It's the Truth

We are instructed in Scripture to allow certain attributes to become preeminent in our behavior.
Colossians 3 outlines some of these:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

And, in verse 16, we discover a key to seeing these attributes manifested in our lives:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The Word of God, the teachings of the Scriptures, contributes to the life of Christ being released through our lives.  Through our study of the Bible, we can see who we have the capability to be and the characteristics that a believer in Christ is to possess.  Now, we cannot perfect these components through our own human strength, but through careful application of the Word, we can experience the life change that God wants to bring about in our lives.

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Our interaction with the Word of God, and our degree of it, can release the life of Christ into our hearts and minds.  Jesus said in John 6:
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."

Recently, I featured a conversation with Andrew Hood of the American Bible Society, which just celebrated its 200th anniversary - what an incredible milestone!  In order to commemorate that occasion, the Society, in partnership with the Barna Group, released a six-year research study called, The Bible in America.

Some positive findings from this study include:

• An average of 62 percent of Americans have expressed a desire to read the Bible more. 
• A two-thirds majority of adults believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know in order to live a meaningful life.
• Two-thirds of adults hold an orthodox view of the Bible, believing it is the actual or inspired Word of God.
• Forty-four percent of Americans read the Bible at least once a month.
• On average, eight out of 10 Americans consider the Bible to be sacred literature or a holy book.
• Most Americans, 64 percent, believe the Bible has more influence on humanity than any other text.

Even with these positive findings, there are some areas of concern. For instance, the the number of Bible skeptics has increased to 22 percent in 2016, surpassing the number of Bible engaged people, which is now at 17 percent.

A statistic of concern is that those who say the Bible is sufficient as a guide for meaningful living has declined from 77 percent in 2011 to 67 percent in 2016.

One surprising stat is that Christian Millennials share similar beliefs and engage the Bible much the same as older generations. For instance, 69 percent of that group believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life. 63 percent would describe the Bible as "fact."

The percentage of American adults as a whole who are considered Bible friendly has declined from 45 percent in 2011 to 37 percent in 2016.

In response to these and other findings, Roy Peterson, president and CEO of American Bible Society, said, "Looking at modern-day America, we see a country moving away—for decades now—from the foundational, biblical values so cherished by those who came before us," adding, "As we work together to address the skepticism of our day, now is our time to renew hope in the promises of God's Word, to open the healing words of Scripture as people are battling extreme violence, poverty and oppression."

The ministry has developed some strategies to do that, including leveraging technology to reach Americans wherever they are by using social media to deliver Scripture. It is also lending support to the development of a Bible-based online game for teens and administering the top-level domain .Bible.  Director of Communications Andrew Hood says that, "American Bible Society has a 10-year goal of seeing 100 million people in the U.S. regularly engaging with Scripture..."

We can certainly have renewed hope in the power of God's Word.  The departure from our spiritual moorings is directionally proportional, I believe, to the opinion of and practice of God's Word.   If people do not recognize that God's truth offers a roadmap for a fulfilling life, then they reject those principles to their peril, as well as the peril of society at large.

No, things have not always been this way - the turning aside from an adherence to the Scriptures has seemingly become more intense over the past few years.  But, it's not time to give up.   But, the Bible has to be regarded as more than mere optional guidelines for life, but a vital component of a life that pleases God.  Fortunately, there are many tools that can assist in Bible engagement - technology presents great potential, but no matter how we digest it, we have to study, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures so that God's principles become a part of us.