Dan Hames asks Dane Ortlund whether Bible reading can really help Christians grow spiritually.
Transcription
Welcome to another edition of UP, the Union Podcast. This week I’m joined by Dane Ortlund. Dane is the senior vice president of Bible publishing at Crossway. He joins me on the line from Wheaton, Illinois. Thanks so much for joining me, Dane. I’d like to ask a question about growth and the Bible. In the UK we have a children’s song which is sung by children all over the country, and it says “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow.” And I want to know, does that really work in the adult Christian life? Does reading the Bible actually help people grow?
Thanks Dan. It’s a great question. I think I would say yes it does work, and no it doesn’t work. And what I mean is, yes, daily reading and praying do nurture growth, just as daily eating, and talking to parents for a young kid, does nurture growth. I’m thinking of my 4-year-old Nathan for a minute here. He cannot grow by never eating, and never talking to us and listening to us. Deuteronomy 32, Moses says to the people right as they’re about to enter the Promised Land, that God’s word to them is “no empty word, but your very life.” Psalm 19 is the same thing.
So yes, reading the Bible and praying every day does produce growth. But, that doesn’t mean that Christian growth is a tidy formula: just put in Bible reading, praying for an extended amount of time, and out comes growth in a mechanical sort of way. We’re not car engines—just put in oil and fluid and out comes performance. We’re people, and we’re complex because we’re fallen people.
So Christian growth is not less than reading and praying regularly, but the religious elite in the gospels who so opposed Jesus read their Bibles and prayed fastidiously, and Jesus called them white-washed tombs, having dead men’s bones inside, and so on. So I would exhort our listeners, yes to read and to pray each day, oh yes, but to do so as cultivating communion, not as fulfilling duty. It’s more like chatting with a wife over a meal, than doing your homework.
So reading your Bible can help us to grow spiritually when you use it to cultivate communion with the Lord. Please tune in to hear more from Dane Ortlund on UP, the Union Podcast.
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UP0002: How is Christ Becoming Man Vital for our Salvation? Peter Mead
UP0003 What Does the Incarnation Mean for Me Every Day? Peter Mead
UP0004: Does Emphasising the Incarnation Risk De-emphasising the Cross? Peter Mead
UP0005: Does Understanding the Incarnation Change the Way We Share the Gospel? Peter Mead
UP0006: What is Our Starting Point for a Doctrine of Scripture? Andrew Wilson
UP0007: How Can Jesus Really be the Centre of Scripture? Andrew Wilson
UP0008: Wasn’t the Canon of Scripture Decided Really Late? Andrew Wilson
UP0009: Why Does the Bible Seem so Outdated on Issues like Gender and Sexuality? Andrew Wilson
UP0010: Why Have You Debated Steve Chalke and Rob Bell? Andrew Wilson
UP0011: Does “Read Your Bible Pray Every Day And You’ll Grow” Work in Adult Life? Dane Ortlund
UP0012: How Can I Stop My Daily Devotions Being Legalistic? Dane Ortlund
UP0013: What Should I Expect From My Daily Devotions? Dane Ortlund
UP0014: How Has the Bible Been Important to You? Dane Ortlund
UP0015: What Advice Would You Give to Someone Who Struggles to Read the Bible? Dane Ortlund
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UP0017: Luther on the First Commandment 2: True Worship
UP0018: Luther on the First Commandment 3: Receiving from God
UP0019: Luther on the First Commandment 4: A Threat and a Promise
UP0020: Luther on the First Commandment 5: Reflect for Yourself
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UP0022: What Does it Mean to See God? Kyle Strobel
UP0023: Is God Religious? Kyle Strobel
UP0024: What Is Christian Spirituality All About? Kyle Strobel
UP0025: What Is Missing From Our Prayer Life? Kyle Strobel
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UP0029: Why is it Important to Keep Christ at the Centre of Family Life? Gloria Furman
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UP0033: How Does Jesus Teach Us About Power? Mark Stirling
UP0034: Should Christians Avoid Power? Mark Stirling
UP0035: What Can I do if I’ve Exercised my Power Sinfully? Mark Stirling
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