I asked ChatGPT this question.
Give me the top 10 real reasons people don’t read the Bible, not surface-level excuses—but the underlying issues you’re actually dealing with (especially in today’s culture).
1. They don’t see the Bible as authoritative
If it’s just “another book,” it’s optional.
Modern culture has trained people to see truth as personal, not absolute—so Scripture becomes one voice among many.
If you declare that you place your full trust and faith in God’s Word, don’t be surprised if people look at you like you’ve lost your mind. We’ve been taught to consider all sources before making a decision. What we have never been taught, except through the school of hard knocks, is to consider the source before you believe it.
2. They don’t understand it
People open it, get lost (especially in places like Leviticus), and quit.
Confusion quickly turns into avoidance.
If someone is going to read the Bible, which I am all for, it would help if there were some spiritual guides to help them understand it. (Romans 12 and Ephesians 4:11). Don’t start with Numbers, Leviticus, or Revelation. Go ahead and read a couple of chapters, and you will see why. Try Mark, John, or James.
3. They’ve never been taught how to read it
Not what it says—but how to approach it:
Where do I start?
What do I do when I don’t understand?
How do I apply it?
Most people were told, “Read your Bible…,” but never shown how.
This goes back to the teachers of the Word of God. Find someone who will teach you and let them.
4. They rely on others to feed them
Sermons, podcasts, devotionals, reels.
They consume Scripture secondhand instead of engaging it personally.
This creates: “I know about it” without “I know it.”
Nothing against sermons or podcasts. But who is going to challenge you to make what you read a part of your life? Knowledge is necessary, but worthless if it doesn’t help you act in wisdom.
5. They’re spiritually distracted
Not always rebellion—often just noise:
Phones
Content overload
Constant stimulation
The Bible requires stillness… and most people don’t live there.
Set aside time, turn the phones off, tell everyone to leave you alone, do what you need to do, but stop the noise and focus on God’s Word.
6. They feel condemned or unworthy
When someone is struggling with sin or failure, they often avoid Scripture because they think, “I already know I’m not living right.”
Instead of running to the truth, they run from it.
If you feel that way, then read 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 1:18, John 8:31–32, Philippians 2:13.
7. They don’t see immediate results
We live in an instant-results culture.
The Bible is transformational, not transactional. When there is no quick payoff, people stop reading. You are a work of art in the hands of God. Art takes time.
8. They lack discipline, not desire
Most believers want to read the Bible, but desire without structure always loses to habit.
After finding the quiet time you need, preferably in the AM, you need to do it consistently. If you take meds, you are placed on a schedule. 4 pills every 12 hours or something like that. While perfection isn’t expected, if you miss a day, God isn’t going to demote you. Consistency pays off. Keep building one day at a time and see what happens.
9. They’ve replaced relationship with routine (or abandoned both)
Some tried reading before, but it felt dry, religious, or forced.
So they concluded: “This just isn’t for me.”
It isn’t for the part of you that is selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and narcissistic. It is for the part of you that needs to be fed, so that you become stronger than your sinful traits—things like love, patience, goodness, and mercy.
10. Spiritual resistance is real
This one gets ignored—but it shouldn’t.
There is opposition to:
Truth
Identity in Christ
Transformation
The Bible is the one thing that:
exposes lies
renews the mind
anchors identity
So it’s the one thing that is resisted the most.
Why doesn’t the world rant at the Koran, the Book of Mormon, or the writings of Tao Te Ching (Taoism)? Because they don’t tell the truth.
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