Week 3: The Christian Walk - Consistent Reading
The first item of the Christian faith is related to God’s Word. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are the complete divine revelation, inspired word by word by God through the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the Christian book; the source of everything that God has chosen to communicate to man. Everything that God ever has and ever will reveal is set, unchanging, in the Bible. Its importance theologically can’t be overstated, but what part does the Bible play in our daily walk with Christ? In this post, we’ll explore the importance of the Bible and consider its function in our Christian walk.
Despite unprecedented availability through both print and digital media, very few Christians read the Bible daily. This is astonishing if you consider that not only is our faith, what we believe, contained in the Bible, but that our ability to believe is generated by God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says, "so faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." The Bible, God’s Word, generates faith. Romans 10:14 says, “how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” Through the Bible, we know the revelation of Jesus Christ, and when we hear about Him and His gospel, faith is generated within us. This faith is not simply the things we choose to believe, but the power that substantiates them, makes them real to us. As Hebrews 11:1 explains, “now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We need the Bible because through it we receive the faith to know and believe in Jesus Christ. What’s more, our strength to daily walk with Christ is found in God’s Word.
In our Christian walk, we continue as we began, by receiving Jesus Christ. Christ is not only the life we received once for all at our regeneration, but also the life supply that strengthens us to walk with Him. Once we believe in Jesus Christ, the long journey of our Christian life lies before us. How can we walk this path, and how do we know where to go? In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul writes, “from a babe you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Timothy was already a believer when he received this letter from Paul. So why did Paul tell him that the Bible was able to make him “wise unto salvation?” This verse shows us that the Bible not only helps us know how to be saved initially, but that it also continues to make us wise so that we may stay the course for the entirety of our Christian journey. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” But God’s Word is more than just a roadmap for our Christian journey. It’s our spiritual food, the divine provisions that enable us to continue our pilgrimage and strengthen us to walk with Christ.
1 Peter 2:2-3 says, “as newborn babes, long for the guileless milk of the word in order that by it you may grow unto salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.” These verses show us that the word of God is our food. After a baby is born and has taken its first breath, what it needs most is food. After we believe in Christ Jesus, take our first spiritual breath, we are dependent on God’s word to nourish us and help us grow. No one expects a baby to grow by studying and learning, and likewise, our spiritual growth is not determined by knowledge of the Scriptures but by taking in God’s Word through our prayer and fellowship with Him. We do need to dedicate time to study God’s word, but we should also realize that when we come to read the Word of God, our most immediate need is to be fed and nourished by it. These verses also indicate that God’s word is tasty. Just like with physical food, we’re not eating exclusively for nourishment but also for enjoyment. Our time spent in God’s word shouldn’t be the spiritual equivalent of choking down a chalky protein bar. When we come to God’s word and spend the time to engage with it prayerfully, it is surpassingly tasty and enjoyable. In Psalm 119:103, the psalmist declares, “how sweet are Your words to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” After a good meal, we not only feel satisfied but also refreshed, energized, and happy. In Jeremiah 15:16, the prophet wrote, “Your words were found and I ate them, / And Your word became to me / The gladness and joy of my heart.” If we treat the Bible as our spiritual food, we will have a strong and proper Christian walk because God intended His Word to be our spiritual nourishment and enjoyment. The Lord said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” This kind of living is the Christian walk.
If we want to be physically healthy, we have to eat a healthy diet, and the same is true of our spiritual health. So what does the Bible teach us about how we should engage with it, and what does a good Bible reading habit look like? Deuteronomy 17:19 says regarding the Bible, “and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life…” It’s never been easier to have the Bible “with us.” But how often do we read it? Just like we eat every day, we need to read the Bible every day. What’s more, just like our food, God’s word should become our constitution. Colossians 3:16 tells us that we should “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom.” We should read God’s Word, memorize God’s Word, speak God’s Word, and even sing God’s Word. “All wisdom” indicates that we should be intentional and strategic when we contact God’s Word. Reading the Bible is good, but we don’t want our time in God’s Word to be passive. We need to read and consider the Bible actively. It should constantly be in our thoughts and on our minds. Joshua 1:8 says, “this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall muse upon it day and night…” and Acts 17:11 tells us of a noble group of people who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily.” We can receive the Word of God by musing on it as we fellowship with the Lord and by turning God’s Word into prayer. An excellent example of this is found in Psalm 27:8, where David writes, “When You say, Seek My face, / To You my heart says, Your face, O Jehovah, will I seek.” David received God’s Word into his heart and turned God’s speaking into prayer. By engaging with the Bible in this way, it becomes our daily bread and our strength for the Christian walk.
The Bible is the indispensable Christian text. We not only need to read it, understand it, and be instructed by it, but also eat it as our daily spiritual food. God has chosen to reveal to man all that He is and all that He intends to do through the Bible. We hope that this post will cause you to establish a healthy Bible reading habit and be strengthened in your Christian walk. As Revelation 1:3 says, “blessed is he who reads.”
