God’s Word transforms people - and even society. The history of revivals makes that abundantly clear. The message of The Book is proclaimed and lives are changed. During the Welsh revivals pubs went out of business and the police had an easy time as crime dramatically decreased. Many Christians can testify to God shaping and moulding them through The Book.

But that’s where I also have some concerns. Over recent decades surveys in various countries show that amongst churchgoers daily Bible reading is dropping at an alarming rate. I grieve when I hear of members of my own family and my own church who don’t have a habit of daily Bible reading. Others limit their devotional life to an occasional reading from some booklet of daily meditations.

This Biblical illiteracy hit home after a family wedding. The young Groom gave a wonderful God-honouring speech in which His Christian faith was openly on display. As part of that speech he read to his young Bride some of those descriptive verses from the Song of Songs that praise the physical attributes of the beloved. That produced much laughter among the guests. It also surprised those who were not regular churchgoers that this sort of literature is part of what makes up The Book. What was more telling was the discussion in a group of young adults after church the following morning over coffee. Several folk commented along the lines of: “I checked it out last night after I got home and that stuff really is in the Bible.” Amazing! Christians who have been regular churchgoers for thirty something years and they didn’t know “that stuff” was really in the Bible.

If this is a little close to the bone then I trust you won’t be offended but that it might spur you on to get serious about reading God’s Word more diligently. I find it incredibly sad that someone who loves the Lord and who has done so for two decades or more, has still never read the Lord’s Book right through. On the other hand it is encouraging when people devote themselves to reading God’s Word. I think of the man who became a Christian and read the Bible right through. His wife could understand that he wanted a good grasp of The Book that is central to Christianity. But when he began to read it all a second time she asked impatiently: “Why are you still reading it, I thought you’d finished it?” Now that his wife too is a believer she understands that we Christians are never finished with The Book.

Of course much depends on one’s view of Scripture. If the Bible is only a record of God’s dealings with His people in ancient times then we won’t see it as much more than a dry-as-dust history book. If we see it only as a human record of man’s search for God, then other searches for God are probably just as valid. If the Bible is only the church’s story of its origins then one reading is probably sufficient. But that is not what we believe the Bible to be.

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Paul says, “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2Tim.3:16). Admittedly we as Christians must face the fact that we are confronted by a circular argument: We believe the Bible to be the Word of God. How do we know the Bible is the Word of God? We believe that because the Bible tells us so. But is the Bible to be trusted when it tells us that? Yes, because the Bible is the Word of God. But how do we know the Bible is the Word of God?

Well, there a way out of that closed circle. Already when we look at Scripture itself there are things that convince us that this is no ordinary book. The book carries the evidence for it within itself, says an ancient confession. But it adds that it is especially the Spirit of God who convinces us of the truth of the Word of God.

We Christians believe that The Book that changed the church and society so dramatically in times of revival is the very Word of God. Central to its message is the story of the Word made flesh. And because Christ is central to the whole Bible we must keep absorbing its message so that we might more fully know the mind of Christ.

John Westendorp