The Public Reading of Scripture: A Biblical, Historical, and a Necessary Practice

“Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim 4:13).

When we listen to the reading of Scripture, it is as if the Lord is present among us. For all the talk of “incarnational” ministry today, there is no higher privilege than to hear the Incarnate Word declared through the promise and fulfillment of the written Word as we gather for worship. The beginning of theology, exposition, and worship is the sustained public reading of God’s Word in the Church.

Thus, reading the Word of God becomes the very core of worship, affording each hearer an opportunity for ongoing, personal encounter with the divine. In essence, Scripture is God’s voice incarnate for the church in all ages (Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Worship, 220).

I grew up in a tradition that cherished the Bible as God’s inspired Word and rightly upheld inerrancy in its institutions and churches. Yet, it was rare to hear the Word of God read at any length from the pulpit of the church in which I was raised. This is an enduring reminder of the dichotomy that often exists between theoria and praxis. Too many evangelical churches are full (numerically) in the pews but empty in the pulpit because little attention is given to the actual words of the Bible. It is accurate to say “one of the striking things about evangelical corporate worship in our times is the evident paucity of Scripture” (Terry L. Johnson and J. Ligon Duncan III, “Reading and Praying the Bible in Corporate Worship,” 140).

Reading the Bible as we gather for worship is foundational to our ongoing personal and congregational reformation.

Reading The Scriptures Publicly

"What you believe about the Bible is inevitably communicated by the way you read it in public:

1. The Bible Is Spirit-Inspired

The entire Bible has its source in God. It is composed of books, sentences, phrases, words, and individual letters that He has “ . . . breathed out” (2 Ti 3:16). Without using dictation, and without destroying the individuality of each human author, God has given us a book that, in its tiniest details, is exactly what He wants it to be.

Therefore, unless it is read inaccurately (or from a faulty translation), the reader is speaking and the listener is hearing the very Word of God. We are thus encountering God Himself. It’s the nearest we get to heaven during our time on earth.

Because inspiration is verbal, you must take care as to how you pronounce and express every word. Every time you open the Bible you do so in the presence of its Author.

2. The Bible Is Clear (Perspicuous)

This does not mean that every (or any) individual Christian understands everything God has revealed. It does mean that the church of Jesus Christ, in every generation, is capable of understanding the God-breathed Word. The simplest person, with the Spirit’s illumination, is able to understand the truths necessary for salvation.

It follows, then, that the Bible should be read clearly. This cannot be done, however, if you lack an understanding of what is being read. Contrarily, when the text is rightly understood it can be read with appropriate expression.