Do we need Scripture?? or do we need to get back to it!!

[phil36]

Here are bits and pieces from various articles on the state of Biblical Illiteracy.

Central idea: Statistics show that there is a shocking lack of knowledge of
basic Bible knowledge among Americans. This is particularly puzzling in view of
the availability of Bibles and Bible related materials.
I. The Bible is the best-selling title in America.

A. Twenty-five million copies of the Bible are sold annually.

B. Americans spent 2.4 billion dollars on Bibles in 2006.
II. Surveys show that the majority of Americans are biblically illiterate.

A. Illiteracy ranks high among the Christian community.

B. Youth are particularly affected by biblical illiteracy.
III. There are two basic reasons why Bible illiteracy rates are high.

A. Americans simply are not reading the Bible
B. Many churches do not emphasize Bible learning in their
educational programs.

IV. Americans need to be reminded why they should read the Bible.
A. We are commanded to read it.
B. The Bible is God’s living letter to humanity.
C. The Bible provides the answers to all of life’s issues.
D. The Bible reveals the future.

Conclusion: It is time for America to get back to the Bible. Our existence​

as a nation depends on our reverence for God and His Word.

And for Britain.

http://www.reformation-today.org/issues/articles/rt209-BattleforChristianity.pdf

I can see that a wishy washy Gospel and Liberalism has set us on a decline in Biblical illiteracy. How many can say they have read one book of the bible in go, considering that most new testament books will take no longer than 20 mins to read, even the Gospel of Mark can be read in 45 mins.

we seem to do a wee one verse devotional in the mornign and that is it, yet we will pick up a newspaper a spend 30 mins on it no problem.

Anyhow whats your thoughts?

 

[livingbygrace]

Illiteracy runs high among Christians of reading the Bible

This is very dangerous. You then have to hope you are going to a church that teaches the truth of the Bible. Every Christian needs a thorough reading of the NT at least so they can know if what they are being taught is correct.

 

[VW]

every christian needs to be filled with the holy spirit, then they will have the author of the bible living in them.

i have seen conversions, where the person filled was functionally illiterate, and when they got filled with the spirit, they learned to read on their own in order to read the bible. not many but the religious will read the bible unless they have the love of god in them by the spirit.

 

[MahogonySnail]

The irony is that in the places where we have too many bibles, like our western countries, too few of us read it enough. But in places where they have no bibles, and millions of xtians go without, they are under persection and need them themost, and they are desperate for them and go to great lengths to copy or acquire one. It's a spiritual version of the global hunger crisis.

 

[phil36]

every christian needs to be filled with the holy spirit, then they will have the author of the bible living in them.

i have seen conversions, where the person filled was functionally illiterate, and when they got filled with the spirit, they learned to read on their own in order to read the bible. not many but the religious will read the bible unless they have the love of god in them by the spirit.

Hi VW, thanks for the post.

But I was not talking of people who are illiterate, as in can't read. I'm talking about us who can read and yet neglect the Authority on all matters of Faith which God made sure we had.. Scripture.

 

[VW]

Hi VW, thanks for the post.

But I was not talking of people who are illiterate, as in can't read. I'm talking about us who can read and yet neglect the Authority on all matters of Faith which God made sure we had.. Scripture.

i know what you said........i am not illiterate lol

i was addressing the general message of the thread you started.

people don't read the bible because they do not know or love god.

that comes by the holy spirit.

 

[VW]

imagine one 60 years old, who cannot read functionally, and when he gets filled with the spirit, he spends the next 5 years learning to read on his own, because he wanted to hear what the spirit says through the bible.

i know him, and many others like him.

 

[phil36]

I would disagree with you VW, you just have to look at the polll that was done a week or so ago on here. there are plenty who love the Lord and are saved, but yet are missing Knowing Him better through Scripture, His Living word that He gave to us. The Holy spirit will guide us in understanding the authority of all matters of Faith..Scripture

 

[VW]

I would disagree with you VW, you just have to look at the polll that was done a week or so ago on here. there are plenty who love the Lord and are saved, but yet are missing Knowing Him better through Scripture, His Living word that He gave to us. The Holy spirit will guide us in understanding the authority of all matters of Faith..Scripture

so you say.

i don't remember reading anywhere in scripture that it is the authority, or that the holy spirit would help us understand the authority of the bible.

authority resides in jesus, because the father gave him all authority so that all would honor him.

 

[glenwood74]

In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD......And in the new covenant, the WORD shall be written on their hearts.

We don't have time to study the bible. We have too much to do. What are you thinking this is Phil, the 1800's? We have television to watch and cell phone that need to be texted, we have video games to win and web-sites that need visited, we have gadgets that need our attention and toys that need to be played with. Ours is a complicated existence, Phil, and we must be plugged in to the whole of our society. We must concentrate on the celebrities, and the latest fashions, and the gossip, and the inane blabbering of countless talking heads. I don't know about Britain, but here in the New World, we just don't have much time for the bible.

This, of course, is who I was, and now the good Lord is pruning me of all the unfruitfulness of my secular life. There is a biblical principal of you reap what you sow, and the worldly maxim of garbage in, garbage out, but the world is so flashy and shiny and loud and obnoxious, that we don't hear or read the truth. Our illiteracy here in the USA is self imposed for the sake of convenience or idol worship.

 

[aspen]

Here are bits and pieces from various articles on the state of Biblical Illiteracy.

Central idea: Statistics show that there is a shocking lack of knowledge of
basic Bible knowledge among Americans. This is particularly puzzling in view of
the availability of Bibles and Bible related materials.
I. The Bible is the best-selling title in America.

A. Twenty-five million copies of the Bible are sold annually.

B. Americans spent 2.4 billion dollars on Bibles in 2006.
II. Surveys show that the majority of Americans are biblically illiterate.

A. Illiteracy ranks high among the Christian community.

B. Youth are particularly affected by biblical illiteracy.
III. There are two basic reasons why Bible illiteracy rates are high.

A. Americans simply are not reading the Bible
B. Many churches do not emphasize Bible learning in their
educational programs.

IV. Americans need to be reminded why they should read the Bible.
A. We are commanded to read it.
B. The Bible is God’s living letter to humanity.
C. The Bible provides the answers to all of life’s issues.
D. The Bible reveals the future.

Conclusion: It is time for America to get back to the Bible. Our existence​

as a nation depends on our reverence for God and His Word.

And for Britain.

http://www.reformation-today.org/issues/articles/rt209-BattleforChristianity.pdf

I can see that a wishy washy Gospel and Liberalism has set us on a decline in Biblical illiteracy. How many can say they have read one book of the bible in go, considering that most new testament books will take no longer than 20 mins to read, even the Gospel of Mark can be read in 45 mins.

we seem to do a wee one verse devotional in the mornign and that is it, yet we will pick up a newspaper a spend 30 mins on it no problem.

Anyhow whats your thoughts?

Cannot argue with that - people need to read their Bibles. It is interesting though, the same kind of discrepancies exist surrounding shopping habits at major bookstore chains. Borders has enough money to be considered a country; people love to buy books, but there is no evidence that they are reading what they are buying. Another example of meaningless ownership - 'maybe is I own it, I will understand it'

 

[giantone]

People who teach Sunday school many times don't have Bible knowledge, you would think this couldn't be the case. Many ministers don't seem to read any Bible as well. I go to other churches once in a while and it surprises me how often the sermon has little or no scripture at all. They might have a single scripture and explain it with a story or a T.V. show they watched last week and how we should be nice to each other. The denomination I go to has the same problem in some of the churches as well. This is the case, what is the condition of the people under them?

 

[dscherck]

I agree that too often people don't read the Scripture often enough. I think that despite our theological differences, we can all agree that reading the Bible is of great importance in our growth in Christ. Christ speaks to us in many ways, but one of the clearest ways is through the Scriptures and we all should rejoice in the fact that the majority of us can have access to the Scriptures in a variety of ways. I find it wonderful that I can carry the Scriptures with me constantly on my smart phone. And I certainly love that there are dozens of different translations of the Scriptures available for free online.

I am doing my part by reading the Bible to my daughter regularly and praying with her regularly. At 18 months of age, she's still new to this world, but I hope that as she grows, she learns to love to read, and to love the Lord.

 

[studentofgod]

People who teach Sunday school many times don't have Bible knowledge, you would think this couldn't be the case. Many ministers don't seem to read any Bible as well. I go to other churches once in a while and it surprises me how often the sermon has little or no scripture at all. They might have a single scripture and explain it with a story or a T.V. show they watched last week and how we should be nice to each other. The denomination I go to has the same problem in some of the churches as well. This is the case, what is the condition of the people under them?

I agree the reason that this is happening is because of the leadership. The church i attend now strongly encourages me to read the bible and live my life for god. This is something i never at experienced at any other church

 

[loveschild]

My church got mad at me cause I stopped going to ladies bible study. It was 5 mintues of bible study and 3 hours of food and visiting. I kept trying to tell them nicely we need to be deeper into God.
So when I stopped going they were all like we miss you what wrong. I told them I'm no baby Christian and I can eat at home. So I caused a big rukus and now we a have good long bible studies and food and visiting. Thank God and lots of prayer.

 

[lil-rush]

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" - my mom's favorite Bible verse; a verse that every Christian could benefit from reading and living by, yeah?

I know I don't read my Bible nearly as much as I should, and as a result I do not study it as often as I should. I suppose it is a matter of priorities and such, and the fact that it is really easy to put other things before God. Priorities and a lack of love(agape) for God. If we loved Him even half as much as He loved us, I think we'd spend way more time reading and studying our Bibles.

So, the best thing to do is pray that God helps us (the Christian family in general) to develop a deeper love for Him that will cause us to get a desire to read His word and study it, and do what He has called us to do.

 

[VW]

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" - my mom's favorite Bible verse; a verse that every Christian could benefit from reading and living by, yeah?

I know I don't read my Bible nearly as much as I should, and as a result I do not study it as often as I should. I suppose it is a matter of priorities and such, and the fact that it is really easy to put other things before God. Priorities and a lack of love(agape) for God. If we loved Him even half as much as He loved us, I think we'd spend way more time reading and studying our Bibles.

So, the best thing to do is pray that God helps us (the Christian family in general) to develop a deeper love for Him that will cause us to get a desire to read His word and study it, and do what He has called us to do.

when paul wrote that letter to timothy, there was not a bible in existence.

the bible did not come about as we know it for another two centuries.

every christian could benefit by living filled with the holy spirit.

yes, read your bible, but seek to be in jesus christ above all things.

 

[pickles]

Maby if we looked at the scriptures as God's letters of love to us?
Yes we all need to read thescriptures more, but for a long time many have been taught or seen the word as a chore or mission, instead of learning that the word is a food, or a relationship with Jesus.
I can remember the Bible being used as a punishment when school age.
I now know the word as a personal letter from Jesus, and hope to teach this to others.
When reading, it feeds the heart and soul, and streanthens the Holy Spirit in us.
God bless, pickles

 

[VW]

Maby if we looked at the scriptures as God's letters of love to us?
Yes we all need to read thescriptures more, but for a long time many have been taught or seen the word as a chore or mission, instead of learning that the word is a food, or a relationship with Jesus.
I can remember the Bible being used as a punishment when school age.
I now know the word as a personal letter from Jesus, and hope to teach this to others.
When reading, it feeds the heart and soul, and streanthens the Holy Spirit in us.
God bless, pickles

many years ago, when my wife's grandmother died, i got all of her books. among them was a book called "the living letters." i started to read it, it was just a collection of letters from someone to a group of people, and about halfway through i realized that they were the letters of the new testament. no verses or chapters or anything like that. they are very obviously letters of great love.

when most read the bible, it is with two things already in their minds;
1) i want to understand
2) this is god's word to me.

now both of these are good, but with a natural mind, things will not work out as they should. the natural mind will gain an understanding that is of the law, and which condemns the person, because just like the law, the scriptures condemn that which is not spiritual. so people are not going to read the scripture, because who seeks condemnation?

certain kinds of minds will find in scripture a logic and reasonability that appeals to them. they will take to the letter easily, and will have a difficult time with the following;

unless we have a renewed mind, from the inner man, where the spirit who does the renewing dwells, we will not see or understand the scriptures as we should.

 

[phil36]

so you say.

i don't remember reading anywhere in scripture that it is the authority, or that the holy spirit would help us understand the authority of the bible.

authority resides in jesus, because the father gave him all authority so that all would honor him.

So is the bible the authority on all matters of Faith VW? and I take it you don't then believe that the Holy Spirit will help us in understanding Scripture?