Are You Reading the Bible… or Missing the Point?
Formed by the Word, Not Just Informed
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is alive and active.” Most of us have probably experienced that moment: reading a passage we’ve seen many times before, and then suddenly, it hits differently. It feels personal and alive.
There’s also another familiar experience for many of us. You leave a worship service feeling inspired and decide “I’m going to read my Bible more.” You flip to a random page and read a few lines, feel completely lost, and quietly close it.
And then comes the quiet question we don’t always want to say out loud: “I thought the Word was alive… so why didn’t anything happen?”
In Acts 8, an Ethiopian man is reading Isaiah but he doesn’t understand it. When Philip asks him if he knows what he’s reading, he responds, “How can I… unless someone explains it to me?” Once Philip shows him how that passage points to Jesus, everything changes. He doesn’t just gain information, he’s moved, transformed, and responds…
The Bible isn’t meant to be randomly sampled, it’s meant to be understood and its context matters. The authors had something specific they were communicating, and ultimately, they were all pointing to the same person: Jesus.
Even Hebrews 4:12, written to Jewish Christians deeply familiar with Scripture, isn’t saying, “just stare at the text long enough and it will come alive”, it’s reminding them that the God they’ve known through Scripture is still speaking and still working.
John makes this clear when calls Jesus. The Word. Not just written words on a page, but the very expression of God’s life and power. The same Word that spoke creation into existence is the Word who stepped into it. So when Scripture feels dry or confusing, it may not be because it’s not alive, it may be because we’re seeing the words and missing the Living Word.
We don’t just need more information. We need to see how every part of Scripture leads us to Jesus, because when we do, everything changes.
The goal of Scripture was never just knowledge, it was life. And that life is found in Him!