Be honest. You’re not reading the Bible as often as you should. What are your excuses? Whatever they are, you need to uncover and crush them.
Recently, I challenged young believers to overcome their excuses for not reading the Bible. Here are their top three. Find out if you make one or more of the same excuses.
First, they say they don’t have time. If this is your excuse, I don’t believe you. Are you telling me that in the 900 minutes you’re awake each day, you can’t find 15 of them to spend reading the words of your Maker?
We all make time for what we think is important. Seeking fellowship with God is what we’re created to do. Like a newborn needs nourishment from mom, so we need nourishment from God’s Word. It’s essential to a healthy spiritual life.
If you can’t find time to hear from your Maker, let me be honest: You need to repent of how you spend your time. Chances are, you are deciding to spend time on your devices, whether it’s your smartphone, tablet, or television. I appreciate technology, but we waste too much time scrolling on social media, watching television, or playing video games. People who claim they have no time most likely squander it staring at screens.
God gives us the precious resource of time. We need to be good stewards of it. Therefore, if you genuinely don’t have enough time, then be honest and admit you don’t make reading the Bible a priority.
Second, they say the Bible is too confusing. I get it. There are a lot of confusing passages in Scripture. I struggle to make sense of many verses as well. But here’s why I don’t see that as a problem.
Despite many difficult passages, the vast majority of the Bible is understandable. Its main message is also clear: God has chosen a people through which he will redeem sinful humanity by providing a way to be reconciled through the work of Jesus on the cross.
But there’s another factor to consider. Many passages in the Bible seem confusing because we’ve developed bad reading habits. We often read verses out of context, ignore the genre of the text, and disregard the historical occasion that prompted the author to write. If you’ve unwittingly adopted these habits, it might leave you scratching your head during your devotional time.
Therefore, if you want to boost your understanding of the Bible or avoid common interpretive mistakes, study hermeneutics—the art and science of how to interpret the Bible. While this might sound complex, it’s not. The three most basic principles of biblical interpretation (context, history, and genre) you already know and use every day when you read anything. You just need to apply them when you read the Bible.
There are many affordable resources available through Stand to Reason. The first is Greg Koukl’s modestly priced booklet, Never Read a Bible Verse. There’s also STR U’s free course on hermeneutics, also called “Never Read a Bible Verse.” Third, STR’s online store sells How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, a more thorough book on interpreting Scripture.
Third, they say the Bible is not relevant. This is perhaps the most mystifying excuse. After all, upon a moment’s reflection, the Bible is the most relevant book ever written. Why? When you read the Bible, you are reading the very words of the being who spoke the universe into existence, who began time itself, who fashioned the stars and the planets, and who wrote the language of DNA in your body. You get to read the words of that being. You get to know him and be in fellowship with him. How is that not relevant?
Further, reading Scripture helps you know your place in this world. People today are confused about who they are, what their purpose is, and whether they have value. They have no grounding for their identity. Many succumb to the lie that they’re better off dead than alive. This is to say nothing of the myriad destructive ideologies rampant in our society: transgenderism, racism, critical theory, relativism. But the Bible speaks to all these issues. It explains who we are, whose we are, and why we matter. How is that not relevant?
Finally, the Bible helps us navigate culture. The world is replete with confusing messages. We’re told feelings are more important than facts, boys can be girls, there are multiple ways to God, it doesn’t matter who you have sex with, and a host of other dangerous lies. The Bible, though, provides principles to filter this nonsense so we can navigate this world without being confused, misled, and hurt. How is that not relevant?
So, what’s stopping you from reading the Bible? You. You are the only one in the way. It’s your decisions that are keeping you from fellowship with your Maker. Kick these excuses to the curb, and let the Word of God renew your mind (Rom. 12:2).