Help! I can't read the Bible!

At Westside we are constantly working to get people into Bible reading. We provide a special reading schedule and a Reader’s Companion Guide so you can get the daily Bible readings done, and understand them. We talk about the daily Bible reading on Wednesday nights, and reference them in the Table Talk and the pulpit regularly. In short, there is a ton of talk about Bible reading at Westside. The good news is that it is paying off. This is one of the Bible “reading-est” churches I’ve ever known. Regular Bible reading is the norm among us, rather than the exception. The spiritual growth and development that comes from people regularly reading Scripture is also easily apparent. It is exciting to see and a joy to be a part of. Yet in all of that there are some who may be left out. What about folks who don’t read well?

More and more people basic literacy is becoming a serious problem in the United States. An AP poll in 2007 found that one in four adults did not read a single book in the past year. Other literacy statistics are just as shocking. 58 percent of U.S. adults never read another complete book after high school, while only 32 percent of the U.S. population has ever been in a bookstore. Each day people in the United States spend four hours watching TV, three hours listening to the radio, and fourteen minutes reading magazines. Without question all the alternatives to reading (particularly to reading for pleasure or entertainment) affect how much reading is being done, but falling literacy rates are part of the problem too. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 22 percent of American adults have minimal literacy skills.

What can be done if you are part of that 22 percent? What if you find reading the Bible difficult and even frustrating? Instead of just being frustrated to hear others talk about getting their daily Bible reading done in a few minutes while you struggle to get a few verses read in double the time let’s get to work on this increasingly common problem!

First, it may be time to give real consideration to adult literacy classes. Imagine this scenario: what if to get to heaven you knew you would have to play (and defeat) the devil in a game of chess? Most of would quickly be heading to the local library to check out some books on playing chess, we would join a chess club to get practice, and might even hire a tutor to sharpen our chess skills. In short, we would do all kinds of things to become more proficient at chess. It wouldn’t matter that we don’t enjoy chess, that it is not our favorite game, that we would rather play “42” or checkers - we would learn to play chess and we would focus on improving our chess play all we could as fast as we could. If your soul’s salvation is riding on your proficiency at chess getting better at chess becomes a major priority, doesn’t it?

Why then do we have such a different view on reading? No, we won’t be in a “read off” against the devil. Yet it is clear that the Bible is crucially important to our salvation. Paul tells Timothy the Bible makes us “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Hear David’s words to Solomon: “Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” (1 Kings 2:2-3). We often speak of the fine folks at Berea who searched the Scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:11), but if you cannot read you cannot do that for yourself! Paul says when we read we can understand the mysteries of God (Ephesians 3:3-5). Why wouldn’t we want to be able to do that? Over and over the Bible tells us that our spiritual success depends on reading and understanding the Scriptures.

Do not misunderstand. Am I saying a person who cannot read, or cannot read well, cannot go to heaven? Absolutely not! There are options for people who don’t read well (some are discussed below) besides improving their reading. You can get to heaven and be illiterate - someone could read it to you, for example. However, the reality is that it is a lot easier to get to heaven if you can read the Bible for yourself. Hearing it read by others can be good (see Nehemiah 8) but there is no substitute for being able to open God’s Word when you want, at your convenience, and read it for yourself. So why not take some classes and gain this vital skill? In most cities, including Irving, all one need do to find a literacy class is inquire at the public library. They can point you to several different programs in our area, most of which are free, that can offer you excellent tutoring so you can gain basic literacy, and even become a better reader if you want to be improve your basic skills so as to be able to read more complicated books (like the Bible). What is a chore for you today could quickly become the joy of your life! You will need to read the Bible all of your life. Why not learn to read and learn to read well so that you can read and understand the Scripture for yourself?

Secondly, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the many helps available for people who do not read as well. For example, you can now purchase the Bible, in your choice of translation, on CD, cassette tape, or download it on to your mp3 player or iPod. What a blessing that can be! Listening to the spoken Word is simply wonderful. Most of the New Testament was originally heard this way, as the epistles were read to a congregation (see Col 4:16). Often times hearing the Word spoken can bring it home with fresh force and power and is worth trying for even accomplished readers. Revelation can be an exciting book when it is read out loud. You might also take a look at the translation you are reading. If you are trying to read from the old King James it may not be that you lack literacy skills. It may be that you just don’t understand Elizabethan English from the 17th century! Try a different, more read-able Bible like the ESV or NASB. If you have serious reading troubles, you may wish to try a Bible specifically produced for those who don’t read at the “average” adult level. The New International Readers Versions (NIrV) is specifically produced to be read by a typical fourth grader. It uses shorter words and shorter sentences than most Bibles. Do I recommend adults read the NIrV? Not usually! Other translations are far superior to it in accuracy, the most important criteria for selecting a Bible. But for an adult with poor reading skills trying a translation like the NIrV, while being aware of its shortcomings, may make Bible reading do-able. Coupling a Bible like that with a commitment to become a better reader by going to literacy class could be just what is needed to move toward better reading skills and understanding the Bible better than ever.

Finally, set reasonable goals. Reading the entire Bible in one year means a commitment to read two to three chapters of the Old Testament and a chapter of the New Testament five times a week, with a psalm thrown in approximately twice a week. That is, for someone struggling to read, a tall order. Yet nowhere does the Bible mandate that we are to read it all the way through every year! That is a noble goal and a goal that is workable for many people. But one size does not necessarily fit all in Bible reading! If you need more time to finish a chapter be glad to read what you can and don’t worry if others are reading more (or less) than you. Unfortunately, what happens is that people who don’t read well feel they can’t keep up so they just quit entirely. That won’t work. Everybody needs to be regularly in God’s Word all that they can. It guides us, instructs us, teaches us and motivates us (2 Tim 3:16-17). We just need it. We can’t survive spiritually without it. If I can I would like to get a big chunk of it read every day. But if I cannot read a big chunk it is much better to read a little of it than read none of it. Don’t be discouraged by what others are accomplishing. Read what you can and make progress toward your goal of overcoming literacy issues and regularly spending time in God’s Word.

In conclusion, Bible reading is far too important to decide “I can’t, so I don’t have to, and I guess that means I won’t.” Instead, let us press on further to make every effort necessary to get God’s Word into our hearts and lives, even if it takes some extra effort to do so!

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