A puzzling paradox about the Bible in America is that it’s consistently the bestselling book and 77 percent of Americans own a Bible, but more than half of adults in the USA (56%) have no meaningful relationship with the Bible. In fact, Bible usage among 67 percent of American adults ranges from reading it 3–4 times per year (7%) to never reading it at all (40%). 1
As important as merely reading the Bible is, even more important is to engage with the Bible; a form of richly meditating on God’s Word; complete Scripture immersion. Below we’ll consider why this is important and share some helpful ways you can begin, or go deeper, engaging with Scripture.
What Is Bible Engagement?
Scripture engagement is the process of reading, meditating, and listening to the Bible in a way that leads us to meet God in his Word so that we’re spiritually transformed. It’s the method of going beyond intellectual awareness of the Bible’s content to employing our senses to absorb the contextual message into our heart and give it priority influence in our everyday thinking and behavior.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Scripture Engagement is Healthy for You]
Why Is Bible Engagement Important?
This deep interaction with Scripture is important because the Bible is the primary means by which God reveals himself to humanity. In Scripture, God divulges “his nature, works, will, [and] purposes.” 2 Consequently, God desires his people to become intimately familiar with his Word and thoroughly contemplate Scripture. The apostle Paul declared, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
[See the Scripture Engagement section on Bible Gateway]
For Christians, Scripture provides the clarifying lens through which we view all of reality. It tells the Grand Story of which our individual stories are a part. As one Christian scholar notes, “I can only answer the question, ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question, ‘Of what story do I find myself a part?’”
How Does Bible Engagement Affect a Person’s Spiritual Formation?
The primary purpose of Bible engagement in the Christian’s life is spiritual growth. Paul wrote to Timothy, Scripture is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Peter encouraged his readers to “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Paul prayed that the Colossian Christians would be filled “with the knowledge of [God’s] will” so that they would “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10).
This is also borne out by research. The results of a study on spiritual growth involving 1,000 churches concludes: “If churches could do only one thing to help people at all levels of spiritual maturity grow in their relationship with Christ, their choice is clear. They would inspire, encourage, and equip their people to read [and engage with] the Bible.” 4
Not surprisingly, studies find that those who consistently engage the Bible tend to “have a sense of purpose, are satisfied with their life, have close relationships, solid mental and physical health, and have a sense of character and virtue.” 5
How Do I Engage with the Bible?
Perhaps another way to ask this question is, “How do I immerse myself in the Bible?” A second, and related question, is “How is Scripture engagement different from Bible study?” Let’s look at the second question first.
Although Bible study is absolutely indispensable, it’s possible to gather facts about biblical books or passages without growing spiritually. A person can learn about the historical and cultural backgrounds of the Bible, for example, but stop short of applying Scripture to their lives. As Dr. Phil Collins of the Center for Scripture Engagement observes,
“Scripture engagement calls us to both analyze and apply the Bible—having knowledge of a text along with a personal insight about that text. . . . Understanding doesn’t equal spiritual growth. In some ways, understanding the Bible intellectually is the easier of the two processes. It is the reflection process, the place where we are mostly likely to meet God and be changed by him, that we especially need to learn.”
To help Christians with this process of reflection or engagement, five Bible-focused organizations—American Bible Society, the Center for Scripture Engagement, ChurchSource, The Abide Bible by Thomas Nelson Bibles, and Bible Gateway—have joined together to create The Abide Bible Initiative. Using principles and practices of Scripture engagement, The Abide Bible Initiative will aid you in engaging with the Bible in a way that fits your God-designed learning style.
The Abide Bible Initiative will take you beyond merely reading the Bible to a life-transforming encounter with God using the following interactive practices:
- Contemplate. Follow the simple four-step practice of feasting on God’s Word by reading a passage, meditating on the Scripture’s meaning and application, praying, and finally sitting silently, abiding in God’s presence through the words of Scripture.
- Picture It. Place yourself in a biblical narrative as a bystander or participant in important events.
- Praying Scripture. Pattern your prayers after biblical texts, personalizing the prayer and gaining language for the thoughts and emotions you want to express.
- Engage Through Art. Consider a classic artwork—photograph, sculpture, painting—and let it deepen your meditations on scriptural truths.
- Journal. Focus and reflect on Scripture and its meaning for your life, opening yourself to God’s voice through the Holy Spirit.
When you sign up for the free Abide Bible Initiative email series, you’ll receive a 5-Day Reading Plan that will walk you through using the five practices listed above while delving deep into five popular biblical passages (Isaiah 41, Psalm 23, John 14, Matthew 6, and Romans 12). After this, you’ll have the option to continue to engage Scripture using any of five 25-Day Reading Plans that each focus on just one of the Scripture engagement practices—whichever best fits your personal learning style.
Sign up today and embark on a life-changing journey with God’s Word!
Notes
1. See State of the Bible: USA 2022 published by The American Bible Society.
2. As the noted biblical scholar B. B. Warfield explained. Quoted in Guy Prentiss Waters, For the Mouth of the Lord Has Spoken: The Doctrine of Scripture (Ross-Shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2020), Kindle edition, 16.
3. Alasdair MacIntyre, quoted in Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen, The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 18–19.
4. See Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011).
5. State of the Bible: USA 2022, The American Bible Society, https://sotb.research.bible/.
Deepen your study of the Bible when you become a member of Bible Gateway Plus. Try it right now during a FREE trial period!