Laziness and the Bible

Growing up I remember it use to be like pulling teeth for my mom to try to get me to read anything. If it wasn't a book about animals or sports I was not interested. I know that was a poor and ignorant attitude but its how I was. I think for a lot of people they can have the same attitude towards the Bible or 'Christian' books, in that they don't find them exciting or applicable to them.

The book I am reading right now called Knowing Scripture talks about two myths that people give for not reading or studying the Bible. One is the myth that the Bible is too difficult to understand than only highly skilled theologians with technical training can deal with the Scriptures, and the other myth is that the Bible is boring to them.

I think both of those myths can both be pointed to the same problem, ... motivation. This book points out that we fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not the lack of intelligence or wisdom about the Bible or a lack of passion, but more of a sense of our laziness.

The whole theme of this book seems to be on not how to read the Bible necessarily, but how to study the Bible. Reading is something we can do in a leisurely way, with distractions around, or something that can be done strictly for entertainment. However to study the Bible, suggest labor, serious and diligent work, and a life long work at that.

One thing that Mark Dever said, at New Attitude, was that Bible study is one of the main things that can encourage your faith and I know for me that has been so true.

Packer in his book Knowing Scripture asks the question, "Why should we study the Bible?" and then responds....

"I could cite numerous reasons why you would benefit from a serious study of Scripture. But ultimately the main reason why we should study the Bible is because it is our duty. If the Bible were the most boring book in the world, dull, uninteresting and seemingly irrelevant, it would still be our duty to study it. If its literary style were awkward and confusing, the duty would remain. We live as human beings under an obligation by divine mandate to study diligently God's Word. He is our Sovereign, it is his Word and he commands that we study it. A duty is not an option. If you have not yet begun to respond to that duty, then you need to ask God to forgive you and to resolve to do your duty from this day forth."