Do I really need to read the Bible?

Do I really need to read the Bible?

“The Bible says that I should read it and study it, but it is so hard to understand, and I don’t really feel qualified.  I’ll just take my religious leader’s word for it and read some books about the Bible, and that will be good enough.” 

I was raised in a Christian home and attended a Protestant church. I remember reading the Bible as a child, and admittedly, much of it was difficult to understand. It bothered me that some of the things I read seemed to be contrary to what my pastors were preaching. My pastors, the “experts”, essentially told me that since I was baptized as an infant, nothing else was necessary. In fact, one pastor mocked the concept of being “born again”. He said that he’d been asked when he was born again, and he laughed saying, “I suppose as a baby when I was baptized.” Based on these false teachings, I decided that the Bible wasn’t really important and that it really didn’t matter what I did in life, since I had the “fire insurance” in hand. That belief system had an extremely negative impact on my life, and eventually, in spite of prominence, wealth, and everything else I thought would make me happy, I lacked joy. I was depressed, anxious, and empty.

The Bible can be hard to understand at times, and there may be parts that we simply don’t like.  Some feel ill-equipped to read the Bible for themselves, or deep down they don’t want to be held accountable for the contents.  Instead, they rely on their teacher, pastor, or priest to define it, or they seek out a book or website to explain it to them.

There are two real dangers with this line of thinking.  First, although there are many excellent teachers, books, and websites out there, all of these are flawed because we as humans are flawed.  This Song of Victory site has what I hope is some very valuable information, including arguments for the inerrancy of the Bible and resources to help you better understand the Bible, but it too is flawed.  The Bible is the only source that is the inspired word of God.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

The second danger is that we are stubborn, rebellious humans who want to have things our way.  As such, we have a tendency to try to find teachers, books, and websites that will support our ideas and preferences.  When we do, we feel “justified” in our thoughts, and our self-esteem gets a shot in the arm.  Paul warned Timothy that this would happen.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT)

If we are being true to our Savior, we should test everything and everyone against the truth of scripture.  We see an example of this in the early church. 

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. 

Acts 17:10-12 (NLT)

God gave us his word.  He gave us the manual to life and eternity, and we are personally responsible for reading it.  Reading books and listening to sermons are an important part of our daily walk with Christ, but we also need to study the Bible and test everything we see and read against it. 

We are living in a time when confusing information, misinformation, and demonic doctrines are running rampant.  Stress, depression, anxiety, suicide, and other mental health issues are becoming more prevalent as we try to navigate a world of pandemics, social justice issues, and political unrest.  Now, more than ever, we need to turn to the Bible for truth.  We cannot allow our lives now or our eternity to be determined by anything else.

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. 

1 John 4:1-6 (NLT)

The Bible may seem confusing, but for the true Christ-follower, we have the Spirit of the living God in us, helping us to understand its truth.  When I allowed myself to be swayed by fads and unsound doctrine, the scripture was meaningless and confusing. But when I asked Jesus to take control of my life and invited the Holy Spirit to live in me and guide me, scripture came alive!  I still use commentaries and listen to sermons as a part of my study process, but the Spirit of God guides me.  As a result, not only do I have a clearer understanding of what it means to be a child of God, but I can look at events happening in our world today and understand them from a Biblical perspective.  I have peace and joy in the midst of chaos.

Can I just read the New Testament?

If you are new to Bible reading, the New Testament is a good place to start. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John cover the life of Jesus. Mark is the shortest and most concise. Luke gives you a broader perspective based on the extensive research of Dr. Luke. Matthew and John were both disciples of Jesus, with John being one of the three in the inner circle. Each of the four had a different purpose for their accounts, and each of them covered some things that the other three did not. Acts reviews the early church. Romans is a great summary of the path to salvation, and the letters provide excellent information on how to live a Christian life. Revelation is a prophetic vision of our future given by Jesus to the apostle John. It can be confusing, as John is describing events and technologies that didn’t exist in his day, such as modern day warfare. For a great summary of the information in Revelation, please see our article “How Will the World End?“

While the New Testament is a great place to start or re-start your reading, the Old Testament should not be dismissed. I’ve heard people say that they are “New Testament Christians”, meaning that they have no use for the Old Testament with all of its rules and judgment. They look at the God of the Old Testament as being overly restrictive and vindictive and the Jesus of the New as being grace and love. This actually demonstrates a lack of understanding of both Old and New.

The first thing to understand is that God (and Jesus is fully God) exists outside of time.  He knows everything from the past and in the future, and he does not change.  

God is not a man, so he does not lie.  He is not human, so he does not change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through? 

Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

“I am the LORD, and I do not change.” 

Malachi 3:6a (NLT)

It is true that many of the Levitical laws were instituted to keep the Israelites healthy.  There were also animal sacrifice laws that were intended to be a very visual demonstration to the Jews that sin has consequences. These were no longer necessary after Jesus gave himself as the perfect sacrifice on the cross.  God did not change his mind about these things, but always intended for the “New Covenant” to render these things obsolete.  

Does this not then apply to moral laws as well?  With regard to the rituals above, God specifically said that these things were no longer necessary.  Never did he say that the moral laws had — or ever would — change.  In fact, Jesus told us just the opposite.  

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’  But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 

Matthew 5:17-22, 27-30 (NLT)

Jesus demonstrated to his listeners that sin is a heart problem.  It starts in the heart, and if left unchecked, it will quickly turn into action. Someone doesn’t simply wake up one day and decide to have an affair.  It is the result of a first look, a second look, and a lust that builds up in the mind. Imagination leads to action.  That’s why he wanted us to take even the thought of sin captive, so that it will not lead to the behavior of sin.

The New Testament has much more to say about morality.  Here are just a few verses:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NLT)

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 

Revelation 22:12-15 (NLT)

These words are tough to hear, but as I say above, God gave us rules for a reason.  Sin always brings pain to you and to those around you.  It also brings destruction to society as a whole.  It may seem at first like it doesn’t, but sin always catches up with us, causing damage to our bodies, minds, and relationships.  If we really trust God, we will trust his words to us and turn away from harmful behaviors.

Old Testament History

The Old Testament contains a great deal of history, and some of it, admittedly, can be difficult to read. There are times of warfare in which God gives directives that we may find difficult to understand. In depth study sheds light on why God had to make these difficult decisions. Although that is outside the scope of this article, please understand that God had valid reasons for giving those orders. He had to protect his people from the viciousness and evil that prevailed.

We also need to understand that God has the bigger picture. As noted above, God exists outside of time and knows the hearts, minds and “future” actions of every being on the earth.

“If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people’s enemies are in the land besieging their towns—whatever disaster or disease there is—  and if your people Israel pray about their troubles, raising their hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart.”

Prayer of King Solomon, 1 Kings 8, 37-39 (NLT)

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

King David to his son Solomon, 1 Chronicles 28: 9 (NLT)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Isaiah 55:8 (NLT)

God is righteous, and when people commit sin, they not only hurt themselves and those around them, they also reject the righteousness of God. Throughout the Bible, we see God warning people to repent. We see the heart of God desiring the best for his people, and sadly, we see humans rejecting that and choosing a life of greed, violence, and immorality. When a child behaves poorly, an effective parent will discipline him or her. They do so in order to teach that there are consequences to actions. As a good parent, God disciplined, and his judgments are perfect. But judgment is not limited to the Old Testament. God doesn’t change, and his views on morality don’t change. Sin always hurts us, even if we don’t see it right away. And ultimately, if we continue to reject God, we will be judged.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he [John the Baptist] denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?  Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.  Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.  Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 3:7-10 (NLT)

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Matthew 12:33-37 (NLT)

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)

And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NLT)

The judgment of God is not comfortable to discuss. I would much rather talk about the love of God and all of his promises, but the judgement of God is real. God is holy and perfect. He cannot allow evil to be ignored. The good news is that Jesus took the penalty for all of our sin, and if we choose to follow Jesus, we can be saved from condemnation. Only by truly understanding the truth of what we really deserve can we understand and appreciate the grace of God. We will all still stand before the throne of God, but for those who are saved, it is a judgment of rewards based on our actions and motives during this life. For those who reject that gift, they will be eternally sentenced.

Old Testament Typology

Several accounts in the Old Testament foreshadow events of the New and point directly to Jesus. Here are just a few examples:

• The sacrifice of the Passover lamb outlined in Exodus 12 foreshadowed the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God on the cross for the remission of sin. (See 1 Corinthians 5:7 and 1 Peter 1:18-20)
• Jonah was in the fish for 3 days and night as Jesus was in the tomb the same. Jesus referenced this when he predicted his own death and resurrection in Matthew 12:38-4.
• The story of Joseph points us directly to Jesus. Just some of the similarities include being sold for the price of a slave, going to Egypt, and being falsely accused. I highlight 19 of these similarities in the article “Higher Vision“.
• God’s testing of Abraham in Genesis 22 foreshadows God sending his only Son to be a sacrifice for our sins.
• Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 when he talks about the relationship of the Church to Christ in Ephesians 5:31-32. The marriage of a man and woman joins them together as one in a sacred union. As the bride of Christ, we are joined to our Savior and should remain faithful to him.

These are just a few of the many examples of typology in the Old Testament. If you are interested in exploring this further, I have included an article in the “Resources” section below.

Old Testament Prophecy

The Old Testament contains a great deal of prophecy pointing to both the first and second coming of Christ. There were over 400 prophecies of the first coming of Jesus, all literally fulfilled. There are over 1,000 prophecies of his second coming throughout the Bible that will be fulfilled in the future. We also find hidden meanings beautifully woven throughout the Old Testament. For example, throughout the Bible, names had very specific meanings. Here is an example of how the gospel message was woven into the genealogy of Christ (Luke 3:36-38) through the names of people in the Old Testament.

Adam means Man

Seth means Appointed

Enosh means Mortal

Kenan means Sorrow

Mahalalel means The Blessed God

Jarad means Shall come down

Enosh means Teaching

Methuselah means His death shall bring

Noah means Comfort, Rest

When you put these together, you find the gospel message:  Man is appointed mortal sorrow, but the blessed God shall come down, teaching that His death shall bring the despairing comfort or rest.  

The Real God of the Bible

Today, there are an increasing number of people (and even churches) who have crafted their own version of what God is really like. Most avoid the Bible because they don’t really want to believe in a God who holds people accountable, and they want to believe that the things the Bible calls sin really are not. This type of view has been perpetuated in books that show God as a loving God who would never condemn anyone and who simply wants people to be happy. God is love, but as we saw above, he is also righteous.

The sin that got Satan cast down was the sin of pride and the desire to be like God. This same sin caused Adam and Eve to trade paradise for a sinful world. It is this same sin that has captured and deceived humans to this day, and it is the cause of all evil in the world. The Bible is the actual Word of God to his people. (For discussion of this, please see the article “Is the Bible Still Relevant“.) When we begin to pick and choose the parts of the Bible that we like, and discard the rest, we are saying that we know better than God. God created mankind in his image, but when we redefine God, we are creating him in our image! That is pride, and that is sin, and it has eternal consequences. When we consider how and where we want to spend eternity, it is crazy to avoid the instruction manual that gives the answers!

A Final Warning

In the Old Testament, God sent prophets to warn the people that if they didn’t repent, judgment would follow, but they didn’t listen. We are told over and over again that the prophets pleaded with the people to listen, but they didn’t want to listen. They even beat and killed the prophets who tried to warn them.

Since the days of the prophets, the gospel of Jesus has been proclaimed and written down, along with the Old Testament, in what we now know as the Bible. Our culture tends to behave in the same manner as the people of the Old Testament, and just like those people, we are given warnings of the judgment to come in the Bible. Further, since we have such wide access to the Bible, we are held even more accountable.

But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Luke 12:48 (NLT)

This does not mean that if you avoid reading the Bible, you will be held less accountable. The Bible is available to those who want it, and all will be held accountable for its contents.

Aside from that, the Bible contains blessings for those who read and study its contents. It contains instructions for relationships, parenting, work practices, and healthy living. It contains hope and peace for those who put their faith in the Creator of the universe. And it is a love letter from God to mankind with a promise of tremendous reward for those who choose to make Jesus the Lord of their lives!

Next Steps

I encourage anyone reading this to commit your lives to Jesus and to understanding the inspired words of God found in the Bible.  Pray for understanding and clarity.  If you are really seeking truth (not simply trying validate your opinion), the Holy Spirit will guide you in understanding. Pray also for our church leaders that they will clearly hear the Holy Spirit and follow his guidance. 

I also encourage you to find a reliable Bible translation that is understandable to you. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek and then translated into English and other languages. Translations are done in one of two ways: word for word and thematic (thought for thought). Both have their merits. Typically, your word for word are going to be more accurate, but since the ancient languages described things in “pictorial” language, these translations can have difficulty getting the right picture across. Good options here include English Standard Version (ESV), The New American Standard Version (NASV), The New English Translation (NET) and the New King James Version. (The King James Version also falls into this category, but it is very difficult to understand for contemporary readers.)

Thematic, or though for thought translations, are more accurate for some things, as their goal is to capture the essence of what is being said. Good options here include the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), the pre-2011 New International Version (NIV), and the New Living Translation (NLT).

In general, I use multiple versions so that I can compare what is being said across versions. I especially like to compare a word for word translation to a thought for thought to get both perspectives. And, I personally love the Amplified Bible (AMP), because it is like reading a Bible Commentary within the Bible itself. It clarifies things in the text within [brackets] to provide the reader with additional context. Keep in mind that the information in the brackets is from man, so it is not inspired or 100% accurate.

You don’t have to spend a chunk of money on a Bible, either. Most churches will provide a free hard copy of the Bible to you, and there are many free options online that contain multiple translations. Please see several of these in the “Resources” section below. There are also apps available for download that will even read the Bible to you. This allows you to listen on your drive to work or while doing other things.

The Creator of the universe gave us his Word. If you doubt the accuracy of the Bible or whether or not it is really “written” by God, please see the articles “Is Christianity True?” and “Is the Bible Still Relevant“. Please do not trust your eternity to some book or even your church pastors and leaders. Read for yourself. Your eternity depends on it.

Bible.com – This site has a downloadable app called YouVersion. YouVersion Bible app is also available in your app store on your device and it is available for iPad/iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire. It is a free app with no ads. It has multiple versions, many of which have audio. You can even download your favorite versions so you can read or listen off line. You can even bookmark and highlight your favorite passages, find devotionals, and keep a prayer journal. Overall, this is the best free app I have found.

Biblegateway.com – This is a free on-line Bible that also has multiple versions. They have study tools and an app as well. They offer paid upgrades as well, but you can do a lot without paying anything.

Enduring Word Commentary:  The Holy Spirit should be your primary guide when studying the Bible. But having a good Bible Commentary is a great resource as well as being able to learn about the historical, geographical, and scientific significance of scripture as well.  After reviewing Enduring Word commentary, I find it to be one of the better, free, online sources.  It contains both written as well as video commentary. 

“Typology in the Old Testament” by Daniel C Snaddon

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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