Motives matter, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to something as very good as studying the Bible. The best motive for reading the Bible is to be transformed by it. For this to happen, we must approach our reading and studying with both confidence and humility, asking God to transform us through his Word.
Many skeptics read the Bible for a very different purpose—so they can attack it or undermine it, so they can disprove it or mock it. They prove that great knowledge of the Bible may actually lead them farther from God, all because their motives have been wrong.
But even Christians can read the Bible for ignoble purposes, perhaps so they can content themselves that they have more knowledge of it than someone else, or perhaps so they can feel like they have crossed off that box on their daily list of tasks. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “It is a good thing to be a student of the Word, but only in order to be a practiser and experiencer of the Word.” He reminds us that our efforts in the Word should always be leading toward wisdom, which is living a life that is fully pleasing to God. It is good to be a student of the Bible, but only if we are studying for the right reason—to practice and experience it in our daily lives.
