We asked hundreds of people why they think it’s good to read the Bible. This is what they said:

• It tells us what God is like
• It develops an understanding of God’s relationship with us
• It has transformed the world
• It helps us understand God’s plans for us
• It connects us to Jesus
• It lets us know how we can be saved from sin
• It focuses our faith
• It is food for our daily growth
• It constructively effects our behaviour
• It provides a level of protection against temptation
• It contributes to a more positive outlook
• It provides guidance for life and living in this day and age
• It gives us a sense of significance and purpose
• It assists in our moral development
• It is a safe place for reflection and resolution
• It helps us understand our encounters with the seen and unseen world
• It facilitates peace and well-being in our lives
• It addresses the concerns of everyday life
• It renews our minds and hearts
• It is the meeting place of our stories with God’s Story
• It makes us wiser and broadens our perspective
• It keeps us from wasting our lives on what doesn’t matter
• It prompts us to acts of kindness and mercy
• It dramatically changes lives for the good
• It fuels belief
• It is a measuring stick to determine truth from error
• It contains the life-changing message of freedom
• It raises the dignity and rights of everyone
• It equips us to serve God
• It gives us comfort and hope
• It tells us how to truly get to heaven
• It helps us meet with God
• It is “God-breathed”
• It is the “bread of life” and the book of light
• It is “living and active”
• It is a source of “joy and my heart’s delight”
• It is the Word of God

I read the Bible for all the above reasons. And I read it because to know God and be godly, I need to know God’s Word intimately.

Have your say. Why do you think it’s good to read the Bible?

© Scripture Union Canada 2014