DO I HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE BIBLE?
Let’s start with the answer…and then I’ll tell you a story.
No. No you don’t have to read the whole Bible. A preacher or other faith leader may have told you that you have to read the whole Bible. You don’t.
Now for the story, and why you may end up reading the whole Bible anyway.
Where it all started
Very early in my Christian journey, when I was just starting out as a Jesus follower, a young woman who was instrumental in me coming to Jesus gifted me with a brand-new Bible. It had a brown, faux leather cover, and included a convenient protective zipper. My name was embossed on the front in a beautiful flowing script. It looked and felt like a precious offering, an appropriate way to present the Word of God. That Bible is literally sitting right next to me. She presented that Bible to me nearly 34 years ago. It was a thoughtful gesture, and the ideal gift for a young man new to faith in Christ. Here is a photo of it in its current, well-worn state.
The problem
But there was one issue with that Bible, one the young woman’s father noted immediately. One that would make growing in my new-found faith more difficult. You see, the Bible was in the King James Version. Now, let’s be completely honest. I don’t know about you, but for me, still today, the KJV is a tough read. In fact, even in a more modern version, such as the New Living Translation (my go-to option for most study), the Bible can be challenging to understand. But unlike the KJV, with all the thines, thous, shalts, and thus saiths, it’s not generally recognizing the individual words that trips us up. No, it’s understanding the meaning behind the words.
The next problem
Another issue is the shear size of the Bible. Even my old KJV, with print small enough to ensure I have to bust out my reading glasses, clocks in at over 1,000 pages. My NLT is half-again that large, at 1,498 pages. Seriously, that’s a whole lot of text to take in, and a HUGE time commitment to get through the entire thing.
So, what about the question?
Right. Back to the original question, do I have to read the whole Bible? Nope. Jesus never said you have to read the whole Bible. No one in the Bible ever said you have to read the whole Bible. It’s not a commandment to read the whole Bible. You won’t go to Hell if you don’t read the whole Bible. In fact no one in the Bible could have commanded you to read the whole Bible, because the Bible it its current form (66 books arranged in two Testaments) didn’t exist until more than 350 years AFTER the resurrection of Jesus. Now, the Old Testament, minus the chapter and verse divisions, has been around since before the time of Jesus. But neither Jesus, nor any other New Testament figure, commanded us to read the entire Old Testament. I do want to point out that over and over Jesus affirmed the Old Testament as the true and reliable Word of God. However, again, He didn’t command anyone to read the entirety of it.
Then why do pastors and other Christians say I should read it all?
Oh, well, there is a difference between what we have to do and what is often good for us to do. You don’t have to eat, but if you stop, life will fairly quickly stop being as much fun as it is. Just as you require food to continue to be healthy, or even to simply live, reading the Bible is essential sustenance for the Jesus follower who wants to keep growing. I actually have read the whole thing all the way through following one of those “Bible in a year” plans. I may have done it twice. I don’t think either time I finished it in a year. 😊Some parts are exciting and read like an adventure novel. Some are fascinating history. Several sections give wise sayings and practical advice. There are hard to grasp (without explanation) prophecies, and looooooong lists of genealogies. Then, of course, throughout the Bible God shows up, often giving us His exact words. The New Testament is especially engaging with the four biographies of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The accounts of the early church in Acts are WAY fun to read, and all the different letters from various people such as James and Peter, Paul, and Mary (just kidding, Mary didn’t write a letter, that was a joke for the Boomers and Gen Xers). And don’t get me started on the wild ride that is the book of Revelation. As an aside, if you’d like my favorite no-nonsense look at Revelation, check out Answers for Chicken Little by Dr. Dan Boone. Dan is a former pastor of mine and the president of a university now. Yeah, I know somebody famous. Hmmm. Actually, two of my former pastors are presidents of such institutions, I feel like a slacker. But still no, you don’t have to read the whole Bible.
Having said all that…
Do you have a best friend? Someone who knows you well, and you also know them well? How did you get to know them? You spent time with them. You learned about their likes, their dislikes, their hopes and dreams. You learned about what they love and what they hate. If you know them well enough, you even learned their deepest desires. Do you want to know God that way? Would you like Jesus to be closer to you than any best friend could possibly be? Closer even than a spouse? Then you want to draw ever nearer to Him. Ever Nearer isn’t just a catchy name for a Christian website. It’s a philosophy for living as a Jesus follower. And one of the most critical ways to draw ever nearer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is to spend time in the Bible.
What should I read?
Here are my thoughts. The vast majority of my Bible reading is in the New Testament. I want to focus on how Jesus lived, how He tells me to live, and how those who knew Him personally learned from Him and the Holy Spirit. I have read the New Testament all the way through more than once. In fact, I’m working my way through it again right now. But I don’t neglect the Old Testament. The Lord has much to teach us from those same scriptures that Jesus knew and often quoted. Oh, don’t worry about following all those laws about sacrificing animals, etc. That doesn’t apply to us anymore. Perhaps another blog post could be written about those changes.
In conclusion
As we said at the very beginning, you don’t have to read the whole Bible. But if you want a better understanding of God and who He is, you may want to consider it. You’ll get more guidance from the Word through the Holy Spirit by making Bible reading part of every day of your life. You’ll see not only the small details that are apparent at a verse level but gain an understanding of the sweeping history of God leading His people to salvation and beyond, from the time of creation until the very end of history. Do you have to read the whole Bible? No. But your ability to draw ever nearer to Jesus will be far greater if you do.