Reading Books isn't Bible Study

March, 2008

by: Jack Hughes

The Bible is unique among all books. No other book comes close to the significance of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is God’s revelation to us. In the pages of Scripture, God speaks, reveals Himself, His works, His will, and His plan for the future. These things make the Bible unlike any other book. The Word of God is also inspired revelation, infallible, inerrant, and Holy Spirit energized. No other book has these qualities. This is why Jeremiah the prophet describes God’s Word as a “fire” and a “hammer that shatters rock” (Jer. 23:29). The author of Hebrews describes the Word of God as, living, active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing into man’s inner most being and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The Holy Spirit works in and through the word to save sinners. Peter in I Pet. 1:23 says to his readers, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God.” The gospel truth found only in the pages of Scripture is what saves sinners from Hell.

The truth of God’s Word is also the only thing that can transform believers into the image of Christ. Paul writing to the Thessalonians in I Thess. 2:13 says, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” The work that Paul speaks of is the work of sanctification or making us more godly. You must have the truth of the Bible to get saved and to grow in godliness. I think most people who attend Bible teaching churches would give a hearty, “Amen!” to what I have just said. They would agree, the Bible is the very Word of God.

Beware of Being Distracted

But there is a subtle distraction which often occurs in churches that promote Bible reading and study. People become lovers of God’s Word and students of the Bible. There is an academic mindset that sweeps through the church. Favorite authors and books are mentioned and those wanting to know more about the Bible find themselves wanting to read these books. All this is good as it promotes profitable reading which leads to a deeper understanding of the Word of God. However, the desire to be well read in the things of God can also create a chink in our armor.

Satan knows that only the Bible can save and sanctify sinners. Because of this he labors diligently to keep Christians from reading and studying the Bible. Yet it is very difficult to promote total abandonment of Bible study in a “Bible Church.” Realizing he can’t put an end to Bible reading and study all together, Satan will do the next worse thing. He will encourage the reading of the uninspired works of men in place of the Bible. These uninspired works may all be good books, recommended books, classics of the Christian faith, sound in doctrine and full of important theological and practical truth, but they aren’t the Word of God. The best of books contain much biblical truth, but none can replace the Bible. Thus a church that is committed to Bible reading, study, and application can be led away from the very thing it stands for. People can become very well read in the uninspired works of men and by degrees neglect Bible reading and study. I have talked to many who could defend certain theological systems because they read the works of the men who created them. But what they did not do is study the Scriptures for themselves, look up the relevant texts in their contexts, and have a theology driven by the diligent study of the Bible, rather than a diligent study of the works of uninspired men.

As Solomon rightly warned, “the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body” (Eccl. 12:12). Yet this cannot be said about the Bible. Excessive devotion to the Bible encourages, builds up, edifies, and comforts. In Psa. 19:7-14 the Psalmist teaches us that the Word of God is able to restore our soul, make wise the simple, rejoice our heart, enlighten our eyes, give us a pure and perfectly righteous source of information to draw from, is a treasure more valuable than gold and food sweeter than honey. Psalm 19 says God’s Word warns us from danger, leads us to great reward, shows us our errors, reveals to us our hidden faults, tells us how to be forgiven of our sins and how to be acceptable in God’s sight. This is what excessive devotion to the Bible will give us – and even more!

So why am I bringing this up? Because I have noticed in the last several months a trend leading some away from the study of the Bible to the study of uninspired books. While there is nothing wrong with reading good books, and I highly recommend the practice, book reading is no substitute for Bible study! If you are engaged in weekly Bible study, by all means, read good books, but never be deceived into thinking that reading and studying books about the Bible is just as beneficial as studying the Bible itself. The best books contain truth from the Bible, but some contain very little. What we want to avoid is being distracted from reading and studying “THE BOOK.” When someone goes to a “Bible study” and at that study no one delves into the Scriptures, they have not been studying the Bible. Instead they are reading books that have been written by others who have studied the Bible. This is good, but not an acceptable substitute for personal Bible study.

Why is Bible study so important? Listen to what God says in Deut. 6:6-9“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” What does this text teach you about the importance of God’s Word and your life? Consider Josh. 1:8 where God says to Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Do you want to have a biblically successful life? What must you do? The Psalmist in Psa. 119:11 says, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” Do you want to live a godly life? What must you do? Paul in Col. 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” What is the exhortation for all believers? What must we do to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly? Peter says in I Pet. 2:2, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Everyone knows how much milk newborn babies consume. We are to consume the Word of God like newborn babes long for and consume milk.

Reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing the Bible is to be our priority. If we must choose between reading and studying the Bible or reading the uninspired works of men, we must choose the Bible. Reading and studying uninspired books is optional. Reading and studying the Bible is mandated and necessary.

Reasons People Get Distracted

There are several reasons why people gravitate to reading books instead of studying the Bible. First, some people have specific sin issues or struggles in their life. They haven’t learned how to find answers from the Scriptures on their own, so they purchase a book that addresses the topic they are interested in. A pastor, for instance, might recommend a book to someone who comes in for counseling. The counselee is then able to get a concentrated dose of information about their particular issue from the book. There is nothing wrong with this. But every Christian should learn how to study the Bible for themselves and to find the answers to life’s questions on their own. They should learn how to get the information they need in the Bible so that God, through His Word can counsel them (Psa. 1:1-2; 16:7; 32:8; 73:24; 107:10-11; Prov. 1:21-30; 19:20-21).

Second, others gravitate to book reading and studies because they don’t want to spend the time it takes to study the Bible and prepare a lesson to teach others. It is easier to read a book that has the conclusions of someone else’s study and become the “discussion leader.” There is nothing wrong with this, but it should not replace Bible study. When the leader has not studied the Word of God an important dynamic is missing. God requires teachers and preachers to study diligently and accurately handle the Word of truth for a reason (II Tim. 2:15). When the teacher studies in preparation to teach, the Word of God works on their own heart and life. They see their sin. They are convicted, encouraged, motivated, etc. Thus when they teach there is a genuineness, a passion, a conviction, a humility that only comes from a personal encounter with the Word of the living God. It is God’s will that His Word first works on the heart of the teacher before the teacher tries to work it on the hearts of his students. When we merely read and discuss uninspired works, we miss this important dynamic.

For instance, if I were to get on-line Sunday morning and print off someone else’s sermon and preach it, everyone would instantly be able to tell. I would cease being a preacher and become a public reader. The passion, conviction, and intensity which comes from diligent study, prayer, self examination, and wrestling over the text would be absent. I would not be able to preach with boldness and authority because I wouldn’t be sure of what I was preaching. I would not be able to preach from personal experience with the Word. The same thing is true for Bible study. If the teacher doesn’t dig in to the text, pray over it, labor to understand it, and have the Word of God work on their heart before teaching others, the teacher cheats himself, his students, and God.

Third, still others gravitate to book reading and study because they don’t know how to study the Bible for themselves. Of course this can easily be remedied by learning how to study the Bible. Once someone learns how to dig for their own gold in the pages of Scripture they will be enriched for the rest of their lives and can be used to enrich others. Every Christian should learn how to study the Bible in depth.

Fourth, others enjoy studying books as a kind of spiritual book club. They want to read good books and socially interact with others who are reading the same books. This is fine, but not as a substitute for Bible study.

Fifth, some have bought into the lie that a person can get too much Bible and therefore it is necessary to read more uninspired books to create a balance of information. I have heard people say, “We get so much of the Bible during the week that we just wanted to study a book instead.” Comments like this imply that a person can get too much of the Bible. This isn’t true. You can’t have too much Bible knowledge. In fact you can’t grow in godliness apart from growing in your knowledge of the Word of God. Growing in Bible knowledge and doctrine is not unrelated to spiritual growth as some imagine. The Bible makes it clear there is no such thing as spiritual growth apart from the Word of God. While many books serve to help us grow in obedience to Christ, in the end, it is only the Word of God which performs its work in those who believe (I Thess. 2:13).

In Defense of Book/Bible Studies

I would not want anyone to come away from reading this Calvary Review thinking that we should abandon reading books about the Bible. I have a large library of them and they are treasures that have helped me a great deal. There is a way to teach through an uninspired book and still make it a Bible study. The teacher must dig into relevant Scriptures and search the Bible for other key Scriptures mentioned in the book or which relate to the book. Key texts must be examined and interpreted in their context. The students must be directed to study the Bible as they go through the book. The book then becomes an aid to Bible study, but not a replacement. So ask yourself this simple question, “Am I regularly engaged in Bible study?” If your answer is, “No” then why not? If you don’t know how, then ask for help. If you do know how, ask God to help you make it a priority in your life. Better yet, join a Bible study and start digging for your own gold. You will be glad you did!