Benjamin Keach's Catechism, Q6: Making Use of Scripture

Q. 6. May all men make use of the Scriptures?

A. All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Scriptures. (John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11)

Scripture Proofs

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me. (John 5:39)

But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." (Luke 16:29)

And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:27-30)

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

So now that we see that the Bible is the Word of God, it is important to know what to do with it. This answer makes it clear: "All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Scriptures." Once again, if you know me, you know that I fully agree with that answer. I believe it is the duty of every Christian to be in his or her Bible, to learn it, and to apply it to his or her life. The Bible is how we know the will of God and how to follow it. To me it really is that simple. But let's see what the Bible itself says.

I find the first verse given to be very interesting. In context, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39, 40). At first glance it may seem like Jesus is condemning the Pharisees for spending too much time in the Word, but that isn't the case. He is condemning them for reading the Word and refusing to do what it says, as per the word "understand" in our catechism. Had they truly understood the Word, they would have turned to Jesus for life. Their sin wasn't searching the Scriptures too much; it was searching and not acting on what they read.

But how do we know that searching the Scriptures wasn't the sin? Well, for one, Jesus doesn't tell them to stop it. But in Acts 17:11, the Jews in Berea are called "noble" because, not only did they "receive . . . the word with all eagerness," but they also "examin[ed] the Scriptures daily to see if these things [Paul's teachings] were so." They are called noble because of their receptiveness to the Gospel and their examination of Scripture to see if the Gospel measured up to it. So what is important, I think, is not simply reading, but hearing and understanding. We should be reading with the right motives: to know truth, to know God and his will.

So then, we should read the Bible. Should we also look elsewhere for God's will? That is to say, should we be seeking a word from the Lord apart from Scripture? Scripture itself seems to say no. In Luke 16:19-31 we find the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I won't quote the whole parable, but I'll summarize the part that is important for our purposes. The rich man is in hell and he pleads that Abraham send Lazarus, who is in heaven, to warn his family. Abraham replies, "They have Moses and the Prophets [the Old Testament]; let them hear them" (v. 29). "No, father Abraham," the rich man replies, "but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent" (v. 30). Abraham, however, ends the conversation when he says, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead" (v. 31). The point is that the Bible is sufficient, and if that does not soften the hearts of people, miracles won't either.

Again, however, this does not mean that we can't, or shouldn't, turn to Bible teachers to help us in understanding. The reason people came to faith in Jesus in the first place was because of people teaching the Gospel from the Scriptures and helping them understand! "How are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Rom. 10:14).

We have an example of this in Acts 8:27-40, which I will quote:

And [Philip] rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
     and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
     so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
     Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Philip is led by the Spirit to help an Ethiopian eunuch understand the book of Isaiah. As a result, the eunuch is led to Christ and salvation. The eunuch was reading. He wanted to understand. He inquired of someone who did understand. He followed the command of God to read, hear, and understand the Scriptures.

So should we. Even if we are saved, the Bible is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). It changes us, it teaches us, it trains us, and it equips us to do God's will. How else can we know what God's will is but by his Word?

To read the full catechism, click here.