Do Christians Have to Read The Bible? What If We Don’t?
I sure do love to read the Bible. There are lots of amazing truths about God’s character. I choose to read it daily. But no matter how much I read it I’m not getting more favor from God or somehow becoming a better Christian than those that don’t read it daily.
But doesn’t that conflict with religion when it says “you need to be in the word”?
We do need to be in the Word daily. But religion has redefined what that means.
Jesus is the word. And the Word became flesh. As a believer, you are always in the word and the word is always in you. Religion seems to think you can’t know the character of God through the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in you, so you have to get it out of the book.
Religion seems to think you can’t be fully connected to God through the Holy Spirit living in you, so you need to get more of it from a book.
Religion seems to think you can’t recognize sin through the Holy Spirit, so you need added protection by reading a book.
Don’t get me wrong, that book (the Holy Bible) is amazing. That book tells us about the character of God. But that book does not have any magical power. The Spirit has the power. People search the Scriptures because they think they find life in them. We find life in Jesus Christ. God places that life directly inside of us. That life tells us how to love. It tells us what is or is not sin.
If you’re a believer and never saw a Bible again for the rest of your life you would not sin more or love less. Your relationship and ability to let God live through you would not be changed in any way. That’s right, it would not be changed even in the slightest.
So again, go ahead and read your Bible. I know I will. But I will not be selling it as something you better do less you be lacking some spiritual gift. What I will be selling is Jesus!
Remember, by his own choosing God put his word inside of you. His word will guide you day by day moment by moment to knowing the character of God and exuding His love. This is exactly how the early Christians did it. They didn’t have Bibles. At best they had their local church letter. But it didn’t matter because they did had Jesus. Do you?
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
