The Bible Welcomes Your Questions

For many Christians, the idea of questioning the Bible feels taboo like stepping into a museum full of sacred artifacts labeled “Do Not Touch.” We read carefully, quietly, as though curiosity might signal irreverence. Some avoid asking questions altogether, fearing it betrays doubt or disobedience. Others ask nervously, wondering if God’s Word can withstand scrutiny.

But the Bible is not a fragile antique or a silent exhibit. It’s a divine wilderness rugged, durable, and alive. It invites explorers. And God Himself urges us not just to read His Word, but to search it, ask of it, and even wrestle with it.

The Call to Question

Why should Christians ask questions of the Bible? Because the Scriptures were written for seekers. Proverbs 25:2 tells us, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” God hides treasures not to frustrate us, but to form us. To ask is not to doubt; it is to desire more of the truth.

The Bible is complex, written across millennia by poets, prophets, fishermen, and kings. Its genres range from narrative to apocalypse, its authors from shepherds to scholars. Within this holy library, you’ll find proverbs that seem to contradict, parables that beg for interpretation, and doctrines that call for deep thought. In all of this, God invites us to ask not aimlessly, but earnestly. Not irreverently, but inquisitively.

Three Ways to Ask Well

Asking good questions of the Bible isn’t merely a mental exercise. It’s a spiritual discipline. And like all disciplines, it requires a certain posture one marked by humility, expectancy, and patience.

1. Ask Humbly

The most insightful Bible readers aren’t always the most intellectual they’re the most humble. Psalm 25:9 reminds us, “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” The proud scan Scripture for arguments to win; the humble seek wisdom to grow.

Humility means acknowledging that the Bible stands over us, not the other way around. We read as subjects before a King, not skeptics on a jury. Our questions should not test God’s credibility but ask for clarity. Mary, upon hearing the angel’s impossible news, asked, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34). Zechariah asked a similar question, but in disbelief, and lost his voice for it (Luke 1:18). God welcomes questions born of faith. He resists those rooted in cynicism.

2. Ask Expectantly

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God “rewards those who seek him.” That reward isn’t always quick or easy, but it’s sure. God is not hiding the truth to mock us. He wants to be found. Proverbs 2:4–6 encourages us to seek wisdom like silver, to search for it like hidden treasure, and then promises, “The Lord gives wisdom.”

While Bible teachers, commentaries, and study tools are valuable, they are not substitutes for your own Spirit-led investigation. God does not merely call pastors or scholars to study His Word. He invites all His children to the table, promising to reveal more than we imagined to those who ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7).

A 2022 Lifeway Research study found that while 66% of American Christians read the Bible regularly, only 27% feel confident interpreting it. This means many of us are reading without asking, without probing, and without expecting discovery. But God has made His Word accessible not simplistic, but rich and reachable for those who press in.

3. Ask Patiently

Some answers will come quickly. Others may take a lifetime. There are verses that will unlock in prayer, in suffering, or only on the other side of glory. And there are mysteries God keeps “The secret things belong to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Christian maturity doesn’t mean having every answer. It means trusting the One who does. When our understanding stalls, our communion with Christ need not. As Proverbs 3:5 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” The Bible is not a puzzle to be solved but a relationship to be pursued.

God’s Word Can Handle You

Scripture isn’t brittle. It doesn’t break beneath bold questions. Like the God who authored it, the Bible can handle your confusion, your hunger, and even your occasional frustration. It’s designed to invite you in and stretch you deep. So bring your questions. Bring your doubts. But bring them with a heart that wants more of God not just more answers.

Jesus didn’t rebuke the disciples for asking about the end times; He taught them (Mark 13). He didn’t dismiss Thomas’s doubt; He invited him to touch His wounds (John 20:27). The Bible’s pages are full of seekers, wrestlers, and questioners and through them, God reveals His wisdom.

So don’t settle for secondhand knowledge. Don’t limit yourself to shallow reading. Open your Bible like it’s a mountain range waiting to be climbed. Run through its fields, wade through its rivers, and dig into its depths. And as you do, remember: the questions are not detours. They’re the trailheads to awe.

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