1. Why Do You Read the Bible?

2. Reading Scripture
Scripture is to be read in the Lord’s church (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:13)
But, why do you read? What is your motive or reason behind reading?

3. Poll: Americans love the Bible but don’t read it much More than half of Americans think the Bible has too little influence on a culture they see in moral decline, yet only one in five Americans read the Bible on a regular basis, according to a new survey. More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) think the nation’s morality is headed downhill, according to a new survey from American Bible Society.

4. The survey showed the Bible is still firmly rooted in American soil: 88 percent of respondents said they own a Bible, 80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, and the average household has 4.4 Bibles. If the Bible is so commonplace in America, wouldn’t its moral teachings counteract the downward trend? Almost a third of respondents said moral decline was a result of people not reading the Bible, while 29 percent cited the “negative influence of America” and one in four cited corporate corruption.

5. Doug Birdsall, president of American Bible Society, said he sees a reason for why the Bible isn’t connecting with people. “I see the problem as analogous to obesity in America. We have an awful lot of people who realize they’re overweight, but they don’t follow a diet,” Birdsall said. “People realize the Bible has values that would help us in our spiritual health, but they just don’t read it.”

6. If they do read it, the majority (57 percent) only read their Bibles four times a year or less. Only 26 percent of Americans said they read their Bible on a regular basis (four or more times a week). Younger people also seem to be moving away from the Bible. A majority (57 percent) of those ages read their Bibles less than three times a year, if at all.

7. Jesus and Reading Scripture
When Jesus questioned the Jews regarding their reading of scripture, he meant to question their motive or purpose in reading
“Have you not read?” (Mt. 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31)
“Did you never read?” (Mt. 21:16, 42)
“How do you read?” (Lk. 10:26)

8. Some Read the Bible…
To say they have read it, to satisfy curiosity, to meet a requirement (fill out a lesson) – by reading without doing anything (Jer. 36:20-26)
To maintain a routine, a tradition, a “status symbol” – by reading without understanding, applying or seeking truth (Acts 8:30; 13:15, 27; 15:21; 2 Cor. 3:15)

9. Some Read the Bible…
To win an argument – by quoting a verse as a “proof text” (Mt. 4:6)
To get something out of it – by reading to find justification for what they want (Mt. 22:23ff)
To put something into it – by “reading into” or twisting the scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16)

10. Why We Need to Read…
To apply and obey God’s word (Lk. 4:16-21; Rev. 1:3)
To get someone (God/Jesus) out of it – by becoming what God wants us to be (Deut. 17:18-20; 31:9-13; Josh. 8:32-35; K. 22:10ff; 23:1ff; Neh. 8:3ff; 9:3ff; Lk. 24:32; Acts 17:2-3; 18:28; 1 Cor. 15:2-4; Eph. 3:4-6; Tim. 3:16-17)