Biblical Iliteracy

Biblical Illiteracy. While listening to Christian radio, the other day, I heard this term used.  For some reason I’d never  put those two words together, but sadly they made sense.  There are lots of people in the world, who call themselves Christians, but have little to no working knowledge of the Bible.  Does that automatically mean they aren’t genuine believers? Of course not, but it does makes me wonder why they choose to stay illiterate. Perhaps they don’t even realize it.

When I think of illiteracy, old western movies come to mind.  Remember those cowboys signing important documents with an X?  Stupidity wasn’t the issue, lack of education was.  I fear that many Christians today resemble those crusty cowpokes.  When asked about why they have faith in God, their silence belies their lack of study, so in essence they sign with an X.  The biblical information that they possess is minimal, and sketchy at that. Think about it, how much information do you have? Everyone loves to pass along in-depth book reviews on the latest novel they’ve read, but can we do the same about the Bible?

The online dictionary defines illiterate as:  displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field:  God’s word goes on to say this: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6.  Destroyed by lack of knowledge, wow!! If your life depended on your knowledge of God’s word, would you still be breathing?  I’m not saying you need to memorize chapter and verse, few are won over by that kind of knowledge.  As the well worn saying goes, it’s not what you know, but who you know.  OK, so I’ve taken some liberty with that phrase, but it’s essential that we know enough about the Bible to explain our faith in “Who we know”, God. That will most certainly  require you to have enough information to support your case.  I watch enough Law & Order to know that without citing precedents, your case for Christ will crumble.

Learning the scriptures is a joy, not an odious obligation.  David knew that when he said, “May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.” Psalm 119:172.  If you’ve never tried, please find a Bible and begin, or better yet a Bible study group.  Believe it or not, I was once counted as one of the illiterate.  I thought the basic knowledge I had was sufficient.  How wrong I was.  Ignorance of the law never holds up in a court of law, nor will it before the Throne of God. Besides, Bible study is just so enjoyable, you’ll find that it becomes addictive! “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16. Pull yourself out of Biblical illiteracy, and into the full, joyful knowledge of His Word!!