I am convinced that Satan is on a mission to make us believe the Bible is centered on us.
But this could not be any further from the truth.
Why We Often Read the Bible Wrong
There is a wrong way to read the Bible, and it is done when we make ourselves the focus of God’s Word instead of God Himself. When we do this, the intent of Scripture gets obscured, and our view of God is diminished. We glorify ourselves over the One who deserves all the glory, honor, and praise.
Why Reading the Bible Is Not About Us
My friend, the Bible is not a self-help book. From its first page to its last, every word of Scripture is about God.
Who He is.
How He operates.
What He longs for us to know about Him.
All these things are found in the gift of His Word to His people.
How to Read the Bible with God at the Center
The truths of Scripture do not always feel good to read. They will often offend the flesh. But as we lean in to seeking God through Scripture in the ways that He intends, my prayer for both you and me is that we would allow the things that don’t feel good to humble us and leave us in awe of who He is. For He is perfect in all His attributes and all His ways.
Reading the Bible to Know God
I’m not saying the Bible does not speak to who we are and reveal the path we are called to walk. It does indeed do this! But if we open our Bibles and first look for ourselves instead of searching for our Father, we misunderstand the purpose and gift of God’s Word. If we first ask “What does this mean for me?” instead of “God, what does this passage reveal about who You are?” we will certainly risk misinterpreting the text.
How Not to Read the Bible Like David and Goliath
Take the story of David and Goliath, for example. If we read this story with only the question of “What does this mean for me?”, we instantly place ourselves in David’s shoes and view Goliath as the trial in life we are currently facing. If we sling our stones—which represent our faith in this case—we are able to overcome said trial. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? What it is actually doing, however, is making ourselves rather than God the savior of the story and encouraging us to continue reading biblical narratives in this way.
Reading the Bible Through the Lens of Christ
If we read the story of David and Goliath correctly, meaning we approach Scripture with the question of “What is God revealing about Himself here?,” the outcome is much different. By exploring the historical and literary context of this passage, we learn that many of the events of David’s life foreshadowed the life of Jesus. The story of David and Goliath points to the reality that Jesus is the only one who can prevail against the dominion of darkness and the power of Satan.
Why Reading the Bible Must Lead Us to Jesus
Scripture tells us who we are in light of who God is. Knowing God enables us to know ourselves, to recognize how perfect and selfless He is and how depraved and sinful we are.
If our time in the Word is not reflective of this truth, if it does not lead us to behold God’s glory, we are missing the mark. We are being pushed further and further away from the story God has put on full display in Scripture: His plan to rescue His people from sin through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Reading the Bible as One Unified Story
The purpose of reading the stories that fill the pages of Scripture is not just learning from the ordinary people found in them or putting ourselves in their shoes, but rather encountering the One to whom their stories point and reveal—the central character of the Bible and the One our lives should be centered around: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. I like to think of it this way: the Old Testament points to Jesus, whereas the New Testament reveals Jesus. For example, Isaiah 53:3 prophesies, “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care” (nlt). The fulfillment of this prophecy is found through the person of Christ, as revealed in John 1:10-11: “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (nlt). Everything is connected to Jesus!
A Final Invitation to Read the Bible Faithfully
I don’t know about you, but I want to read God’s Word in a way that asks How does this point me to my need for Christ? in such a way that it humbles me and draws me closer to Him and away from myself.
The gospel changes everything. May the power of God at work in us and our time spent in His Word be reflective of this truth.
Adapted from She Delights Bible Study: A Five-Week Journey to Finding Joy in Christ by Elle Cardel.
About the Author
Elle Cardel is first and foremost a sinner saved by grace. She lives in middle Tennessee with her college sweetheart, Michael, and their two lovely children, Selah and Aidan. Elle loves being a mama, nerding out over strategy board games with Michael, catching up over coffee with friends (all the lavender lattes, please!), making meals from scratch, and writing on the truths of the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Elle holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical theology and is the founder of the global online women’s ministry Daughter of Delight, a growing community of 170,000-plus women of faith. Elle is a firm believer that, in order to truly know God, we must know His Word. She is deeply passionate about equipping everyday women of faith with the tools to be faithful stewards of Bible literacy. She lives on a mission to help others learn and love Scripture via the Daughter of Delight podcast, daily devotionals woven around the Word, and free biblical resources, all of which you can find at her website, daughterofdelight.com. Her most recent title, She Delights, will release from Tyndale Momentum on April 22, 2025. You can connect with Elle on her website or Instagram.
