“I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s holy Word, and will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and will hide its words in my heart so that I may not sin against God.” If you are like me, the last time you recited these words was in elementary school and it was Vacation Bible School. We recited these words every day, but why is that?

I had a unique experience recently that got me thinking. I was visiting a small church in Alabama, when just before the sermon, the congregation held up their Bibles and recited something similar. I was immediately taken back in time to VBS when we pledged ourselves to be obedient to God’s Word. I’m a strong believer in the supremacy of God’s Word in every aspect of life. While I could sit here and write to you about the historical evidence that confirms the Bible’s reliability, there are many others with much more research and experience than I, so I’ll let them tell you. I recommend the research of Josh McDowell, Darrell Bock, Ken Ham, or Nabeel Qureshi.

Instead, I want to talk about how our churches can raise a generation of people who are obedient to God’s Word. Before we tackle this question, we must first agree on what the Word actually is. The Apostle John opens his account of the life of Jesus by saying “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1, italics mine). John is clearly out to prove something: that Jesus is God. But he refers to Jesus as “the Word”. The Greek term here is “logos” which means “word, thought, concept, and the expression thereof”. In this text, the Word is the expression of God. Jesus is God, and the words that are written about Him bear witness to this truth. But do we really read the Bible as if this is what it is?

There is a major lack of Biblical literacy sweeping through the modern world, and this is not a new issue. For centuries, people have wrestled with the same questions, same difficulties, and same temptations. But now more than ever, the world needs to truth of Scripture. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus paints a picture of what happens every time seeds of the Word are planted. When a farmer scatters seeds, some will inevitably fall not on the soil, but on a footpath. Since there were no real roads in this day, narrow paths were common and typically ran through someone’s property. Farmers would sow seed up to the edge of the path. The seed which landed on the path was quickly eaten up by birds, and Jesus compares these birds to Satan. When the Word (the message of the Gospel) is heard, Satan leaps into action picking up those seeds so that they have no chance of taking root. When we allow a lack of reverence for the Word of God to infiltrate our thinking, we are actually putting Satan’s weapons in our arsenal. This is one of many reasons why I will always be a conservative student of the Bible. So how do we, in the modern church, prevent the seeds from being snatched away?

We must faithfully present Scripture. Notice I didn’t say “ideas from scripture” but Scripture itself. This is why I believe in expository preaching. Instead of talking about what the Bible says, present the actual verses, explain them, apply them in light of the saving work of Jesus Christ, and give the people under your teaching something to work with, so that they may wrestle with it themselves also.

Present the whole Bible. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). I have a friend who is known for preaching the whole Bible in every sermon. No matter the topic, various scriptures from numerous places in the Bible are taken to support his points. I try to do the same thing in my own preaching and teaching. In today’s world, many struggle with how the Old and New Testaments are connected. Some see a wrathful, angry God in the Old Testament while the God of the New Testament is gracious and loving. Where did this disconnect come from? It came from a lack of full teaching. We love to teach about Jesus healing lepers, but we are afraid to mention Sodom and Gomorrah. Whatever the reason why, we must always remain faithful to God’s Word. It is transformative. All of it, from Genesis to Revelation, is the story of God’s indescribable love toward humankind. If we are afraid of it, the world will never hear it, and Satan wins a victory. If we weren’t supposed to talk about it, God wouldn’t have put it in the Bible.

Don’t be afraid of questions. There will be questions, and the church is in need of Biblically literate teachers who are willing to answer them. I am known for randomly asking completely off the wall questions, but someone is always willing to answer them. It’s okay to not know an answer, but it’s not okay to neglect to look for an answer when one is obtainable. Research is a great tool, and teachers of the Bible should be masters of it. The Apostle Peter says it well when he writes “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15). Your students are depending on you.

Present Scripture in Worship. Scripture used for the sermon shouldn’t be the only time the Bible is used in corporate worship. Seek out unique ways to involve different passages into different aspect of worship. Find songs based on scripture, and make sure the congregation knows that the words being sung are from the Bible. The book of Psalms is especially valuable in this area.

Teach people how to study the Bible on their own. Instead of just teaching people what the Bible says, we should be teaching our brothers and sisters how to study and apply the Bible on their own. “What do I do when I don’t understand what a verse means?”, “what do I do when a verse appears to contradict something else?”, or a very common concern “the Bible is so big, where do I begin?” These are common questions, and speaking for myself, I have wrestled with each of these countless times. Thankfully, I am in a community where the Bible is being taught faithfully, and I have countless mentors who can help, which leads me to my next and final point.

Live out the story of Jesus in your own life. People are watching you, especially if you hold a leadership position in the church. Whether an ordained minister, deacon, elder, Sunday school teacher, or just someone who stays involved, people in the church are looking at you. If they see you living out a Christ-like example, they will be much more likely to adopt a Biblical lifestyle for themselves. On the flip side, if you are not living out the life of Christ, why would anyone who looks up to you do any different? Instead of just talking about grace, let your life be a display of the grace of God. How has God transformed you? Where would you be without God’s faithfulness? Be real, be loving, and don’t be afraid to be broken for the sake of the Lord.