Not So Simple
Yes, the Bible is perspicuous, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy read.
When we stress the Bible’s “easiness,” we lead our people into two wrong directions. Some will throw up their hands and say, “I must be really stupid because this seems very dense.” Or, even worse, we train people to only look for the easy parts, to be satisfied with daily nuggets of wisdom and never wade deep into the Bible’s waters. Either way, you wind up with people who never feel the satisfaction of studying the Bible on their own.
Instead, I suggest we be upfront about the demanding nature of the Bible. Let your people know that it’s hard work. It’s a challenge.
Read all of Trevin Wax’s How to Get People to Read the Bible Without Making Them Feel Dumb.
Where to Start
Four practical steps to take to begin becoming Biblically literate.
- Read your Bible and pray.
- Read large sections of the Bible at a time.
- Read Scripture in community with others in the local church.
- Sit under good preaching of God’s Word.
(Matthew Barrett at Credo Magazine.)