The Scriptures

“The Bible is unnecessary and irrelevant to my life!”

That’s a phrase you won’t hear from the lips of any professing Christian. But, unfortunately, many of us live as if this statement were true.

Let’s look at the data from “Frequency of reading scripture among Christians” by Pew Research.

33% of Christians — Christians, not unbelievers — never read their bible. Never! And another 21% barely reference it. All told, almost 50% of professing Christians basically never open their bible.

What is the result of this? Does it really matter if Christians don’t read their bible?

Let’s see what God has to say about it.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge
Hosea 4:6

Many Christians today have chosen to reject knowledge. By not opening our bible, we reject the knowledge of God and attempt life on our own terms, according to our own, earthly knowledge. And this rejecting of God’s knowledge — the rejecting of his word — leads to destruction.

We see this destruction all around us — a church, a people in ruin. Sin runs rampant through congregations across the globe. Depression and anxiety have become “normal” in Christian circles. Pornography, affairs and other sexual sin destroy families, youth and even pastors. Pride flags hang proudly. Envy, gossip and arrogance are unchallenged. Truly God’s people are destroyed, just as Hosea prophesied.

If this seems like a desperate situation — and it is! — still there remains hope. Sin does not have the final word, God does. And his word stands true. And his word has been given to us. We must just open the book and seek after God and the knowledge he provides.

If you’re one of those 50% — one who never or infrequently reads the bible — then this is for you. Maybe you’re experiencing the effects of this destruction and are looking for a light in the midst of darkness. Well, let me promise you friend, God’s word is a light and can deliver you from darkness!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

Let’s explore together the necessity, blessing and importance of the scriptures — God’s holy word — in your life!

Jesus, Revealed

First and foremost, let’s look at the purpose of scripture. God gave us his word with one purpose in mind:

To reveal his son.

In some Christian circles today, you hardly ever hear the name Jesus or talk of the Christ, God’s anointed. But what is the “Christian” without “Christ”? Jesus Christ is central to our faith — and central to the word God delivered to us.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
John 5:39-40

God’s stated purpose of scripture is to bear witness to — to reveal — Jesus. There is no other goal, no other motive.

God’s great intention for your life is to conform you into the image of his son (see Romans 8:29). And he’s given his word — the revealing of his son — as a path to get to know Jesus and become more like him.

True Life

The life of the Christian is found in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (see John 14:6). There is no life outside of him. There may be physical existence, but no true life is found outside of the son of God. Look at Paul’s statement to the Galatians:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

The life Paul lived on earth was no longer his, but Christ’s. Christ was living through Paul. And God wants the same for all Christians.

But in order for Christ to live through us, we must first get to know him. God is looking for a life-giving relationship — not a mere one hour transaction on Sunday. In fact, those who merely profess the name of Jesus but fail to cultivate a relationship with him are at risk of eternal damnation. See Jesus’ words in Matthew:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21-23

A mere profession of faith in God, devoid of an actual relationship — calling him Lord, but not treating him as Lord — equates to “lawlessness” to God. This word can also be translated as “iniquity,” “disobedience,” or “sin” and bears the meaning of “a willful disregard for God's commandments and a lifestyle characterized by sin and rebellion against divine order.”

Calling him God, but not cultivating a relationship with him — knowing him and being known by him — equates as sin to God and, if not corrected, in the end will cause him to say, “depart from me, I never knew you.”

God takes the knowledge and revelation of his son very seriously! He gave his son to redeem us from a life of sin — to redeem us from ourselves — and to restore us back to a life-giving relationship.

This is why Jesus is central to the bible — Jesus is central to God’s plan to restore humanity. With Jesus, God paid the ultimate price for our salvation and rejecting his son is no small matter.

But, thanks be to God, he has given us his word! His word reveals his son and invites us into a relationship with him.

Now let’s discover how we form this life-giving relationship with Jesus through God’s word.

Daily Bread

In his famous prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus uses this phrase: “Give us this day our daily bread.” This seemingly simple phrase holds within it a profound truth. To better understand the meaning, let’s look at another time Jesus uses “bread” in his teaching.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35

Jesus likens himself to bread — not simple, natural bread — but bread that nourishes to eternal life! This is the type of “daily bread” Jesus refers to in his prayer.

Just as we need “daily bread” to sustain our physical bodies, we need “daily bread” to sustain, grow and thrive in our spiritual life. Our spirit needs Jesus to live. Without Jesus, our spirit becomes malnourished and incapable of proper function.

What would happen if you never fed your physical body? It would be severely malnourished, deteriorate and eventually cease functioning. It’s the exact same in our spiritual life! Our spirit needs Jesus to live and needs Jesus to thrive. Without him we are nothing!

Let’s continue in John 6.

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.
John 6:58

We must feed on Jesus as the bread of life. This is the secret to understanding Jesus’ words in John 5. Let’s revisit.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
John 5:39-40

Jesus presents two types of people in these verses:

1. Those who read the bible, completely miss Jesus and continue in death
2. Those who read the bible, feast on Jesus and thrive in life

Said another way: there are those who simply read the bible and there are those who form a relationship with Jesus.

Here in John 5, Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees, the religious elite of the day. The Pharisees spent their whole lives in supposed devotion and obedience to God — except they missed the entire point! The Pharisees sought after God with the wrong heart and for the wrong reasons. All the time and energy they spent was an utter waste in the eyes of Christ. May it not be said of us!

Religious activity may make us feel good or make us look good — but God looks after the heart. Jesus knew the Pharisees heart and that they looked to their own devotion and good works as a means to eternal life. But Jesus lives — and rules — by an entirely different paradigm. Jesus is not looking for religious activity, but a living relationship with his creation.

This is the essence of John 5:39-40. Jesus knows the scriptures are about him, but to discover him — and eternal life — we have to come with the right heart. We have to come with a desire to know him and develop and grow in a relationship with him. We have to come with a desire to feed on the bread of life.

During his earthly ministry Jesus called his disciples to “follow me.” This is an invitation to relationship. And Jesus still extends this same relationship to you and I.

Even further, the end of the age culminates with a marriage between Jesus and his people. That is why we are called the “bride of Christ.” But what husband marries a woman he doesn’t know? It’s the same with God. To achieve eternal life — eternal bridal union — we must know our maker and develop a mutual relationship with him.

This is why Jesus uses the phrase daily bread. Jesus wants a daily relationship with us. He wants to get to know us and reveal more of himself to us as we walk with him day after day.

Getting to know Jesus is no different than getting to know a close friend or a spouse. It requires intentional time and devotion. It requires a desire to know them and to open yourself to them. That is the path towards forming a deep relationship — and the path God wants to take with us!

Well Fed

Let’s close by contrasting two scriptures we already discussed.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge
Hosea 4:6

Here God describes the malnourished life. The life that leads to death. These are the people who never or refused to eat from the true bread of life. The people who had no desire to truly know God and no desire to open themselves to his light.

True, life-giving relationship is difficult. It requires sacrifice, humility and a repentant heart. But many refuse this way of life — both in the natural and in the spirit. Pride is easier than humility. Independence easier than dependence. John describes it in this way: “The light has come into the world, and the people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19).

On the other had we have the well fed life.

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.
John 6:58

These are those who have chosen a true relationship with Jesus. The people who have opened their hearts to his light, his correction and his direction. Those who have chosen dependence over independence and humility over pride.

These are those who feast on the son of God and inherit eternal life. This is the well fed life.

In no way are the “well fed” perfect, but they are humble and desire to know God and to obey his commands.

May we all lead the well fed life. May we find life, light and joy in the person of Jesus. May we experience — and respond — to his love and develop the life-giving relationship with him he so desires.