Anonymous Asks (332)

“Is not reading the Bible a sin?”

As with so many answers to questions asked here, let’s say it depends on the situation. There have been times throughout history, both during and after the period when scripture was in the process of being written, when large numbers of its intended audience were illiterate, and not by their own choice. Literacy is a privilege and an opportunity not offered to all men and women, and surely the Lord would no more charge people who can’t read with the sin of not doing what they are unable to do than he would charge the innocent poor man for being poor.

Likewise, I don’t see him adding the charge of not reading the Bible to every one of the dead scheduled to appear before the great white throne, though it will certainly leave those who had opportunity to do so without excuse. But they have plenty on their plates without that.

The Right Thing Undone

But I definitely think of James in this context: “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” The man who says he knows God and loves Christ, but when asked about how well he knows the Bible quickly adds, “I’m not a reader” is in a funny position. Somehow, he managed to get through high school. He must have read one or two things along the way. He reads the instruction manuals for his new car, lawnmower or flat screen TV. He reads the sports standings after the weekend. He reads the labels on the YouTube videos he watches, and sometimes the captions. He reads street signs, “for sale” signs and the prices of all the goodies he piles into his cart at Canadian Tire. He reads warranties when he wants to claim them, agreements he is expected to sign and emails from his bosses and reports at work, even if he only skims them. He probably reads the labels on the medicine in the bathroom cabinet so he doesn’t accidentally take his wife’s hormone supplements, and he can always find his way to the right section at the hockey or baseball game, not to mention his way home on the highway. If you leave your Calvin and Hobbes anthology in the bathroom, you will hear him howling with laughter. Maybe he needs a Bible with more pictures.

In short, when he says, “I’m not a reader” with respect to the Bible, what he really means is, “The Bible is not important enough for me to make it a priority.” He may still be a laissez-faire follower of Christ, but he’s going to go through life as a spiritual lame duck, existing off the scraps of teaching he hears in church or on podcasts.

Craving Spiritual Milk

Peter writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” Paul tells Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of scripture. He must have thought being continuously bombarded with the word of God — as written — was critically important to spiritual growth, and it is.

The man or woman who will not look into the things of God for him- or herself is spiritually stunted. Their position is similar to the man in the parable who buried his talent and appeared before his master with nothing to show for all that he had been entrusted with. Those who simply can’t be bothered to read scripture for themselves may not be cast into the outer darkness for their sin, but to call them “wicked and slothful servants” is not unreasonable. Like the servant in the parable, their unwillingness to make good use of everything with which they have been entrusted is actually an unflattering commentary on their Master.

In such a case, certainly, not reading the Bible is a sin.