Act As If Your Bibles Will Be Burned

By David Ettinger

The Right Attitude
A reader recently wrote this in the comments section of one of my blogs: “Meanwhile, I suggest we start memorizing Scripture like never before. Then, when the Bibles are burned, we will have the Word of God still burning in our hearts.”

I concur! Her statement is based on the assumption that the U.S. is racing so far away from God that our political leaders will eventually enact laws forbidding reading, owning, and purchasing Bibles. If this happens, Bibles would be taken and burned, hence my friend’s counsel.

If believers knew for certain our Bibles were going to be confiscated, we should indeed begin memorizing large chunks of Scripture, and, I would add, reading the Bible in ample portions. This is the right attitude, and my blogger friend nailed it.

But, let me present a counter scenario. What if God spoke to every believer and said: “I know how bad things are. They are bad and will get worse. However, My child, the one thing I will not allow to happen is for governments to take away Bibles. This is where I draw the line. You will never lose your Bible.”

How would this affect your Bible reading?

Negative Effect
The answer is simple: Such a promise by God would negatively affect believers. Knowing our Bibles will never leave our possession will cause us to take them for granted. Knowing we will be able to read our Bibles at any time will cause us to get careless about it. Knowing the Lord will protect our Bibles would cause us to regard it as but one of the many books we own.

Hey, wait a minute. Taking our Bibles for granted? Getting careless when it comes to spending time in them? Regarding our Bibles as just “another” book? Hmm, this sounds awfully familiar. Indeed , this describes the present attitude of Western Christians! “Present” as when reading, owning, and purchasing Bibles here in the West is not being threatened.

Sadly this is nothing new. I gave my life to Christ in 1986, and have consumed the Bible since. And during my many occasions in Sunday School, at Bible studies, and in general conversation with other Christians, I have been appalled at the extent of biblical ignorance.

Bluntly put, Christians don’t know their Bibles. Most can’t tell you how many tribes ancient Israel consisted of. Most can’t name at least 4 apostles or 4 commandments. Most believers don’t know how many books are in the Bible, let alone how many in each Testament. Most believers cannot give you the basic outline of the Gospel. Most Christians can’t name a single minor prophet. And most Christians cannot explain, in basic, one-sentence terms, the meaning of such doctrines as condemnation, redemption, sanctification, and election.

The reason for this is that Western Christians don’t read their Bibles! They go to church, attend “small groups,” and love “fellowshipping,” but on their own time, they don’t even think of their Bibles. And the reason for this is – besides most churches not insisting their congregants do so – they take their Bibles for granted!

A New Attitude
To combat this, Western Christians must embrace a new attitude. They must incorporate into their lives the sentiments expressed by my friend. Christians must develop the mindset that our Bibles will be taken away very soon, and to prepare for this, they must read it and memorize it as if their lives depended on it.

If all Western Christians would act as if their Bibles will be stripped from them and burned before their eyes, most would be transformed. They would embrace their Bibles as never before, consuming it in massive portions. There would be a sense of urgency – even desperation – as believers would finally understand that the Bible is God’s primary way of communicating with them, and that they are about to lose it.

Bibles being confiscated and burned has been a worldwide reality for centuries, but not in the West in modern times. It may never be, or could begin happening very soon. But why wait? NOW is the time for all believers to begin dedicating themselves to reading and memorizing Scripture. We should all start acting as if the mandate has become law, and that all Bibles will be seized and burned next month.

Adapt this mindset, and watch the Bible become your most cherished possession!

Tagged: Burning Bibles, Know Your Bible!, Read Your Bible, Restricting Bibles, The Word of God

Posted in: Application, Christian Behavior, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Devotional, Drawing Close to God, Editorial/Blog, Practical