Thomas Watson on How to Read the Bible

16 Jun 2015

Posted by Jake Meador

Thomas Watson:

Read the Bible with reverence. Think in every line you read that God is speaking to you. The ark wherein the law was put was overlaid with pure gold, and was carried on bars, that the Levites might not touch it. Exod 25: I4. Why was this, but to give reverence to the law? Read with seriousness. It is matter of life and death; by this Word you must be tried; conscience and Scripture are the jury God will proceed by, in judging you. Read the Word with affection. Get your hearts quickened with the Word; go to it to fetch fire. Luke 24: 32. ‘Did not our hearts burn within us?’ Labour that the Word may not only be a lamp to direct, but a fire to warm. Read the Scripture, not only as a history, but as a love letter sent you from God, which may affect your hearts. Pray that the same Spirit that wrote the Word may assist you in reading it; that God’s Spirit would show you the wonderful things of his law. ‘Go near,’ saith God to Philip, ‘join thyself to this chariot.’ Acts 8: 29. So, when God’s Spirit joins himself with the chariot of his Word, it becomes effectual.

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Written by Jake Meador

Jake Meador is a writer and editor from Lincoln NE and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He curates the Notes section of Mere Orthodoxy and serves on the editorial board of the journal Fare Forward. His writing has appeared in Books & Culture, Christianity Today, First Things, and Front Porch Republic. Jake lives in his hometown of Lincoln NE with his wife and two kids. He is also the creator of the Inside Channel, a soccer magazine and email newsletter.