2020 will be quite an exciting year. First, it’s a vision year! Several organizations and individuals made strategic plans and goals for this year that will either suceed or fail. It’s a leap year, which means many people will get to celebrate their birthday on their actual birth date. The summer Olympics and the US elections will also take place this year.
But most important of all, we are a year closer to the return of our Lord Jesus. I even daresay, we have never been closer to His return than now!
Most of you have probably made new year resolutions, changes to implement, or goals to achieve this year. If it’s not already on your list, I strongly recommend adding daily Bible reading.
Many Christians do not read their Bibles. Even though we have unprecedented access to Scripture, biblical illiteracy is on the rise. People often make up excuses such as not enough time, the Bible is hard to understand, its boring, or irrelevant. But these are all lies advanced by the enemy to keep us ignorant of the truth.
We have time to read the Bible. You can read the whole Bible in a year in as little as 12 minutes a day! (Read: You Have More Time for Bible Reading than You think from Crossway for more info).
We can understand the Bible. True it is an ancient text written thousands of years before our birth. However, the author of the Bible is alive! He lives withtin us and teaches us all things (1 John 2:27).
It’s absolutely not boring! It’s the word of God and to say it’s boring, is to say the God the universe is boring. Lastly, the Bible is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
But if you need more convincing, God Himself gave us several reasons to read the Bible. Here are seven of them.
1. The Bible reveals Christ
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me
John 5:39
The Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ. No other document in the world can teach us about Jesus, as the Bible does. As Martin Luther said, “the Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.” We need to know Jesus because He is the source of eternal life and our righteousness with God. Furthermore, reading His words helps us grow in our grace and knowledge of Him (2 Peter 3:18). And the more we know Him, the more we become like Him, which is the goal of our existence (Romans 8:29).
2. The Bible gives us instructions
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
2 Timothy 3:16
God inspired the Bible, and because of its divine origin, it is the final authority for all matters in our lives. It provides us with instructions to live in a God-honoring way, and it equips us with knowledge and wisdom for the works God calls us to do ( Proverbs 2:6 ). The Bible is also the source of our theology and doctrine.
3. The Bible tells us who we are
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
When we read the Bible, it acts as a mirror and shows us who we truly are. First, it tells us our identity in Christ and our role in God’s story. Secondly, it reveals the contents of our hearts. God knows our inner thoughts, and His Word has the power to cut through us and to expose our sin. And we must read it daily and allow it to examine us so we can repent.
4. The Bible nourishes us
But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Matthew 4:4
In the same manner, we feed our physical body to remain healthy; we must also nourish our spirit. And our spiritual food is the Word of God. Jesus even said that His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). It’s only through diligent Bible study that we will grow spiritually and mature in our faith. However, this occurs when we read and apply the Word.
5. The Bible speaks to us
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Hebrews 1:1-2
God speaks to us primarily through the Bible. He speaks to us through his Son Jesus, and the Scripture fully reports the revelation of Christ. If you want to hear God’s voice, don’t look for external audible voices, read your Bible, and you will hear Him. As Justin Peters said, “if you want to hear God speak, read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak audibly, read your Bible out loud.”
6. The Bible helps us discern the truth from error
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17
The word of God is the truth and the standard against which we must test everything. When we read it, it awakens us to the truth and keeps us in it. This is crucial because many false teachers seek to deceive us. But if we diligently study the Bible and handle it well, we will know what we ought to believe and won’t get tossed away by false doctrines.
7. The Bible protects us
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Ephesians 6:17
The Christian life is a call to battle for we fight against our flesh, the world, and the evil one. Therefore, we need to ready ourselves by wearing the armor of God. And our only offensive weapon is the Word of God. With it, we defend ourselves against the attacks of the enemy. When the devil tempted Jesus, He only used Scriptures to defeat the enemy (Matthew 4:1-11). Likewise, we must also know Scriptures and use it when we fall under attack.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8
The Bible is a fantastic book, and they are many more reasons to read them than listed above. If you have never read through the whole Bible, do it this year! Let’s work to bring Bible illiteracy to an end.
Here are some Bible reading plans from Ligonier ministries, and also this plan from The Bible Project, which is one of my favorites.
