There is a lot of talk today in "church" circles about how little people know about the Bible. To most, it is just "that big book," sitting high on some dusty shelf in Grandma's library. It is without debate that, the younger the generation, the less they know about the Bible.
Biblical illiteracy is not a new trend. It has been around a long time. The underlying root cause is explained by the Apostle Paul—sinful man deliberately suppresses the knowledge of God (Romans 1:18). Deep down, he resists the whole idea of being accountable or responsible to a holy Creator. He prefers to put all thoughts about a holy God and future judgment out of his mind, sometimes out of fear, but mostly because of his rebellious nature (Rom. 1:19-32).
The harsh realities of biblical illiteracy, whether in our English-speaking world or in some remote foreign setting, presents a huge challenge. Where does one start?
I believe we need to acquaint people with the biblical stories, introducing them to the God of "The Book." We need to start at the beginning. Yes, I know it will take some time to do this, but if we don't lay some foundations we could be assuming too much. We could be assuming that the message is understood when really we are being misunderstood.
It seems it is almost impossible to have an accurate concept of who God is, apart from the knowledge of certain foundational biblical stories. The biblically illiterate need to begin with an understanding of who God is, and where they are in relationship to their Creator-Owner—truths set forth in the Old Testament stories. They need to know these things before we can expect an accurate response to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross.
Was not that the way Jesus taught the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus? They must have listened spellbound as He told them His own story using the Old Testament Scriptures to help it all make sense.
"And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" Luke 24:27 NKJV
That's what the book, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus is all about. It starts at the beginning, lays the foundations clearly, and then step by step, leads one to an understanding of what Jesus did on the cross. It is an approach that makes sense.
