7 Reasons People Don't Read The Bible

7 Reasons Why People Don’t Read The Bible 

Have you ever wondered why people don’t read the Bible? I remember after I first got saved and started attending a Bible believing church, I couldn’t believe all the great things I was reading in the Bible. I was excited to show others figuring they would be as excited as I was, but for the most part, they weren’t. How could you not want to know what God had to say through the Bible? Today we are going to take a look at seven reasons why people are not interested in God and the Bible. There will be some overlap but we are going to break these into seven broad areas or reasons why people choose not to read the Bible. This is not going to be a comprehensive and exhaustive list, you may be able to come up with other reasons. And this could also double as a list of why people don’t come to God in general. 

Now first off I know that we are very blessed here in America and as a result there are no shortages of Bibles available. Any one that wants a King James Bible can go to a store such as Walmart or order one on Amazon for a pretty cheap price. Typically one can be had for as little as $7 in paperback form. I know that in other places of the world it may not be as easy to obtain a Bible, or a Bible may be forbidden or outlawed. Here is something to consider, The Voice of the Martyrs categorizes 52 countries where bibles are still today difficult or dangerous to obtain, or flat out illegal and only available through covert smuggling. 

LINK - https://lovepackages.org/bibles-dangerous-illegal-covert/ 

Countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, China, Saudia Arabia, Somalia, Kuwait, India, Syria, Turkey and The United Arab Emirates just to name a few fall into these categories. So when we discuss why people don’t read the Bible in this episode today, we are not talking about those people that can’t obtain one. In fact we should be praying for these people in these countries that they would be given access to the truth. But instead, we will be talking about those people that don’t read the Bible that could easily obtain one, if they don’t have one already. So let’s turn to the Bible itself for some insight and reasons why people don’t read the Bible. 

The first reason people are not reading the Bible; 

1) There is a famine in the land. - Now when I say famine I don’t mean a famine in the sense that we might normally think of it as being a lack of food, but as the Bible sometimes looks at the word famine. Take a look in the Old Testament in the book of Amos, you will find Amos after Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea and Joel, so starting in 

Amos 8:11 KJV
 [11] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord : [12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. 

Now while this judgment is directed against Israel in this passage we can certainly see that application can be made to our present day. When I was growing up in the 60’s there was still a respect for the Bible, an understanding that it was God’s word. If you were going to church you got dressed up in your good church clothes, got seated in a pew, sang the old hymns from a hymn book, and turned to the places in the Bible the preacher directed us to. There was a certain awe and reverence for the Bible that was highlighted by the preaching. However in many churches today there is a lack of the preaching and teaching of the word of God. A great many Churches are now more concerned with appealing to the world and have introduced the world into the church with rock bands, worldly dress, feel good worldly messages with no one carrying a Bible in sight, and an absence of the Bible spoken from the pulpit, if there even is a pulpit. If there even is a Pulpit? If there even is a building called a 

church! Its getting harder to find a church, instead we have “The Journey”, “The Bridge”, “Elevate”, “New Life”, each one trying to distance itself from any mention of the word church, and to obscure what they might actually believe. If you see the word Baptist, Methodist, Catholic on the sign out front you can have a good idea what you will find inside. For the average unsaved person looking to attend church he will have no idea what he is walking into. For many of these new modern movements It’s the “come as you are, leave as you were” mentality. Feel good about you, feel good about each other, God loves you just the way you are, smile and feel good. There is no preaching from the Bible about Sin, Holiness, Biblical standards, separation from the world, or the need for sinners to be saved. There is no emphasis on reading the Bible in church, and certainly no call to the congregation to read the Bible at home. Brothers and Sisters if you are a member of a Bible Believing Church praise God, because they can be hard to find. Be thankful there are still some Christ honoring, Bible preaching and teaching churches around and support them with your attendance and giving. If I can use the analogy get in the yolk and help pull the plow with the pastor to get the work done of the local church, reaching the lost and edifying the saints. And if you are in a church that does not emphasize the Bible in it’s preaching and teaching, and places an emphasis on personal Bible reading at home, I would ask is that the church that God wants you in? 

So that’s point number one, people are not reading their Bibles because in many cases there is no call or emphasis by the church they are attending to do so. There is a famine in the land. 

2) It Seems To Be Foolish, Hard To Understand - Here is another saying that you will hear said from time to time, people will say that the Bible is hard to understand, it doesn’t make sense. I think most of the people who have said this, is because not that they have actually tried to sit down and read the Bible and found it incomprehensible or hard to understand, but rather its just something they have heard said. The first time you sit down to read the Bible there will be passages and areas that won’t be clear on your first reading. There will be things that God will show you, and over time he will give you more light and understanding of these passages in the Bible as you continue to study and diligently seek after him. The Bible says we are to study the Bible and it will take some work. 

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
 [15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Christian, if you today find yourself not engaged in daily Bible reading and studying the Bible you are not following the Lord and the plan he has for your life. We are to search the scriptures. 

John 5:39 KJV
 [39] Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 

And one more time, 

Acts 17:11 KJV
 [11] These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 

Now that isn’t to say that there won’t be some passages in the Bible that you won’t be able to explain. That continues to be true for most Christians from time to time. 

But there is also a truth that an unsaved man sitting down to read the Bible will have difficulty in understanding it from a spiritual aspect. You see the Bible is a spiritual book. 

1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV
 [14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness 

unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

When you get saved you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who guides you into all truth and helps you to understand the Bible. (John 16:13) Take my friend Bob for example, smart guy, PHD in electrical engineering, college professor,.etc. Can’t seem to read the Bible, or understand it. How do you explain it? I have been witnessing to him for years, I have sent him a King James Bible, and he said he would read it. I followed up with him and asked him how his Bible reading was going and he said he tried to read it but he just couldn’t. I asked him specifically what part he had trouble with, he said right in the beginning he had trouble with what the Bible said, and this is the section he pointed out; 

Genesis 1:26-28 KJV
 [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

Bob said that he didn’t think it was fair to the animals that Man was given dominion over every other animal and creature on the Earth. He said he thought it was conceited and arrogant. I was astounded, to think that he had only gone 26 verses in the Bible and he had such a serious objection that he could no longer continue to read the Bible. Yes, folks man made in the image of God! He does have dominion over a dog, or a cat, or any other creature on Earth. It seemed obvious to me. I asked Bob who feeds his dog and the cats that he owns? Of course he said that he does. I asked him who takes them to the vet when they get sick, he does. He has dominion over his own animals. They don’t feed him and take care of him when he is sick. But this thinking I believe stems from his belief in evolution. That man evolved from monkeys and man is basically on the same plain as an animal. Of course we know that evolution is not true. 

Psalm 100:3 KJV
 [3] Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

The book of Genesis gives the account of God creating the heaven and the earth, man and all the animals. But there is something in man that thinks because we think about things a certain way that God must also. But that is not true, the Bible says; 

Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
 [8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Proverbs 14:12 KJV
 [12] There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

I think also Bob saw this “dominion” concept over the animals as somehow a license for man to abuse or mistreat animals. But the Bible doesn’t sanction the abuse of animals. 

Proverbs 12:10 KJV
 [10] A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. 

So it’s obvious that Bob wasn’t having trouble in reading the Bible or understanding the Bible, but instead he didn’t like what the Bible said. It was heart trouble he had, not head trouble, and the last thing you want to do is follow your heart and not the Bible. 

Jeremiah 17:9,14 KJV
 [9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Proverbs 18:2 KJV
 [2] A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. 

Okay, that brings us to point number three. 

3) What’s In It For Me? The reason some people don’t read the Bible is because they don’t believe it will benefit them. It’s, “What’s in for me?” thinking. I have a job, money in the bank, enough to eat, enough spending money, maybe a nice car or even a boat. I watch television, hang out with friends and family, what do I need God for? 

Proverbs 27:7 KJV
 [7] The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 

In Deuteronomy we find God reminding the nation of Israel not to forget that it was God that brought them out of bondage into the promised land, and not they themselves. 

Deuteronomy 8:10-14 KJV
 [10] When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. [11] Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: [12] Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein ; [13] And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; [14] Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;......skip down to verse 17....[17] And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. [18] But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 

Everything we have comes from God. 

Psalm 24:1 KJV
 [1] The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 

We were created for God’s pleasure, not for our own pleasure. 

Revelation 4:11 KJV
 [11] Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

Again in Job we see this “What’s in it for me, why do I need God?” type of thinking, 

Job 21:7-15 KJV
 [7] Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? [8] Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. [9] Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. [10] Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; 

their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. [11] They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. [12] They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. [13] They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. [14] Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. [15] What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? 

But our Lord spoke about this very thing, he said in the book of Luke “a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Let’s look at this passage in the book of Luke. Turn to Luke Chapter twelve starting in verse 16, 

Luke 12:16-21 KJV
 [16] And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: [17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? [18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? [21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

You may today feel that you have no need of God, that you have everything that you need but you are going to die and come face to face with God. If in this life you neglect your own soul by not getting right with God, by getting saved, you will have lost not only all of your possessions when you die, but your eternal soul as well. 

Also in this life you are going to face problems, the death of loved ones, sickness, disappointment, a myriad of problems, knowing that the Lord is with you to give you comfort, and the guidance from reading your Bible, will be invaluable to you. 

Our next four reasons for not reading the Bible are found in the Gospels and comes from a parable that Jesus gives us, the parable of the sower. 

Luke 8:5-8 KJV
 [5] A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. [6] And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. [7] And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. [8] And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

Drop down to verse 11, 

[11] Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. [12] Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 

4. The Devil While many think that the Devil is not real, here Jesus points out that he is and he is an enemy of the word of God. As we read in this passage his goal is to take the word out of peoples hearts so they won’t get saved. So is it any wonder that he has attacked the word of God by substituting the perfect and complete King James Bible with hundreds of counterfeit Bibles? These corrupt new Bibles attack the virgin birth of Christ, remove the blood of Christ, incorporate a whole host of errors, and remove entire verses. They all come from corrupt manuscripts and are the Devil’s 

ploy to steal the word of God from the average church goer. What better way confuse the person seeking the word of God by substituting an inferior, watered down Bible with errors and missing verses. Now this is a whole study in and of itself. On our podcast we have recently started a new segment called The Sword Vs The Spear, where we demonstrate how the new Bibles remove verses and add a whole host of errors into the Bible itself. 

Now some of you may be saying I have never heard of such a thing, or maybe you are thinking that’s just your opinion. How about we take a look right now and some simple examples of how the new Bibles are not easier to read. I will be comparing the King James Bible known as the authorized version, which is over four hundred years old, and comparing it with some of the new translations. But if you have a Bible translation at home use yours and lets see if it is easier to read than the King James Bible. 

Let’s start in Genesis chapter 12:9. The King James Bible reads, 

Genesis 12:9 KJV
 [9] And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. 

New American Standard
 [9] Abram journeyed on, continuing * toward the Negev. 

And 

Micah 5:14 KJV
 [14] And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 

Micah 5:14 NASB
 [14] I will uproot your Asherim from among you, And destroy your cities. 

Alright to be fair let’s let the new translation go first, this time we will see how the Revised Standard Version (RSV) has made the Bible so much easier to read. 

Job 6:6
 [6] Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the slime of the purslane? 

Does anyone here know what the “slime of the purslane is”? Let’s now look at the King James Bible and lets compare which is easier to read. 

Job 6:6 KJV
 [6] Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 

So which is easier to read and understand. How about accuracy? I think most people listening to this podcast know the account of David and Goliath. David killed the giant Goliath. Let’s see according to the new translation the RSV, the Revised Standard Version, who killed Goliath. 

2 Samuel 21:19
 19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elha′nan the son of Ja′are-or′egim, the Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 

Elhanan slew or killed Goliath? Really? Is that accurate? 

2 Samuel 21:19 KJV
 [19] And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare- oregim, a Beth-lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 

As you can see the King James Bible is accurate by pointing out that Elhanan slew the brother of Goliath. The new translations are not more accurate and not easier to read.
 What about missing verses from many of the new Bibles? Most of the new Bibles remove these entire verses from the Bible. 

Matthew 17:21, 18:11, 23:14 Mark 7:16, 11:26, 15:28, 9:44 & 45, Luke 17:36, 23:17, Joh 5:4, Acts 8:37, 15:34, and 24 7 just to name a few. 

The new translations also attack important Bible doctrines. Let’s see how the new translations attack the deity of Christ. 

Luke 23:42
 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]” 

Luke 23:42 KJV
 [42] And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 

You can see how the new Bibles attack Jesus’ deity by removing the word Lord. 

Luke 2:33 NIV
 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 

Luke 2:33 KJV
 [33] And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 

The virgin birth of Christ is attacked here in the New International Version by stating the Joseph is his father, the King James Bible keeps the virgin birth intact by using the word Joseph and not father. 

I could go on with many, many more examples but that is not the main thrust of this episode. But I think it does provide evidence of how Satan has tried to direct people away from the real Bible. 

(The King James is the perfect word of God. A translation can be better than the original. The word Translate/Translation/Translated/ - appears in three verses of the Bible and each time the translation always winds up better. 

• II Sam. 3:10 - From the kingdom of Saul to the throne of David. 
• Col 1:13 - From the power of darkness to the kingdom of his dear Son. 
• Hebrews 11:5 - Enoch translated from dying to eternal life in Heaven. 
• 5) Temptation, affliction and persecution 
• Luke 8:13 KJV
   [13] They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 
• And in Mark 4:17 

[17] ....when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 

This BIble reader starts out good, they are excited to hear the word, they believe for a while but it’s an outward belief, for when temptation, affliction or persecution comes they are offended and they stop reading, Because someone came along and said, “What, you don’t seriously read the Bible do you? Don’t you know that its just a myth, it’s not even scientific, I don’t know about you.” Or some other worldly temptation comes along and they are drawn away. 

6. Pleasures Of Sin For A Season 

Luke 8:14 KJV
 [14] And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 

Three things keep this man from being a fruitful Bible reader, they are cares, riches and the pleasures of this life. This person is too taken up with the world to spend time on spiritual things like reading the Bible. The world and its many deceits demand their attention and Bible reading quickly drops away. 

7) Idolatry 

And now with idolatry we go back to where we started talking about my friend Bob. Bob is someone I met in 6th grade, and lives multiple states away from me now, but we have kept in contact over the years. I would love to see him get saved because we grew up together and I care about him. Our lives have diverged, my salvation has changed me from the friend he grew up with, while Bob is still Bob, he still lives in the world, listening to the worlds music, and his hero’s are drawn from the world. The god of this world has helped him to fashion a god of rationalism and evolution, where man is just another animal without the God of the Bible. 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV
 [3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

Like so many others in the world he has fashioned a god of his own making and worships education and science (falsely so called, I Timothy 6:20), and ultimately himself over the Bible. It is idolatry. 

Exodus 20:3-5 KJV
 [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me. [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: [5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
This idolatry keeps him from reading the Bible because he is too busy pursuing his own self made gods. 

So those are 7 Reasons that I believe people don’t read their Bibles. And to be completely honest, I have experienced days where the cares of this world have put reading my Bible on the back burner, not something I like to admit but with the Lords help those days will be few and far between. Daily BIble reading will make a big difference in your walk with the Lord. The Bible says, 

Romans 10:17 KJV
 [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Let me encourage you to make Bible reading a daily part of your everyday routine.