"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:22-25 (NIV)
Continuing in his discourse on Christian behavior, James tell them that just reading The Word of God alone is not enough. They have to read it, remember it, and put it into practice in their daily lives. By doing so they will be blessed.
The same applies to us today, just reading The Bible is not enough. It is possible to read The Bible and not understand the main point. There was a course offered by the English Department when I was in college at UCLA entitled "The Bible As Literature" which analyzed the syntax and style of the written words in The Bible, totally ignoring any religious significance or implication. The Bible records in Acts 8:26-36 that an Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah and did not understand what he was reading until Phillip explained it to him. Just reading The Bible is not enough. It should be read prayerfully by believers who are seeking to know Him better. We must apply what we have read to our daily lives. If after you read The Bible there is no change in your behavior, your thoughts, your speech, and your actions, then you just read a good book without knowing that it is The Good Book about the good news of the gospel.
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