Read the Bible

Why should we read the Bible? There are lots of ways I could approach a topic like this. I could talk about why we gravitate toward a certain translation of the Bible. I could explain why we believe the Bible is historically accurate and inerrant in the original text. I think I can make a fairly convincing case for why we can trust the Bible to be historically accurate, authoritative … that it's true in our lives and for our lives.

In the end, we will either decide that the Bible is the authority in our lives, and therefore the Bible and what it contains is smarter than we are, or we will decide that we are the authority in our lives, and we know better than what the Bible says. All of us make that decision, in one way or another, every single day of our lives with Scripture.

So how do we decide that we should read the Bible? We should read the Bible because it is a training manual, and our lives depend upon it.

I make a statement that strong because the Bible, as we have it, is so important in our lives. Here's what it says in Psalm 19:7-10: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold” (ESV).

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul writes these words: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [or woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

So Paul and David are saying this book is where truth comes from. Now, it would be one thing for David to say that. It's one thing for Paul to say that. It's quite a different and less significant thing for me to say that. But do you know who else believed that this is the word of God? Jesus Himself believed that. He believed it with every fiber of His being.

Jesus read the Bible. When Jesus announced His ministry, He announced it by reading from the Holy Scriptures to all who were listening. So in order to be a follower of Him, you can go to the same source He went to, and that's Scripture itself.

I once asked a successful businessman who supervises employees, “If you had created a training manual for your staff, and it was absolutely imperative for them to read that training manual, how would you persuade them to read it?” He thought for a minute and said, “I would read it along with them. I’d read it to them if I had to.” I love that! Think about that. It changes everything when the boss comes and reads with you what you need to know.