Are our people Biblically illiterate ?

“Happy is that man who possesses a Bible! Happier still is he who reads it! Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice!” – J.C Ryle

In a study done by NZ Bible Society in 2017, it showed in 1986, 85% of New Zealanders owned a Bible. Fast forward to 2017, that number dropped to 57% of New Zealanders saying they owned a bible. It also found in 2017, 7% of New Zealanders aged 13 and over said they read their Bible every day. Only 7%! In this article we want to draw attention to a problem we at Fresh Truth believe that is facing the church in Aotearoa today – the problem of Biblical illiteracy and why it should matter.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. (Amos 8:11).

This verse from Amos resonates with us today. Many will have their views about the Bible, but not many will actually read the Bible. And as we move away from hearing the words of the LORD, we move away from knowing who God is. The Bible says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) And in this context, it’s a lack of knowledge of God. When we come to the Bible, we come to know the God of the Bible. We grow our knowledge of Him as we delve deeper into reading and studying His Word.

Biblical literacy must matter to the Christian because every Christian is to know their Bible. Jesus said “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’ (John 8:31). It is a command by Jesus Himself for His true followers to continue in His Word. When we abide in God’s Word, we grow in godly wisdom and godly character to be able to live a righteous life before God.

So, what can be done to encourage people to read and study the Scriptures? Here are some simple practical tips that have helped us at Fresh Truth in our own journeys as Christians trying to love, obey and live out His Word in this world. Also, we left a list of websites and resources that we use at the end of the article.

1. Pray: Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and teach you truth from scripture. (John 14:26)

2. Read the Word of God: If you struggle to read the Bible, try 5 – 10 mins a day; be disciplined with your reading and build habits. We try and do it with physical training and eating better, why not do it with God’s Word?

3. Study the Word of God: Highlight verses you don’t understand. Use good commentaries. (If you didn’t know, a Biblical commentary is a helpful tool where one or more Bible scholars have gone through and given their insights and ‘comments’ on different passages). Join a good Bible study group. Visit Biblical websites, read good godly books, listen to podcasts. However, as Charles Spurgeon would say ‘visit many good books, but live in the Bible.

4. Meditate on the Word of God: (Psalm 1:2): Think deeply about what you have read. Read it over again. Memorise Scripture. It’s hard, but helps us to think on and download these Biblical truths into our hearts, minds and lives.

5. Obey the Word of God: (John 14:15): If Jesus is Lord over your life then you must keep his commandments. Again, this is not easy. But as Lord, He commands and requires our obedience as His children. But we should follow His teachings because we love Him and want to think and act more like Him.

Bible study resources and tools we use

Ariel Ministries – www.ariel.org

Got Questions – www.gotquestions.org

Blue Letter Bible – www.blueletterbible.org

Wretched Radio and TV – https://wretched.org/

Grace to You Ministries – https://www.gty.org/

Living Waters – https://www.livingwaters.com/

CARM (Christian Apologetics Resource Ministry) – https://carm.org/

Answers in Genesis – https://answersingenesis.org/

Koinonia House – https://www.khouse.org/

Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer, Steve Lawson etc

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