Reading the Bible proved to be a real challenge for me. I won’t go into detail, but early in my life, the Bible was used against me. I would even go so far as to call it spiritual abuse. You may have had experiences of people, even Christians, using Scripture to condemn you. Paul, in Romans 8, says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Even though I was brought up under strict discipline and performance-based thinking (works salvation), God used the Bible to speak “grace” to me. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God …” Ephesians 2:8 (see the page “Grace”).
If you don’t have a Bible, I strongly encourage you to get one and start reading in Genesis and the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
We need to be in the Bible, reading it (Luke 4:16), memorizing it (Psalm 119:11), meditating on it (Psalm 1), studying it (2 Timothy 2:15), and hearing it as it is preached from the pulpit during Sunday morning and evening worship services. For good Bible translations, see the “Preface”, item 2.
To study the benefits of reading God’s word, take a close look at Psalm 119. It is a long chapter (176 verses), but it is well worth the effort to help yourself understand why the Bible is so important for you to get a grasp on.
I’m just going to quote two verses from Psalm 119 … “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Psalm 119:160 We need God’s truth about Him, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit … and we need God’s truth about us, our sin, forgiveness, who we are “in Christ”. And note, God’s word lasts forever … it will never change. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.” Psalm 119:176
Free PDF: Profiting From the Word, A.W. Pink, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2011.