Why are there so many who claim to be Christians, but have little idea what the Bible actually says? Thousands of religious people have never read the Bible for themselves. Yet they are confident they have a strong relationship with God. They go to church regularly and financially contribute to its work. Many of them are very active in their church’s youth groups and benevolent programs. However, when it comes to knowledge of God’s word they are surprisingly ignorant. What has caused this widespread trend? I want to observe three dangerous ideas that keep people from investigating God’s word for themselves.
1. “My pastor is very knowledgeable about the Bible and he tells me all I need to know.”
God’s word wasn’t written just to be studied by the clergy and then delivered to the laypeople. God wants us all to be like the noble-minded Bereans who “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Thessalonians were commanded to “examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:21). It is our responsibility to test the things we are taught to make sure they are in accordance with God’s word. The most knowledgeable religious teachers of Jesus day were referred to as “blind guides of the blind” (Matt 15:14). We must open our own eyes to God’s word and make sure we aren’t being led by the blind.
2. “The Holy Spirit speaks to my heart and tells me what to do.”
When someone feels that God is communicating to them directly through their emotions and premonitions they may have little use for the Scriptures. Even when they do read God’s word it is like they are reading a daily horoscope hidden deep within the passage to which they happened to open their Bible. Jesus did say the Holy Spirit would guide His disciples into all truth (John 16:13). He never said this would be accomplished within the confines of our own hearts, however. In fact, the Bible would warn us, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). The Holy Spirit primarily speaks to our hearts through the “all truth” revealed within the Scripture. It is this which Paul says is able to make us “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). We must learn to properly handle the “sword of the Spirit” if we are going to know God’s will for our lives (Eph 6:17; 2 Tim 2:15).
3. “God’s grace is unconditional. I have Jesus and that’s all I need.”
If salvation is available outside the pages of God’s word, we may find little reason to spend time reading or studying it. I can claim Jesus as my personal Savior regardless of my submission to Him as Lord. This isn’t the picture we get from Scripture though. “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9). We cannot have a genuine relationship with Christ unless we allow Him to communicate with us. While God’s love is unconditional, this does not mean His saving grace is received unconditionally. Salvation is not a passive experience. We must listen carefully to His word and respond in obedience. Jesus is the “author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9).
We must beware of these dangerous ideas that lead people away from the Scripture. Only God’s word can sanctify us (John 17:17) and set us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-32). Let’s all commit to opening up the Bible for ourselves and letting God speak to us for Himself. We may be surprised to learn what He has to say.