Biblical Ignorance

Recently, at a Pastor’s get-together, the speaker asked, “How many of you believe that less than ten percent of the people in your congregation read or study the Bible on a regular basis?”

Hands shot up all over the room. The speaker then went in a different direction: “Well, that’s too many to count. Let me ask this, then: How many of you believe more than ten percent of the congregation read or study the Bible on a regular basis?”

In a room of about eighty Pastors, not one single hand went up—zero. There were Pastors in attendance from churches of all sizes. Some had congregations in the hundreds, some had churches with only a dozen people, and churches of every size in between. Several denominations were also represented, so this problem was prevalent in churches of every size and doctrine.

The Bible refers to itself as food. It calls itself “milk,” referring to the nourishment given to a baby, someone unable to chew and consume other types of food. This “milk” is the spiritual food a new Christian needs to grow in Christ and mature in their Christianity.

1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

When a person becomes a Christian, there should be a desire for the Word of God. Like a newborn baby, when it is time to eat, the child knows and will cry until fed. Most parents try to keep infants on a feeding schedule. I would also encourage new Christians to get on a schedule to read the Bible daily. However, if a baby does not eat, this may persist for a day or two, but a call to the doctor, looking for solutions, is soon made. An infant’s health can deteriorate quickly if the child goes without food. The same is true spiritually; without the milk of the Word, a Christian’s spiritual health can and will go downhill quickly.

A healthy baby will eventually leave a diet of only milk and move on to other things, such as applesauce, mashed potatoes, and finally, meat. The same is true spiritually. Christians should move from the milk to the meat of Scripture.

Hebrews 5:13-14, “For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Now think for a minute about what our eighty Pastors are saying. They are telling us that over ninety percent of churchgoers don’t even drink spiritual milk from time to time.

After the speaker’s question, a discussion followed; more than one Pastor lamented that some people who have been attending for decades do not know the Bible basics. In other words, they don’t know the milk.

In 1 Peter 2:2 above, we are told that new Christians will desire the Word. If that desire is never there, is it a salvation issue? Could it be that people who have attended church for years never placed their faith in the blood of Christ for salvation?

This physical example of eating, showing the aspects of spiritual growth should continue throughout our Christian life. Have you ever seen a teenager eat? Where are the Christians that are off the milk? Where is the desire to study God’s Word and get spiritual meat?

Thirty years ago, I would encourage Christians to “know what you believe and why you believe it.” I did this to encourage people to study. I saw a trend: When Christians were asked “why,” a deer in the headlights look usually followed. People could tell you what they believed but had no idea why they believed it. Christians should always be able to give an answer for the faith that is in them. 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

But that was thirty years ago; for the last several years, I have encouraged Christians to know what they believe. The difference? As the preachers said, the vast majority of the congregation does not know the basics.

Six times in the New Testament, God warns us not to be “ignorant brethren” (Romans 1:13, 11:25; 1 Corinthians 10:1, 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13). If we don’t pick up the Bible and read or study it for weeks, months, years, or decades, how can we be anything but ignorant about God, His thoughts, His precepts, and His will for our lives?

Biblical ignorance in the church is not an educational problem; it is a spiritual problem and, more specifically, a heart problem. In all stages of physical life, we have a desire for food. The same is true when there is spiritual life there will be a desire for spiritual food. I cannot stress this enough: if one does not desire to read or hear the , can spiritual life even exist?

If someone you loved lived hundreds or thousands of miles away and one day you walk out to the mailbox and there is a letter from them, odds are you will have opened the envelope and started reading the letter before you get back into the house.

God has written you a letter; it is called the Bible. Why do you not love Him enough to open the letter and start reading?