You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. – John 5:39

While driving to work this Monday, I was praying for the ministry of The Gideons International. As I thought about the importance of getting the Bible into the hands of those who have never even seen one, I was reminded of Sunday’s devotion in my favorite devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. It contains the reminder that “We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One Whom the Bible reveals.”

Of course, if we didn’t believe the Bible, then we wouldn’t believe its revelation. You can’t disbelieve a witness and simultaneously accept their testimony. The point, then, must be that although faith comes from hearing the Word of God, salvation and eternal life are found in Christ.

In Christendom, we sometimes (not as much as in years past) talk about the importance of memorizing Scripture. I usually have more respect for someone who knows the Bible well. However, as the first-century Pharisees demonstrated, it is possible to know the Bible without knowing Jesus. The Scriptures were given not for our intellectual growth, but that we might know the One Who gave them.

The Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” (Psalm 119:11). He was not concerned with simply learning techniques for living a righteous life, but guarding his relationship with God. God has given His Word that we might know Him more and more.

God, help me not to be satisfied with simply knowing the Scriptures, but cause them to make me hunger and thirst for You.