Reading the Bible Is Not Enough!

Christians with any maturity behind them and especially those of us who serve in full time ministry, occasionally experience issues which on the surface seem harmless enough, but nonetheless, exude a certain disturbing "odor." We might remark-- "It just doesn't smell right." 

One of those issues is the reading of the Bible as an act of Christian devotion. It is the right thing to do. We should be busy about it (Psalm 1). We've often used it's habitual absence as a mark of spiritual decline. Seems I hear an old Sunday School song: "Read your Bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow." Hard to argue with that. Is it true? Yes! Well . . . sort of. In true college/seminary banter, we might need to retort, "Yes and No." Yes, in that Bible intake is absolutely necessary to the growth of the true believer. No, in that intake is not all that's required. Don Whitney seems to dispel such a misconception simply by a question he poses in his "Ten Questions To Diagnose Your Spiritual Health." In terms of Bible reading, he more than suggests the direction we need to take--"Are you governed increasingly by God's Word?" One can readily catch that more is inferred in this inquiry than merely the passing of the eyes across the pages of Scripture. Does it govern me, i.e., change me; do I obey it? 

Further, is this only a distant memory or can I honestly answer that this biblical governance has not grown dormant but is actually increasing? 

Now, that's probing, honest and proactive for the sincere pilgrim. It is this kind of progress that prompted Peter to pen: "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8). Our first hurdle as a new Christian is to learn to read the Bible. Granted. But somewhere along the pathway of grace we must become skilled at more than that! We must pursue grace in such a way that we graduate from "what" we read to "how" we read it. To become effective and fruitful as Peter outlines requires the possession of godly qualities, yes, but those in increasing measure--increased humility, increased submission, increased desire to obey.

I do not think it is too much of a grasp to claim that the superficial reading of Scripture has been a major contributor in the slow, continuous decrease in Christian maturity over the years. Indeed, mere reading though vital, is simply not enough! Take heed HOW you read!

Next, a follow up on this--with a twist--from Eugene Peterson