Many cold and lifeless churches testify to the fact that the mere presence of the Bible is no guarantee of spiritual life and vigor. Many churches have a Bible tucked neatly into every pew, but teach a message radically at odds with the words of that very Book.
The task of the church is not merely to provide a physical copy of the Bible, but to carefully teach the contents of the Bible. If “Holy Writ is to be kept not under a bushel,” as Packer says, then surely it’s not to be kept in the pew. Rather, it is to be kept under the noses of the congregation—to be opened and read. The Bible is not to be held fast as some kind of Christian artifact, but held forth as the words of life. Again, it must be opened and it must be read! It must be read aloud in the presence of the church, where the whole congregation can hear it together and respond to it together!
Every week, every Christian can anticipate hearing the voice of God as he speaks through the voice of the person who opens that sacred Book and says, “Listen as I read God’s holy Word.” Rightly do God’s people respond to that reading with a hearty “Amen,” knowing that God has spoken.
