When reading your Bible, do you ever find yourself getting confused at how this could affect you? Most of us will at some point struggle with Bible reading, either because we don’t know how to use it, it’s difficult to understand, or even just it seems out of touch with our lives today.

The Bible is quite old, often with language that can be confusing, and there are 66 books that combine to make it a big read. There are sections that are easy to pull lessons or encouragement from, but there are just as many where the lesson is harder to see. How do we know what to do with it then?

Fortunately for us, the Bible offers us some wisdom for how to answer this question, and to explore that today we will be looking at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which says that all scripture is useful and profitable for us as believers. From this passage, we will learn that God can use any part of scripture for the good of believers as we continue our walk in faith.

So, then, why do we so often struggle to apply what we read to our lives?

Some of the challenges we encounter have to do with the lens that we look at scripture through. We are in a very different culture than the one that the bible was written for, and as a result we are easily tempted to try to shape what we read to fit our worldview. The danger with this is that we can easily be tempted to ignore, change, or twist the scripture from what it truly is. Some of this can be attributed to our culture, with a focus on what works for me individually. I have encountered many people who would say “I like this part, but I don’t think God would expect me to give this up”, or who are quick to dismiss entire sections of the bible because it’s uncomfortable, or because it is hard.

The problem with this, and with this as an attitude we approach the bible with, is that we are completely ignoring who the authority is behind scripture. Our passage for today begins with “All scripture is inspired by God”, a statement that reminds us who it is who set out the bible for us. It is God who determined the words included, and who set out what lessons and stories that people would need in order to understand following him. The bible is God’s own letter to us, and it is that letter that guides us as Christians. We need to place our trust in the one who authored it, as he is the one who we follow as Christians, and from this place, to trust that he wrote the bible to be free of errors or unnecessary pieces.

So then, if we recognise the Bible as trustworthy, how do we approach it when it can be so confusing? It’s a big question, as it is such a large book, but the scripture passage today suggests to us some of the intent behind what is written, as well as the purpose for our lives today. 2 Timothy continues by saying “(All Scripture) is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” It lays out the purpose of our reading, as well as what we ought to take away from it. It is useful for teaching, and for helping us to understand what God has commanded or told us about how to live life. At times, it will be needed to challenge or correct us, so that we don’t continue to live in sin or in error. During all of this, it is used by God to help us grow in righteousness, so that we can live our lives in a Godly way, and can experience a good relationship with our good God. All of these principles come together in the conclusion of the passage, and show that our bible reading is supposed to be a tool that leads to us living right, and to doing good as God has laid out for us.

For us, this means that as we do our bible reading, we need to begin by saying “God, I trust that you have written good things for me, help me to learn and understand them”. From there, we can learn, maybe for today and our present challenges, or maybe so that we are ready for future things. We can ask if a passage is challenging something that is wrong in our lives, knowing that our Good God has given us scripture so we can live as he has designed us, and so that we might know and understand him better.

Prayer “God, help us to read and learn from your word, and to not place our own understanding above your words. Thank you for your grace and patience as we learn, and occasionally struggle, with what you have taught us. Amen.”