Information Related to "Isn't It About Time You Read the Book?"
| Audio/Video |
The Bible makes the remarkable claim of being the inspired Word of God, the divine instruction for men, women and children everywhere. Shouldn’t we learn what it has to say?
by Tom Robinson
Yet Bruce Barton called it the book nobody knows-and rightly so-because for most people the Bible generally goes unread, much less studied. It simply rests on a shelf or table collecting dust. Why would so many people own a book they don't take the time to read?
Some people see the Bible as a sentimental heirloom, something to be passed from one generation to the next but otherwise quaint and out of date. Others view it as the traditional standard by which to judge right and wrong. Few, however, feel the need to check up on what it says. They trust that their parents, religious leaders and others have already summed up what's in it.
Still others believe the Bible to be full of errors, inconsistencies and contradictions. For them it's nothing more than a curiosity.
Many view the study of the Bible as a cumbersome and tedious chore someone would do only as a duty to an overbearing God. Then there are those who believe that time so spent would be wasted since there is no way to understand all that spiritual mumbo jumbo. Worst of all, if they perhaps did come to some greater understanding-such as finding a principle of God they had been unaware of-it would be just one more bothersome religious declaration or requirement.
The instruction manual
Why do so many think this way? It's because they have not known God. They have not come to understand who He is. Failure to read and study the Holy Scriptures with the right approach has resulted in all kinds of wrong ideas about our Creator. It is also why so many misunderstand the very purpose of the Bible. But, if we will honestly and sincerely open our minds, we can indeed know that purpose.
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Sidebar: Keys to Unlocking Understanding of the Bible
Table of Contents that includes "Isn't It About Time You Read the Book?"
Other Articles by Tom Robinson
Bible education: