5 Consequences of Bible Illiteracy

Last week we talked about Bible literacy and why it matters for our families. Today I want to expand on the topic of Bible literacy and look specifically at the collateral damage of Bible illiteracy.

Just like any area of our lives we neglect, there are consequences. Part of living intentionally is to shed light on the decisions we make, and make sure we are doing the best things.

I have found that when life is overwhelming and it just seems impossible to get it all done, the old saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” really rings true.

When life feels like one big fire drill, and everything seems to start piling up, my reliance on God and my relationship with Him seems to be one of the first things to take a back seat. In the midst of the daily chaos, there are a lot of things screaming for my attention, and a lot of needs to be met. The thing is God isn’t part of that screaming, because he doesn’t “need” me. He is simply there for me.

He doesn’t need to fight for my attention like my children do when they need food, water, or care. He doesn’t impose deadlines on me like work, school and other commitments I have made. The fact is, He doesn’t need me at all, but he wants me to come to Him, rely on Him and have a relationship with Him. He wants to use me as part of his Kingdom plans to bless me and glorify him. I need Him!

Far too often I forget how much I need him, simply because I forget just who He really is and what He is capable of (EVERYTHING)!

I learn and remember who He is, and how to make sense of all the chaos, by reading and knowing the 66 book letter He gave to me as His Holy Word.

So the purpose of this post is to shed light on how the Bible is actually fitting into our lives. To accurately assess the consequences of an apathetic approach to God’s word, and get us to intentionally consider what happens when we ignore the wisdom of Psalm 119:10-16:

¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

¹² Blessed are you, O Lord;

teach me your statutes!

¹³ With my lips I declare

all the rules of your mouth.

¹⁴ In the way of your testimonies I delight

as much as in all riches.

¹⁵ I will meditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ways.

¹⁶ I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

We assume the character of God

God reveals himself through His creation and His word. If we base our knowledge of God on anything other than scripture, we are walking down the path of characterizing Him based on cultural input and feelings. Both of these are shifting sands, that will change, and will cause us to question the character of God when something conflicts with our poorly informed theology.

James 1:17b says of God the Father, “whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” He is unchanging, regardless of how we may feel about him at any moment in time. In a book I read recently called, A Little Book For New Theologians, the author Kelly Kapic explains the weight of this situation well.

Our concepts about the divine inform our lives more deeply than most people can trace. Whether we view God as distant or near, as gracious or capricious, as concerned or apathetic, the conclusions we reach – whether the result of careful reflection or negligent assumptions – guide our lives.

Neglecting the Bible leads us to assume God’s character rather than actually knowing it. We need the truth of God’s word to guide our lives.

We wander from God’s design and purpose for our life

When we don’t invest in knowing and understanding God’s word, we don’t know our purpose, and we can’t live a life pleasing to Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

When God calls us to have faith, He doesn’t call us to blind faith. He calls us to trust Him with what He has told us and promised us in His word. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” God wants us to live by faith, and have faith in Him because of His word.

When we live by faith and seek Him, we can understand His will for our life, and then do as James 1:22 tells us, “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” In the next two verses (23-24) it says, “for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

If this is what it looks like to hear and not do, what would be said of the Christian who fails to even hear, and read God’s word? If we don’t listen, read, and seek to understand God’s word we will walk through our life wandering from His divine plan and purpose for our life, doing what He forbids, and failing to do what He requires of us as His children, leading to a life that is not pleasing to Him.

We don’t declare His word to others

In verse 13 of Psalm 119, the psalmist vows that “with my lips I will declare all the rules of your mouth.” It is by knowing and loving God’s word that the psalmist shares God’s ways with others. Declare is such a powerful word in that verse, as it means to make known, or to announce.

As Leigh Ann and I have said before, and you will hear us say again and again, our purpose in being intentional is not about being and having better lives. It is about glorifying God and doing His will for our lives. Its not about you getting a badge for Bible literacy for you to show to your peers, but that you can fulfill the Great Commission.

As Christians we should take Bible literacy seriously because when we don’t we are not equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. If we don’t know God’s word, we can’t share it with others and make disciples of all nations. If we try to fulfill the Great Commission without knowing and sharing God’s word, we are not making disciples of Christ, but of morality and worldly wisdom.

We don’t delight in God, but substitute our affections for worldly gains

Without an understanding of God’s word and knowing His character, we will struggle to live life in awe of God, and live a life overflowing in worship of Him. In verse 14 of Psalm 119, the psalmist declares that he delights in the testimonies of God more than in all the riches. He delights in God’s word.

If our delight is not in God, because of the testimonies of His word, our worship is simply shifted to something or someone else.

“Human beings by their very nature are worshipers. Worship is not something we do; it defines who we are. You cannot divide human beings into those who worship and those who don’t. Everybody worships; it’s just a matter of what, or whom, we serve.” ― Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

If we are not saturated in His word, and constantly reminded of why we are worshiping Him, our affections will shift from Him, and to the riches of this world.

We forget His word, and are left without defense when attacked spiritually

Lastly, we cripple ourselves by not being prepared for the spiritual warfare that comes, when we don’t have the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-18). If we look at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, we see how He responds to Satan’s attacks. With the word of God that is hidden in His heart.

If we want to stand a chance against the spiritual attacks of the evil one, we too must do as Jesus did, and the psalmist declares in Psalm 119:11, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

This is not a one time effort, but a lifetime of growing in understanding of the word. We need the instruction of God’s word to prepare for battle, and the reminders like Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” to keep us ready.

The Point Is …

The point of sharing these consequences of Bible illiteracy is not to instill fear or legalism in our lives. The point is to accurately assess the consequences of an apathetic approach to God’s word, so that we can see clearly and make changes where the Spirit of God prompts us. Don’t change because of guilt or a sense of duty. Change because you want a deeper relationship with God, for you and your family, and to glorify Him with your life.

God’s word is not JUST applicable and beneficial to our daily lives, it is ESSENTIAL to living a life worthy of our calling, just as the Word itself says:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ” ~2 Timothy 3:16