Why You Should Know Your Bible Before You Talk About It

It’s not biblical or even honest of me to form my own judgments and opinions, based on my own internal system of reasoning and morality, and then try to force the Bible to fit the narrative I desire to support my ideas. 

Although Americans have a wide variety of religious beliefs and expressions of their faiths, one thing seems to be common: most Americans aren’t reading their Bibles. This may be  a bit of a shock considering a 2021 study from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University showed more than two two-thirds, 69%, of U.S. adults self-identify as Christian. 

Amidst  two years of intense, ongoing political debates in which scripture and Biblical values have been frequently used to promote certain political parties’ ideas and agendas. However, according to a study published by Amy Watson called “Bible Readership in the U.S. 2018-2021”, only 11% of adult Americans read their Bibles daily. It also showed that only 5-9% read their Bibles 4 or more times a week, 9% read their Bibles once a week, 8% read their Bibles once a month, and 29% say they never open their Bibles. This study also revealed that Millennials were most likely to have never read the Bible and the most frequent readers of scripture were those older than 70. 

Why is there such a disconnect between people who read their Bibles and people who say they are believers? There are many possibilities why the statistics aren’t lining up, but here are some major factors: many Christians don’t feel like they understand how to read their Bibles so they just don’t. Likewise, many will say certain parts of scripture make them feel nervous or they fear inconsistency, so they’d rather not read. Also, many of those who identify as “Christian” have opposing or conflicting understandings of what it means to be a “Christian”.

According to Tracy Munsil’s 2021 article for ACU titled “CRC Report Finds Nearly 70% of Americans Claim to be ‘Christian,’ But What Does That Mean?”, among those who identify as Christians, “A full 58% contend the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being, 57% embrace the concept of Karma, and only 9% of this large population of self-identified Christians actually possess a biblical worldview, according to new research from George Barna, CRC Director of Research.” While many intelligent, Orthodox believers may disagree to varying degrees on what “a Biblical worldview” is, this is significant. Another reason that those who identify as followers of Jesus or the Bible may not be opening their Bibles is the culture of “culture wars”. Throughout the history of the 19th and 20th centuries and into our present day, “culture wars” have been a large part of American history, in particular. Especially in the last millennium, through the Scopes Monkey Trial, the Cold War, the sexual revolution, and the decade that birthed purity culture in the 90s, many fundamentalist-leaning believers have pushed the idea that it’s necessary for Christians to engage in these culture wars – to win the battle against any people, groups, ideas, or leaders that don’t promote the “true Christian” values. The idea is that the way you win a culture war is by becoming the most dominant voice or dominant group in the culture. Because of these cultural-war values, many people don’t search scripture within its full context to shape their worldviews or ideas, but rather seem to take bits or pieces of scripture and try to fit them into their pre-existing ideals or morals. 

There are internet shows, blogs, books, and influencers whose whole platform stands on one central objective: they’ll teach you how to “defeat” the other side with the very best arguments that no one can contest. The best and worst part of this is that, if I’m looking to knock my disagreeing friends or enemies out of the park, I don’t even have to open my Bible to know what it says or why it’s there because someone can give me a tutorial on how to school people with different ideas or beliefs and all I need is a YouTube link or access to an audiobook written by someone with my same opinions. 

So if a well-read, well-educated person on the internet can teach me how to argue my beliefs the best, why would I even need to open the Bible? If I agree with the “right side”, why do I need to know the verse references or read the Old Testament before I tell people what it says? The real question behind this is: what is my main objective in life and in how I interact with people? If my goal is to have the best debate skills and to make the opposition run in the other direction, a step-by-step guide on “winning” the discussion is ideal. If instead my goal is to be like Christ, die to my sin, love God, model the love of God for everyone, be transformed by the gospel, and love my neighbor as myself, then winning an argument doesn’t provide much aid (Matthew 5:43-48; Mark 12:29-31; Romans 6:1-11, 12:2; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Corinthians 3:18). More questions that go hand-in-hand with this are, what is the cure for evil and injustice? What generates true change? What makes someone a new person? If we believe the culture war narrative that Christians simply being the loudest and most dominant culture will cure evil, generate true change, and make people new, then fighting secular culture is for you. However, if you believe the gospel is the only thing that can truly transform a heart, that Jesus gave us the tools and instructions to create smaller versions of the Kingdom of God here on earth, that God is truly a loving God who hates oppression, injustice and evil, and who will make all things right and new, then the gospel and communing with God is the only answer (Isaiah 30; Matthew 5-7, 15:10-20; 2 Corinthians 5:11-15; Ephesians 2:8-10; James 1:19-27). 

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar, theologian, ancient historian, or Hebrew expert to understand scripture. You don’t have to read a research paper before you open your Bible. The Bible is living and active; it can speak and move in people’s hearts, revealing its truth to any reader. Jesus instructs His followers to have faith like a child (Matthew 18:3-5), and we see people of all religious backgrounds, social statuses, and education levels following Jesus in the Bible, showing us that Jesus and the Bible are for everyone. 

The Bible isn’t an instruction book about how to get to heaven. There are actually no verses that say “if you do (a), (b), or (c), when you die, you’ll go to “heaven””, but that misconception and understanding really shapes how people view the Bible and even how they read it. Interestingly, a lot of popular beliefs about heaven and hell (life after life after death as N.T. Wright and Tim Mackie say) have been formed based on Medieval art and the media’s adaptations of those depictions. Scripture does absolutely tell us how we can be saved by grace through faith in the resurrection of Jesus. As a result of this, believers in that gospel message will spend eternity with Jesus in the New Creation. However, this isn’t simply “dying and going to heaven” and the Bible isn’t a handbook focused on the reader and how they can make it to a magical cloud world. The Bible also isn’t a book about how being “good” or having less sin make a person more valuable or worthy of God’s love, or about “goodness” promoting someone to a higher level. Likewise, it’s not a book simply of good teachings or morals (plus some weird Old Testament laws). The Bible is a book of poetry, historical narrative, parables, prayers, songs of worship, cries in pain, teachings, prophecy, other people’s mail, and Jewish apocalyptic literature. The Bible shows us how scripture is an interlocking tapestry, from Genesis to Revelation, that paints a full picture of the start of humanity to our present day, along with a picture of what’s to come. Scripture starts by showing us God’s intention for humanity. It continues with the sin of man, God’s redemptive promises, His loyalty and kindness to the people of Israel, and goes on to tell us God’s promises to reconcile all things, the coming of Jesus, His fulfillment of prophecy and promise, His new Kingdom, and a new covenant. We see the gospel, that all can spend eternity with God by grace through faith alone, the letters of the apostles, and the promises of the return of Jesus and God reconciling all evil, once and for all, along with the promise of all things being made new. Every piece of this is relevant, useful, and helpful for us as readers to understand God’s goodness, His trustworthiness, His kindness, and why we should live for Him rather than ourselves (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12).

Anyone can, and should, pick up the Bible and read it. Scripture is living and powerful. It’s useful, helpful, and understanding its values is very practical. To more fully understand God’s Word and how to apply it to our lives, we have to understand that the Bible is an ancient text containing many writing and discourse styles. It’s written to, for, and about specific people groups in specific ancient cultures. In addition, it was written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic and has been translated into thousands of different translations, languages, and, sometimes, interpretations. Some Bibles are thought-for-thought translations, some are word-for-word, and all are taking words from one ancient language and finding the best fit for those words or ideas in another modern language. Those factors don’t in any way nullify the Bible’s value or the wisdom and instruction it reveals to us as modern believers. The Bible is for everyone, is meant for everyone to understand, and is useful for us all, but those factors are crucial to understand. In fact, understanding the culture and history around scripture can actually help us understand it better and help us see the deep meaning we can miss in our western-American culture, 2000+ years later.  Fortunately, we live in a world where we have access to view the original texts, study the history of different Bible translations, and can pull up any papyrus from the Dead Sea Scrolls with a Google search and a few clicks. If we are searching deeply, we have the means to study deeply.

When we look at what the Bible is in this context, understanding the history, culture, and language, we can see how easy it would be for someone to take one verse out of context. We can also see how much easier it would be for someone to try to manipulate scripture to fit one specific idea or political opinion rather than shaping their mindset around scripture itself. 

As Americans, we can see the evidence in our own country that reading the Bible once a week, once a month, or a few times a year is not enough for us to build our lives on, let alone entire campaigns, social structures, and moral models. The Bible doesn’t just give a starting place for our lives, an ending place, or feel-good filler, it gives us it all. It’s our beginning, the foundation, the walls, the roof, and everything inside. It gives us new eyes to see the world through. 

Last year, someone suggested a Christian influencer for me to follow who promoted head coverings. Immediately I thought, “This woman is way off base. She’s wearing a head covering and that’s just not a Biblical instruction according to the New Testament.” Then I began to think about how it actually is (1 Corinthians 11). I spent a few minutes trying to recall why I’m exempt from wearing a head covering and realized I actually have no idea why I don’t wear one. I began to wonder if I should or if I was sinning by not praying with one, and truly I could not think of one verse that spoke to my question. Yet I was ready to rebuke the person that sent me this Instagram message promoting a head-covering-wearing influencer because I just “knew that verse had to be in there somewhere”. If a red alert is going off in your head right now reading that, that’s what happened to me when I realized the sheer irony of my quickness to defend something I’d never even studied.

Fast-forward to today, I don’t wear a head covering when I pray. I spent a while putting together a list and chart of different theologians’ takes on head coverings and how they interpreted the passage in 1 Corinthians 11. I studied different, extra-Biblical texts that helped me understand the context of head coverings in the ancient world, looked at depictions of Greco-Roman women in the first century, and prayed about what I should be convicted to do. Of course, I don’t, and don’t personally think it’s necessary, to write an essay every time I have to make a decision about scripture, no one does. You can be a first-time Bible reader, living on a desert island, who never went to school and still be able to learn about the gospel, head coverings, Jesus, God, and the Revelation. God is powerful, and so is the Bible. No Excel chart, audiobook, or commentary needed. But I figured if I was going to defend my ideas against a scholarly-level argument, I should at least have enough information to effectively support my position. 

After the realization that I know much less than I think, I started going through a list of values and principles I held in my life and asking myself if I knew where or why scripture addressed them: Did I know the references to the pieces of scripture that discussed sexuality and marriage? Nope. Did I know where the Bible mentioned gender or gender identity? No. Was it even mentioned at all? I didn’t know. What about polygamy? No. Divorce? No. How many other major issues would I give you my opinion on and attribute to the Bible but couldn’t tell you where it was in scripture? How many times did I adopt someone else’s values as my own and ascribe them to being “Bible-based” without having ever studied them myself or even read the context of the verse I’m quoting?

The questions I was asking weren’t about deconstructing my faith or losing it; it was about getting to know my faith more. These questions led me not just to read my Bible more but to love it more. This process of understanding more  (that I understand less) also opened the door for me to be okay simply saying “I don’t know”; “I haven’t studied this yet”; “some theologians think ____ while others think ______; you should read the Bible to help you personally decide what you believe”; and “this isn’t Biblical, it’s just my own opinion”. 

Another door these questions opened was for me to ask the Bible hard questions. My faith wasn’t wavering or hinging on any one answer. My faith “deconstruction” or “the separating of my traditions with scripture”, or whatever your preferred term is, happened many years ago. This process started with trusting God and that His character is good and, because of that, being ok with whatever scripture reveals. I wanted real, genuine, deep answers that will hold up on a scholarly level, not quick fixes or Christian catch-phrases.

 I asked, what is the deal with the sexual assault laws in Deuteronomy? Does God allow rape in his Old Testament laws? What happened with the Canaanites; does God ordain genocide? Why do all of these early Israelites practice polygamy? Why did God kill the guy who touched the Ark of the Covenant? I continued asking and searching, and over and over as I dug into scripture deeper and deeper, facing these questions straight in the face, God continued to reveal His trustworthiness, goodness, love, kindness, justice, and the message of the gospel. As this process has continued, it’s shown me that in a way the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. I’ve continued to ask deep, real questions and spend time seeking to really study and engage with the Bible before I speak on something, attribute something to the Bible, vote on something, or tell others to do the same. And more and more I realize the importance of stating that “I can share my best opinion and the little knowledge and understanding I have on this topic, but you really should read the Bible”. I don’t want to pursue a Christian life where I base my ethics, marriage, family, or life decisions on a book I don’t know. Rather, if I truly and deeply believe the Bible and what it says, I should know it, study it, meditate on it, expand my understanding of it by listening to differing perspectives, and come under wise counsel and teachings about it. 

It’s absolutely, 100% okay to not know the answer to a faith question. We cannot possibly comprehend God in His entirety or every single verse in all completeness. If we think we will get to heaven and God will look at us and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant: your theology was 100% correct, every last word” we need to seriously rethink some things. It’s a wonderful gift we have to be able to ask God questions, bring our doubts to Him, and search the Bible deeply for answers. It’s alright to share a political opinion, idea, or belief and explain it’s your own without connecting it to a passage of the Bible. How much more honest and truthful for us to simply say it’s our own belief than to manipulate scripture into what we wish it said!

 It’s okay if you don’t know where your beliefs all come from. It’s impossible for someone to fully comprehend all of scripture or know the answers to the mysteries of our faith; extremely intelligent, devout believers all around the world have debated Biblical topics for centuries and can’t agree. The Bible is living and active; it reveals new truth and life each time we read it and allow the Holy Spirit of God to do so (1 Corinthians 2). It’s okay not to know, but this season of loving scripture in this new way has taught me that it’s not okay to not know and then proceed to teach people like I actually do. It’s not responsible or Christ-like for me to educate others on a topic I don’t know, a passage I’ve never fully read or one I haven’t studied the historical context of, or a Bible I don’t spend time in. It’s not biblical or even honest of me to form my own judgments and opinions, based on my own internal system of reasoning and morality, and then try to force the Bible to fit the narrative I desire to support my ideas. 

God is loving, good, and kind. He will meet you anywhere, anyplace, anytime. Wherever you are at in your Bible-study journey or spiritual “status”, God will be there waiting for you. You don’t have to earn his love or work your way up some imaginary stepladder of knowledge or good works to reach Him. The thief on the cross next to Jesus knew who He was and just asked for forgiveness; he didn’t need a Christian education, theology degree, or even one Sunday School lesson for him to know who the Messiah was and ask to be forgiven by God. God’s love met him right there and then. The important thing to see throughout all the people who interacted with Jesus is that Jesus welcomes everyone; but for those who teach and misrepresent God, there is a different message. 

In Matthew 23, Jesus addresses a religious group called the Pharisees. They had Jewish roots and origins, and essentially practiced extra laws, rituals, and steps to ensure they followed the law of Moses the best they possibly could. Unfortunately, many Pharisees progressed into not just taking extra steps for themselves but imposed extra-Biblical practices on others, making it sinful for people not to follow these laws and rituals. Jesus often points out in the gospels, most notably the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapters five through seven, that many of the Pharisees believed following the laws to a “T” would make them holy. Jesus points out you can follow a rule perfectly well, like not physically committing adultery with someone, but it’s what happens in your heart that defiles you; lusting is a sin, and you can commit adultery with someone in your own heart (Matthew 5:27-30). In chapter 23 of Matthew, Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples and a crowd about the Pharisees. He gives seven “woes” to the religious sect, explaining they are teaching values they don’t even practice. Their strict laws are suffocating people, and while some may do their best to follow every last command, their hearts are far from God. Paul also warns against false teachers and people who are trying to teach the law but don’t even understand it themselves in Timothy 1:3-7. And James opens his famous passage in Chapter 3 by warning of the wickedness of people’s words: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). There are consequences for our actions when we speak flippantly about things we don’t understand, or teach and impose our opinions on others as if our personal ideas or desires are the inspired words we wish we found in the pages of our Bibles. My husband made the observation that we like to conflate “taking God’s name in vain” with swearing, but perhaps taking God’s name in vain is more accurately represented when we conflate inspired scripture with what we desire and teach it as such.

The beautiful, wonderful gift we are blessed with in 2022 is that we have a world of resources available at our fingertips. We can instantly read the Bible in hundreds of translations and languages, find 10 contrasting commentaries, listen to a podcast about Biblical history, and never have to leave our seats. There is so much information available, so many conversations that are accessible, and so many teachings we can sit under without even spending a dime or getting off the couch. If we are putting time into contemplating our beliefs and that leads us to ask questions about theology, faith, or tradition, how wonderful! We have a God who freely allows us to ask Him anything, a Bible that is trustworthy and reliable, and a plethora of resources available to understand historical culture and context.

As a (recovering) legalist and someone who has many times given my opinion and shared it as straight Bible wisdom, I understand the desire to do so. Our human condition forces us to constantly submit to the Holy Spirit and die to ourselves instead of feeding our pride, seeking self-glorification, and needing to always win the argument and be the most correct. Sometimes it just feels bad to not know the answer, to not ask questions that will disrupt our status quo, or to let our ideas be challenged; but it is far worse never to grow, never to learn, and to misrepresent the Holy, beloved Word of God. 

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