Bibles fill the rooms of many homes across America. In fact, one survey found that, “Almost nine out of 10 households (87 percent) own a Bible, according to the American Bible Society, and the average household has three.”[1] Another interesting point is that as of 2021, “54 percent say the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life. This view has fallen significantly since last year when over two thirds of adults (68%) affirmed the Bible as an important source of wisdom.”[2] What’s fascinating, however, is that as of today, “one in six U.S. adults (16%) reads the Bible most days during the week, up from 12 percent in 2020.”[3]
Let’s tie this together. Most Americans own at least one Bible, the view that the Bible is helpful to live a meaningful life is on the decline, but more people are reading their Bibles in 2021 than the previous year.
What a conundrum.
How can people own more Bibles than ever before, not believe it has the answers to their life, but increase reading it?
My take on bringing an answer to this mystery is that most people long for some Truth outside of their experience i.e., what the Bible supposedly has to offer, but either don’t like what the Bible has to say when they read it, or they don’t understand it.
We will only deal with the latter issue, and that’s one reason why I’m writing this GAP book. Over the years in ministry, I have seen more and more people having been raised in church, having attended youth group and Sunday services, yet still not engaging their Bibles regularly nor understanding what is says. This is an epidemic of epic proportions needing a solution of equally magnanimous perspicuity.
We must first begin with a biblical vision for the Bible. What does the Bible say about itself? Many things. I’ll list several. The Bible is a means to walk in purity (Psalm 119:9, 11) It is God’s Word, and God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). It is of precious value (Psalm 19:7-11). God’s Word is alive and can pierce deeply (Hebrews 4:12). It is a sword (Ephesians 6:17). It lasts forever (Isaiah 40:7, 8). The Word is food for man (Matthew 4:4).
The next obvious question is why does this matter? When we get practical, we see from the Bible that we are surrounded by darkness—a spiritual darkness, as it were. Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 6 after he says that our struggle as Christians is not against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
If you’ve ever walked out at night without a light and without the moon to illuminate your path, then you know how dark light-less night can be. One time my family and I visited the Carlsbad Caverns. The guide took us deep down into a cave well below earth’s surface. We followed the lighted path and were directed by his illuminating flashlight. As we all settled in to one area, he warned us that he was about to turn off his light to show how dark the cavern could become. It was staggering. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face just as soon as he turned off his flashlight. He then lit a lighter to show how much just one candle power could light up the room. It was memorable.
Taking this metaphor of spiritual darkness surrounding us, let’s make a logical application. If we are surrounded daily by an environment of spiritual darkness (as the Bible says), then how can I expect to walk from point A to point B without hurting myself, others, or something else?
The next practical question is, “What enables me to see in this spiritual darkness world that we all live in everyday?”
The answer is found in the Bible, as the Psalmist teaches in Psalm 119:105 that God’s Word is, “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.” It is the Bible that illuminates our path before us in this spiritually dark world.
Thus, for the Christian to see clearly in a spiritually darkened world, he must open his Bible. An open Bible then is the first step in gaining a biblical vision for life.
Next time we’ll see how we gain a biblical vision for the Bible.
To read other chapters of the GAP Book…CLICK HERE.
[1] Bob Smietana, “Lifeway Research: Americans Are Fond of the Bible, Don’t Actually Read It,” April 25, 2017, https://lifewayresearch.com/2017/04/25/lifeway-research-americans-are-fond-of-the-bible-dont-actually-read-it/.
[2] Lisa Cooper et al., “State of the Bible 2021,” American Bible Society, August 2021, 8.
[3] Cooper et al., 9.
— November 17, 2021