Why Read the Bible?

When I was a new believer, people kept telling me that it was important to read the Bible so I could grow in my faith. I understood that it would help reveal God to me but I didn’t understand exactly how it would grow or change me. That seemed mysterious.

Turns out I was right! It is a mystery.

“Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Romans 16:25-27

The Bible tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16.

It is a mystery how Christ’s death is able to save us and set us for eternal life. How, exactly, does His death count as our own??? It is a mystery how the Holy Spirit is able to reside in us and give us grace to live victoriously and obediently. It is a mystery how we are able to be transformed from people who are living life to please ourselves to people who are denying their own desires and living to please God. But God is transcendent and He does all this through His omnipotence.  Somehow (and triumphantly) the God-breathed Word is able to work supernaturally within us. God cannot be fully understood by us. His ways are not our ways. But amazingly and wonderfully, He is able to come into our lives and make us new creatures! We grow and become all that He originally designed us to be primarily through reading, meditating upon, memorizing, obeying, and speaking His Word. A wondrous mystery.