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Have You Read the Book?

By Mark Larson

“Conservative” and controversial talk-show host, Glenn Beck, known for his wacky presentation of political issues, recently had Dinesh D’Souza, the author of “The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11” on his radio show. As an opener to the interview, Beck begins with a criticism and follows it with a confession: “Dinesh, I have to tell you, I’m disappointed in this book” and then the next moment, in a mischievous sort of way admits: “Though, I haven’t read the book!”

How many people today dismiss the Bible as the word of God, as God’s saving message for mankind, all because they did not read the Book! How ironic it is that some of the harshest critics of the Bible, of God, of Jesus Christ are people who have never sat down and read the Bible. Too many people reject the Scriptures as the guide for living because they have never taken the time to truly consider the wisdom the Bible offers. Many do not believe in the gospel because they have never heard the evidences that the Bible reveals that prove that Jesus is the Son of God.

Have You Given the Bible a Fair Hearing?

“He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13, NASB). What sense does it make for a person to express his views on the Bible before he has actually taken the time to read it? Furthermore, doesn’t such a potentially important, life-changing book, deserve an honest, open-minded look? For only for the person who does will benefit from reading it: “And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance”
(Luke 8:15). A friend of mine, during my college years, boasted of reading the entire New Testament just before his tour of Jerusalem, yet came away with very little knowledge of its contents. This goes to show that the attitude we bring in our reading of the Bible can make all the difference in the world. “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” (James 1:19). Are we so quick to say what we think and feel about the Bible before truly listening to what God has to say first (as revealed in the Scriptures)?

Do You Love the Truth?

Quite often, the person who is not willing to pick up a Bible and seriously consider its contents is a person who is not actively searching for the truth. In contrast, the genuine truth seeker who loves the truth will leave “no stone unturned” and will diligently search for the truth wherever truth can be found. Before ruling out the Bible, the seeker of truth listens with an open heart to the voice of Jesus: “Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’” (John 18:37).

Ninety percent of Americans own a Bible, yet most people rarely take the time to read it and take it to heart. We are given this promise in Scripture: “When you read, you can understand” (Eph. 3:4).  When is the last time you read the Bible with the goal to understand? 

  Other Articles by Mark Larson
Moral Consistency
The Urgency of Obedience
Do You Love the Truth?