Beneficial Bible

Idolatry - which could be described as prioritizing other objects of our affection before an adoration of God, is called out in 1st Corinthians 10. Here are some verses in that chapter:
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

We have to consider if our devotion to Christ is the highest priority in our lives.  If we follow the world's principles, rather than what is taught in the Word - of God, we simply will not reflect the glory of God and keep ourselves from experiencing what He has in store for us.  We become ineffective in our own spiritual life and lack the strong moral voice that our culture needs.  The Bible - and living according to it - must be a central focus for us. 

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What we know as the 10 Commandments are found in Exodus chapter 20. This passage highlights the first two:
2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them...

The Bible has been a profound influence on our nation, and we don't have to look too far to see the evidence of God's hand throughout our history.  I believe that He has certainly preserved our nation. But, even though we can certainly recognize a departure from Biblical truth and conformity, almost half of Americans in a recent survey believe the Bible is still beneficial in our nation.

The Baptist Paper ran an article recently on a survey from the American Bible Society in its latest State of the Bible survey.  The article stated:

The survey conducted in January also found that 44 percent of Americans believe the nation would be worse off without the Bible and 23% believe negative influences from media, movies and music are feeding a moral decline.

“For years, we have asked Americans to imagine their nation without the Bible,” the organization said in a report highlighting the findings. “The results have been rather consistent. While some observers assume there’s a growing animosity toward the Bible, we don’t see that.”

However, one must ask the question: "well, if you revere the Bible so much, why don't you follow its teachings?" In other words, "if you think that Bible reading is such a good thing, why don't you participate?"

The Baptist Paper article quoted from the ABS report on the survey data, which said, "It’s worth noting that more than a quarter of non-Bible users say the country would be worse off without it,” adding, “They don’t interact with Scripture themselves even three times a year, but they seem glad that others do.”

The article quoted from the report, which stated, “Only two in five Americans, 39%, were Bible users. Frankly, we were hoping this was a glitch, but the 2023 responses matched last year’s low point, 39%." The Baptist Paper stated:

The report said the most recent high point of 50 percent Bible use occurred in 2020, a year when many people were cooped up at home with little else to do. The next two years saw a return to activity for many, and for a 10th of the population, the Bible was not part of the reboot.

“Despite the downturn in Bible use, we can still say that about 63 million American adults, 24%, use the Bible — on their own, outside of a church service — at least once a week,” the American Bible Society reported.

One further note, according to the article: "The survey found that 86% of Americans see a moral decline in the nation, though they disagree about where to place the blame. The study reported 26% blamed a lack of positive parental involvement, 23% blamed the negative influence of media, movies or music and 16% blamed an unhealthy reliance on social media for information."

I want to go back to the questions I posed.  A greater percentage of Americans think that the Bible is beneficial than actually read it themselves.  So, the question becomes, "if you revere the Bible so much, why don't you follow its teachings?"  The fact is that people don't like the moral direction of our country, yet they are unwilling to embrace themselves what could really shift that moral slide.  Similarly, "if you think that Bible reading is such a good thing, why don't you participate?"

I would theorize that you have a large number of people who attend church, fill a spot in the pew or the chair, every week, but have not flipped the switch and totally surrendered to Christ.  Jesus had a word to describe those folks in Revelation 3: "lukewarm."

If only we would apply the teachings of Scripture to our individual lives, our families, our churches, and our civic engagement, what a difference we would see!  But, our devotion is diluted by other things, the things we idolize, what we put before God.  The first two commandments warn us against having other gods and not making idols.  Idolatry is the enemy of Biblical faithfulness. A large majority of Americans sees it: a moral decline.  There are various things to blame.  Ultimately, it's a decline in the degree to which we revere - or fear - God.