one thought, but very frequently one or two sentence will convey an inspired thought that can bring you closer to God and key people in your life and help you avoid life-crippling decisions. For instance, Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.” Another: Proverbs 20:1 (KJV), “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Another great place to start in the Bible, as with any other book, is the beginning. Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament, actually means “beginning.” The Holy Spirit opens up with details on creation and God’s plan for marriage between a man and woman. By the third chapter we learn about the origin of sin as the cause of sickness, pain and death. In Genesis 4 we read about the importance of worshipping correctly and the first murder over Cain’s angry reaction to his rejected worship.

Genesis is a great history book with fifty chapters covering two thousand years or more. Genesis covers the Patriarchal Age where God communicated directly to the heads of families. The development of various languages is linked to the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Then we read of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s name is changed to Israel. We read of his two wives, Rachel and Leah, and his twelve sons – one of which is named Joseph. From these twelve sons come the twelve tribes of Israel, the Israelites, or Jews. The book of Genesis contains the tragic betrayal of Joseph by his brothers. Joseph’s story is a powerful story of purity, faithfulness and forgiveness.  

Another good place to start: the beginning of the New Testament, the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The advantage of starting with the Gospels is going directly into the life of Jesus. The Gospels focus on Jesus’ ministry, His teachings and His death, burial and resurrection.

John may be the best Gospel to read first. Although John employs simple language, his gospel presents a detailed profile of Jesus with metaphors that give us a broad understanding of Jesus’ work: the Lamb of God, the light of the world, the way, the truth, the life and so on. We read in John’s gospel of Jesus’ first miracle, Jesus’ agony in the garden, the disciples’ inability to watch and pray as Jesus requests in His time of need. We read about Judas’ betrayal, the travesty of a trial, Jesus’ beating, the crucifixion and the resurrection. So, if you have not been reading the Bible because you don’t know where to start, problem solved: begin in Proverbs, then go to Genesis or John.

The ninth most common reason people don't read the Bible: “I can't find what I want to find in the Bible." This sounds reasonable. After all, the Bible is more than just a giant book; the Old Testament contains thirty-nine books and the New Testament contains twenty-seven books. How can you find information on subjects that interest you? A couple tools make it easy: any word in the Bible can be found in Strong’s concordance. Every time that word is used is indexed. Maybe you don’t remember the exact word, but just the subject. Nave’s Topical Bible enables you to find any Biblical subject when you cannot find a precise word in a concordance. You have free access to these tools on the internet at .

Another suggestion: at most congregations, some people know the Bible well enough to tell you where nearly anything can be found in the Bible. They would welcome a phone call, letter, email or personal request about any Biblical subject of interest. In fact, we are glad to help at no charge. So, if it’s in the Bible you can find it. Objection number nine no longer exists.

The eighth most common excuse given for not reading the Bible: “the Bible doesn't always confirm my beliefs." This excuse betrays a fundamental misunderstanding about the purpose of the Bible and man’s relation to God. You see, man doesn’t get to make the rules; God does! Our thinking suggests sometimes that we get confused. Man didn’t create God; God created man. And, you know what? We cannot assume God sees things just the way we do. Consider Isaiah 55:8-9 "‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’” Did you get that? God’s thoughts and ways are way up here and our thoughts and ways are way down here.

Imagine what kind of a jumbled mess the Bible would be if God designed it to confirm the beliefs of everyone in our neighborhood alone? The Holy Spirit sets the matter straight in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Once again, we see the Bible is not designed to confirm our beliefs, but to correctly align our beliefs.

The next most common reasons people do not read the Bible more: "I hear it at church, why do I need to read it for myself?" The apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:13, "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture." If the preacher is faithful to the work entrusted to him, his message will be filled with biblical teaching. Rarely will a preacher cover more than a page of the Bible in a sermon. He may cover an entire chapter or the equivalent in Scripture, but that should not satisfy us. Jesus tells us we will be blessed if we have a healthy spiritual appetite (Matthew 5:6). The New Testament places a premium on the regular reading and studying of the Bible – even on a daily basis. Luke divides the hearers of the gospel into two classes in Acts 17:11 “(The Bereans) were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Which will you model ourselves after – those of Berea or Thessalonica? Notice the qualities that set the Bereans apart: 1) they eagerly received the word of God, and 2) they searched the scriptures daily to verify that the truth had been spoken. Let’s all be that way.

Jesus urges this approach in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” One reason this is critical is because of Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Jesus says (Matthew 15:14) that everyone is responsible for their religious beliefs and practices. We cannot just blindly trust religious leaders. “They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Jesus further demonstrates this obligation in John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The truth is personal and we are responsible for it. That demands that we invest our own time in studying it. Then, in 2 Timothy 2:15, the Holy Spirit commands, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We need to know the truth well enough to rightly divide the truth. This requires regular reading and study. Hearing the word at church is not enough!

The sixth most common reason people offer for not reading God’s word: "The language of the Bible just doesn't make sense to me." This excuse often comes from people who didn’t grow up reading the Bible. As a result, they struggle to read Shakespearean English in the King James Version. The beauty of the King James Version makes it a literary masterpiece, but I realize a growing number struggle to understand it. It’s not surprising that people new to the Bible are confused with words and phrases like “superfluity of naughtiness,” “lasciviousness” and “evil concupiscence.”

Let me issue a warning, though. Some, in their enthusiasm to more easily read the Bible have unknowingly acquired translations that were easy to read, but contained either an unreliable text or faulty translation. We address translation issues elsewhere, but if you struggle to read the King James Version, you can read the New King James Version without sacrificing accuracy.

While the New King James Version can make Bible reading easier for the beginning Bible student, we need to realize that some parts of the Bible are just difficult. The Spirit says of Paul’s epistles in 2 Peter 3:16, “in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” Mark Twain said, wisely, "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." The most important fundamental Biblical truths CANNOT be misunderstood; they are SO plain that it would take a preacher to make it confusing.

One special attribute of Scripture is that it convicts the sinner who first hears its message, motivates the babe in Christ, and challenges the experienced Christian. The Bible has milk for the beginner and meat for the mature and you can always receive the spiritual nourishment you need wherever you are in life. 1 Peter 2:2, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” 1 Corinthians 3:2, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able…” In Hebrews 5:11-14, we see the Lord’s frustration with Christians who had not matured enough to digest the meatier truths of God’s word. “(W)e have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” We deprive God of honor and ourselves of spiritual growth by neglecting God’s word.

As for the excuse, “the Bible is too difficult to understand,” extensive surveys reveal that even those with translations written at the third grade reading level are not reading the Bible. The King James Version is still the translation most often read.

In Acts 8:30-31, Philip the evangelist asked an Ethiopian man who was reading from Isaiah the prophet, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He responded, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" Philip then taught him the truth about Jesus and he was baptized. Perhaps you need someone to guide you and help you understand the Bible. If so, we hope you will call or write us for help.

We’ve noticed five of the top ten excuses people give for not reading the bible: 10) "I don't know where to start." 9) "I can't find what I want in the Bible." 8) “The Bible doesn't confirm what I already believe." 7) "I hear it at church, why do I need to read it for myself?" 6) “The language of the Bible doesn't make sense to me." Have you used one or more of these excuses to put off a serious attempt to read and understand God’s word. We’ve seen that none of these excuses hold water. Why not begin a daily reading program today? For a copy of this sermon or free Bible study tools, stay with us after our song…

We hope you commit to read and study God’s word. We are here to help. Evangelist L. G. Butler, retired Reading Professor at Texas Tech, has constructed a website with free access to dozens of Bible translations, Bible Encyclopedias, reputable commentaries and much more - . Whether or not you have the internet, we are available to help you get started with regular Bible study. For a free DVD of #1204 - “Obstacles to Bible Reading,” please call us. Another excellent help is our free Bible study course to complete at home. Please visit our website, , and watch videos of the program at your convenience. We echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, “the churches of Christ salute you.” Until next week, goodbye and God bless.

Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies.

We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament.

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