Some try to delude themselves into thinking they can read the Bible without any framework…which is a lot like me driving without my glasses on. Our goal isn’t to read the Bible without a rubric, but to get the right one in our minds and hearts. The question isn’t whether to have a framework or not, but which one does the Bible itself supply for us to use?

The Bible is, hands down, the most amazing book in the history of the world. Written over a period of about 16 centuries, it is made up of 66 individual books. These books were written by shepherds, kings, farmers, priests, poets, scribes, and fishermen, traitors, embezzlers, adulterers, murderers, and tax collectors. Despite having so many authors, whose styles and genres were very different, and despite taking place on three different continents, the Bible shows its heavenly origin by its beauty and remarkable consistency (more on that later). It is the best selling book in human history, with over 500 billion sold and 100 million more each year.

But just because 100 million Bibles are being sold each year doesn’t mean 100 million people are reading it.

And just because someone’s reading it doesn’t mean they’re reading it correctly. In fact, while keeping your Bible closed is a really bad idea, we should also admit that few things are more dangerous than an open Bible. History and Scripture tell us the Bible has been used to do more damage than any other weapon Satan uses.

When Jesus and Satan had their showdown in the wilderness, what was the Enemy’s great tactic? To quote, misquote, and under-quote God’s Word, giving his lies the appearance of evil (don’t all the best lies do that?).

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