For my devotional reading right now I am reading through the New Testament using The Message and reading J. I. Packer's book A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. In my reading a couple of days ago I read in 1 Timothy where Paul challenged Timothy to "Stay at your post reading Scripture...." That same morning I was reading in Packer's book how the Puritans expected the parents, especially fathers, to study the Scriptures so as to be able to teach their children. When they returned home from the church service the fathers were to examine the family to see how well they retained the sermon and to answer any questions any of the family might have about what they had heard. In order to do that, they had to first learn the faith themselves.
When I read these passages I thought about how much more difficult it was for Timothy and the Puritans to study the Scriptures than it is for us today. On one shelf in my study is a row of Bibles of various translations. On the opposite side of my study is nine shelves of commentaries and other Bible study helps. I realize that as a minister that might be more than most people would have, but the fact is each of us has access to that much, and more, aids to understanding the Scriptures. The question is, how many of us are spending time reading and studying the Scriptures.
During a stint as a Transitional Pastor in one church I invited the congregation to join me in reading through the Bible in one year. Several did so. One family read through it together with their children. A long-time Christian man told me it was the first time he had ever read through the Bible in a year. A few talked about how difficult it was, especially when they came to some of the OT passages that challenged their concepts of God being loving and merciful. Many told me that reading through the Bible in that way was a good experience.
As a pastor, I wanted people to read and study the Scriptures as much as possible. We spend a lot of time defending the Scriptures against those who challenge its authenticity. We complain that the courts have taken Bible reading out of the schools. But, many of us spend little to no time in personal Bible reading and study. That's obvious by some of the comments Christians make and how some live their lives. We expect our pastors to teach us what we need to know. More than once I've heard someone explain that they left a church because they "weren't being fed." How about feeding yourself? You're an adult. Feed yourself. Yes, the pastor has a responsibility to teach the people who listen to him or her, but each person as a responsibility to feed themselves from the richness of the Scriptures.
One other thing needs to be said, unfortunately. Some of what some pastors teach is poison to one's soul. Some seminaries produce ministers who have a very low view of the Scriptures, who do not accept them as inspired or authoritative. Such ministers teach things that are not biblically sound which can do great damage to those who listen to them. People sit in these churches week after week listening to such sermons and conducting their lives according to what they are hearing without realizing the faulty message they are hearing. They do this because they do not take time to study the Word for themselves.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God given to us to teach us sound doctrine and instruct us how we should live our lives. Every Christian should be a student of the Scriptures and should spend time every day reading and studying it. If this is not your habit, I pray it will become so.
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