“…but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:2, NRSV
Stepping away from polluting voices is the first step in getting involved in spiritual transformation, but it’s only the beginning. We need something to take the place of those polluting voices; that is, something that will strengthen our minds in a positive way. We need to, secondly, “Saturate Our Mind with Scripture” (see verse two above).
We have an uphill battle here, however, and researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: “Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.”
To give you a feel for how things have changed in a relatively short period of time, here are some stats from fifteen years ago:
- Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels.
- Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples.
- According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60% of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. On this, George Barna commented at the time, “No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don’t know what they are!’”
- Another Barna poll indicated that at least 12% of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.
- A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50% thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
Addressing this kind of biblical illiteracy was the focus of much of my earlier ministry and it’s only gotten worse. In recent years, however—and increasingly, Bible hostility is on the rise. Michael and Lauren McAffee point out in their 2019 book, Not What You Think: Why the Bible Might be Nothing We Expected and Everything We Need that:
“The Bible is viewed as being intolerant, outdated, and out of step with American cultural norms. To read the Bible or to live your life by it would mean pitting yourself against culture and isolating yourself from the mainstream. Others are hesitant to engage with the Bible because their experiences with religion have been less than stellar…”[1]
So if Christians really are “people of the Book,” how do we go against the flow of American culture and the trend toward biblical illiteracy and hostility, especially in our busy world? Here are six practical strategies:
- Pick up a copy of the New Living Translation (NLT) or the Message for accessibility; the English Standard Version (ESV) for accuracy.
- Download the Bible App- it’s100% free at bible.com. If you have trouble reading, try listening and reading, or just listening.
- Put a Bible, devotional books, or Christian magazine in your bathroom.
- Read through a classic Christian book with a friend. For example, my mom and I are reading through Augustine’s Confessions this year.
- If you have a longer commute, consider making Scripture or great sermons part of it.
- And because I’m “old school,” here’s my biggest suggestion: Get a hard copy of the Bible near a favorite reading spot and don’t be afraid to use a highlighter or fine pen or pencil to mark in it. The late R.C. Sproul who I learned a ton from said this: “Here then, is the real problem with our negligence. 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 a lack of intelligence or passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.”[2]
I agree with Sproul that part of our problem is laziness but I think, inside the church, our biggest problem is a lack of delight. The truth is most of us are far more enamored with our smartphones than Scripture.
The McAfee’s also point out in their book:
“The Bible is a multifaceted jewel which reveals a message that is equally divine revelation, life manual, and love letter.”[3]
Yes, a love letter. By the way, even the verb and phrase “meditate day and night”—the parallel thought to delight in verse two—means Scripture is a treasure we’re to constantly return to or think about. You see, The Bible is a treasure far greater than anything Apple could ever produce—a love letter literally from the Triune God. As such, it’s an extension of God himself. But it’s hard to make the case that we delight in someone if we never spend time with them.
One of the things that has helped me the most in the “delight” area this year is the excellent book Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves. Here’s a great quote from it that I’ll leave you with:
“Knowing God as our Father not only wonderfully gladdens our view of him; it gives the deepest comfort and joy. The honor of it is stupefying. To be the child of some rich king would be nice; but to be the beloved of the emperor of the universe is beyond words. Clearly the salvation of this God is better than forgiveness, and certainly more secure. Other gods might offer forgiveness, but this God welcomes us and embraces us as his children, never to send us away. (For children do not get disowned for being naughty.) He does not offer some kind of ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ relationship whereby I have to try and keep myself in his favor by behaving impeccably. No, ‘to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1:12)—and so with security to enjoy [and delight in] his love forever.” (76)
Next week, we’ll look at the third step Psalm one gives us for getting involved in spiritual transformation: Settle Into—Become Rooted In—a Place That Will Help You Grow. (1:3)
[1] Michael & Lauren McAfee, Not What You Think: Why the Bible Might Be Nothing We Expected Yet Everything We Need (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019), 33-34.
[2] R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1977), 17.
[3] Op. cit., 161.