Monday, January 22, 2007

The Puritan View of Reading the Bible


I was reading in an excellent book yesterday by Leland Ryken, Worldly Saints. He made this quote regarding the Puritans and their view of Education,
"The way to foil Satan, according to the Puritans, was to educate people to read and study their Bible."
I think it would benefit us greatly to take this piece of advice to heart. Think about it. If there is one thing that our culture - even the contemporary "evangelical" culture - is ignorant and apathetic to, it is the Word of God.
The idea of "hiding the word of God in our hearts so that we may not sin against God" (Ps 119:11) is a lost and foreign concept to us today.
Think about it: The way to foil Satan - that is, the way to resist the devil, to stand firm against his lies, his schemes, his deceits, his temptations - was to not just have people read the Bible, but to educate people so as to both read and study their Bible.
If we really understood the content in the pages of Scripture, I think we would be much more aware of this adversary that wants to devour us just as a roaring lion seeks to completely devour his prey (1 Pet 5:8). Take heed and act!