How Not to Read Your Bible in 2013

Over at the Gospel Coalition Matt Smethurst has written a helpful article on how not to read your Bible in 2013. Well worth reading, especially if you have just undertaken a new plan for personal Bible reading for a new year.

You can read the article by clicking here.

Why Memorise Scripture?

"...my studies are just beginning."

Augustine, was one of the greatest theologians in church history. One writer describes him as having "...by far the greatest influence on the beliefs, practices and spirituality of Western Christianity." Even with all the learning and understanding that God graciously gave Him, Augustine never got bored of the Bible. In fact,it was quite the opposite. The more he studied and understood the more of an appetite he had for Scripture. In a letter he says this about the Bible:

There is such depth in the Christian Scriptures that, even if I studied them, and nothing else, from early childhood to worn-out old age, with ample time and unflagging zeal, and with greater intellectual ability than I posess, I would still each day find new treasures within them. The basic truths necessary for salvation are easily found within the Scriptures. But even when a person has accepted these truths, and is both God-fearing and righteous in his actions, there remain so many things which lie under a great veil of mystery. Through reading the Scriptures, we can pierce this veil, and find the deepest wisdom in the words which express these mysteries, and in the mysteries themselves. The oldest, the ablest, and the most eager student of Scripture, will say at the end of each day: "I have studied hard, but my studies are just beginning."
 

This stands as a challenge to us when we're tempted to think that we've 'mastered' the Bible. Or when we begin to think that we, pretty much, know what it all says. Let us be those who are ever saying, "My studies are just beginning."

A Certain Desperation

Recently Justin Taylor interviewed Dale Ralph Davis, who's written a number of excellent Old Testament commentaries. One of the questions he asked him was about the role of prayer in Biblical interpretation. Davis gave a very helpful answer, and is equally applicable both to those who are preparing to teach the Bible to others and those seeking to read it for themsleves. Here is what Davis said on the role of prayer in Biblical interpretation:

There’s not much I can say here except that the temptation I run into is ignore it. I’ve been so happy to run into the following quotation from Owen:

For a man solemnly to undertake the interpretation of any portion of Scripture without invocation of God, to be taught and instructed by his Spirit, is a high provocation of him; nor shall I expect the discovery of truth from any one who thus proudly engages in a work so much above his ability.

I originally came across this quote in Richard Pratt’s He Gave Us Stories. All I can say is that’s where I have to come back to again and again. It is very easy for me to start in and pull the books off the shelf and so on and dive into the Hebrew text and not give even a thought to specific prayer about that. I’ve done that before and you’re in the middle of it and you think “Boy, what a Godless approach this is. Here I am dealing with syntax and interpretation and I haven’t even really sought the Lord’s face about it.” I know it is the proper thing to say—”you need to pray before you prepare”—but there needs to be a certain desperation about this which I’m not sure we normally have. Again, all I can really say is that I seek to catch myself in this area and repent and go back to that point and then start over again.

Memorising the Bible

Over at the Briefing, Jean Williams has a very helpful series of articles on memorising Scripture. You can read them by clicking the links below:

• Part 1: "Why you shouldn't memorise Bible verses."
• Part 2: "A three-course banquet of Bible memorisation."
• Part 3: "A smorgasboard of Bible memorisation methods."
• Part 4: "The delightful results of memorising the Bible."

Reading the Bible in 2012

January 1st is a coming, and it is about this time of year that people start making plans to read through the Bible in a year. There are many fantastic resources out there to help us do this. In this post I want to point you to some of these great resources, and encourage you, if you've not thought about it or ever tried it, to consider making 2012 a year in which you commit to reading throught the whole Bible.

Personally, I'm greatly indebted to Robert Murray M'Cheyne for his Bible reading plan, which takes you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year. You can view the plan with M'Cheyne's instructions here or get hold of a PDF copy of the plan here. I posted an edited and easier to read version of M'Cheynes introduction on the blessings and dangers of reading the Bible in a year this time last year. You can read it here. Don Carson has written two volumes of daily comments and reflections on each days reading from M'Cheyne's plan you can buy them in here and here, or view it online for free here.

However, there are lots more great plans out there if you find that M'Cheyne's doesn't work for you. Both Justin Taylor over at the Gospel Coalition and Jean Williams at the Briefing have written posts with links to a wealth of great resources for reading the Bible in a year. There are many differing plans that will suit different people and their differing situations. If is well worth looking through their suggestions as you make plans for your 2012 Bible reading. You can view them by clicking the links below:

• Justin Taylor 
• Jean Williams

I pray that these resources will be of great help, and serve you in digging deep into the riches of God's word in 2012.

The Heart of the Bible

John Flavel helps us to read our Bibles better by pointing our what stands at the heart of Scripture:

The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the very marrow and kernel of all the scriptures; the scope and centre of all divine revelations: both Testaments meet in Christ. The ceremonial law is full of Christ, and all the gospel is full of Christ: the blessed lines of both Testaments meet in him; and how they both harmonise, and sweetly concentre in Jesus Christ, is the chief scope of that excellent epistle to the Hebrews, to discover; for we may call that epistle the sweet harmony of both Testaments. This argues the unspeakable excellency of this doctrine, the knowledge whereof must needs therefore be a key to unlock the greatest part of the sacred scriptures. For it is in the understanding of scripture, much as it is in the knowledge men have in logic and philosophy: if a scholar once come to understand the bottom-principle, upon which, as upon its hinge, the controversy turns the true knowledge of that principle shall carry him through the whole controversy, and furnish him with a solution to every argument. Even so the right knowledge of Jesus Christ, like a clue, leads you through the whole labyrinth of the scriptures.

Reading the Bible Stupidly

"How are your quiet times?" A question that often strikes dread into the heart of its hearers! Ask almost any Christian and they will say that their times of personal Bible reading and prayer is not what they'd like it to be. Keeping our quiet times fresh comes as a great challenge to many of us.

In a sermon preached in 1867, Charles Spurgeon cautions his hearers against reading the Bible stupidly. What he says, if taken to heart, would benefit us greatly as we strive to keep our quiet times from going stodgy. He says:

You are retired for your private devotions; you have opened the Bible, and you begin to read.

Now, do not be satisfied with merely reading through a chapter. Some people thoughtlessly read through two or three chapters—stupid people for doing such a thing!

It is always better to read a little and digest it, than it is to read much and then think you have done a good thing by merely reading the letter of the word.

For you might as well read the alphabet backwards and forwards, as read a chapter of Scripture, unless you meditate upon it, and seek to comprehend its meaning.

Merely to read words is nothing: the letter kills.

The business of the believer with his Bible open is to pray, “Lord, give me the meaning and spirit of your word, while it lies open before me; apply your word with power to my soul, threatening or promise, doctrine or precept, whatever it may be; lead me into the soul and marrow of your word.”

Also, it is not the form of prayer, but the spirit of prayer that shall truly benefit your souls.

That prayer has not benefited you, which is not the prayer of the soul.

You have need to say, “Lord, give me the spirit of prayer; now help me to feel my need deeply, to perceive your promises clearly, and to exercise faith upon them.”

In your private devotions, strive after vital godliness, real soul-work, the life-giving operation of the Spirit of God in your hearts.

Learning From the Silkworm

Recently I came across these challenging words from Charles Spurgeon. May they shape the way we read and study for the Bible, both for ourselves, and as we prepare to teach others:

Oh, that you and I might get into the very heart of the Word of God, and get that Word into ourselves! As I have seen the silkworm eat into the leaf, and consume it, so ought we to do with the Word of the Lord—not crawl over its surface, but eat right into it till we have taken it into our inmost parts. It is idle merely to let the eye glance over the words, or to recollect the poetical expressions, or the historic facts; but it is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your very style is fashioned upon Scripture models, and, what is better still, your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord.

I would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like the reading the Bible itself. He had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress—that sweetest of all prose poems — without continually making us feel and say, “Why, this man is a living Bible!” Prick him anywhere—his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God. I commend his example to you, beloved.

"The Centre Truth in the Whole Bible"

What stands at the centre of the whole of Scripture and why is it so important that we recognise this centre? This question is one that is vital for us to grasp.

In a booklet called 'The Cross' J. C. Ryle spells out clearly that it is the cross of Christ that is the centre of the Bible, and shows us why this is so important for us to recognise.

Working from Galatians 6:14, he shows that "Jesus Christ crucified was the joy and delight, the comfort and the peace, the hope and the confidence, the foundation and the resting-place, the ark and the refuge, the food and the medicine of [the apostle] Paul's soul." It was what he delighted in, what stood at the heart of his preaching, and what permeated all of his letters. Paul was centered on the cross of Christ. Ryle then goes on to press the implications home to us, the reader. He says:

And, reader, you may rest assured that Paul was right. Depend upon it, the cross of Christ,- the death of Christ in the cross to make atonement for sinners, - is the centre truth in the whole Bible. This is the truth we begin with when we open Genesis. The seed of the woman bruising the serpant's head is nothing else but a prophecy of Christ crucified. This is the truth that shines out, though veiled, all through the law of Moses, and the history of the Jews. The daily sacrifice, the passover lamb, the continual shedding of blood in the tabernacle and temple, - all these were emblems of Christ crucified. This is the truth we see honoured in the vision of heaven before we close the book of Revelation. "In the midst of the throne and of the four beasts," we are told, "and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain." (Rev. 5:6) Even in the midst of heavenly glory we get a view of Christ crucified. Take away the cross of Christ, and the Bible is a dark book. It is like the Egyptian hieroglyphics without the key that interprets their meaning, - curious and wonderful, but of no real use.

Reader, mark what I say. You may know a good deal about the Bible. You may know the outlines of the histories it contains, and the dates of the events described, just as a man knows the history of England. You may know the names of the men and women mentioned in it, just as a man knows Caesar, Alexander the Great, or Napoleon. You may know the several precepts of the Bible, and admire them, just as a man admires Plato, Aristotle, or Seneca. But if you have not yet found out that Christ crucified is the foundation of the whole volume, you have read your Bible hitherto to very little profit. Your religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch without a keystone, a compass without a needle, a clock without spring or weights, a lamp without oil. It will not comfort you. It will not deliver your soul from hell.

The Importance of Being Under the Ministry of the Word

Sinclair Ferguson shows the relationship between our tongues and our sitting under the ministry of the Word. May we allow the word of Christ to dwell in us so richly so that we cannot speak in any other accent.

Why Memorise Scripture?

Reaping with Joy

Recently, I came across this video of the Kimyal people recieving the New Testament for the first time in their own language. Their joy and thankfulness to God is extremely moving, and it shows that they recognise just how precious is the written word of God. The delight and celebration of t anhe Kimyal people puts me to shame for how much I take having the Bible in my own language for granted, and how I do not delight in it and treasure it as I should. How priveleged we are in the English speaking parts of the world to have humdreds of translations so easily acessible in our own language. All round the world there are peoples that have a famine of the word of God in their own language. Watch this video and be reminded of the immense preciousness of the word of God and be challenged to love your Bible, and to give yourself to supporting gospel famine relief.

One Thing is Necessary

How much do you value the Bible? The more we recognise how much we need it to sustain our life, the more precious it will be for us. The word of God is more vital for us than the food we eat each day (Matthew 4:4). This is what the reformer Martin Luther had to say on the value of the word of God:

One thing, and one alone, is necessary for life, justification, and Christian liberty; and that is the most holy word of God, the Gospel of Christ, as He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." (John 11:25), and also, "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36), and, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4).

Let us therefore hold it for certain and firmly established that the soul can do without everything except the word of God, without which none at all of its wants are provided for. But, having the word, it is rich and wants for nothing, since that is the word of life, of truth, of light, of peace, of justification, of salvation, of joy, of liberty, of wisdom, of virtue, of grace, of glory, and of every good thing. It is on this account that the prophet in a whole Psalm (Psalm 119), and in many other places, yearns and sighs for the word of God with so many groanings and words.

How Important is the Bible?

John Piper @ GELF Breakfast - Lausanne 2010 from Crossway on Vimeo.

A Spiritual Cardiograph

What should the Christian life feel like? What ought to be the emotions and affections that we have as a Christian from day to day, and as we face the different circumstances that life brings our way?

This is an important question to think through. The problem is that we don't feel as we ought to feel, we don't desire what we ought to desire, we don't delight in what we ought to delight in, we don't weep over what we ought to weep over. Our affections, desires and feelings are disordered. Sin has affected every part of who we are. This does not mean that we are as sinful as we can be, in His grace God restrains us from this. However, it does mean that there is no part of who we are that is unaffected by sin. Therefore, not only have our actions and our thoughts been tainted by sin, so also have our emotions, desires and affections. All of our person has been impregnated by sin, it has marred the whole of who we are. This is why we find ourselves getting exited by things that are sinful, and being bored with things that are pleasing to God.

What then can we do in order to feel as we ought to feel? How can we re-order our affections and emotions? The way we do this is to allow our desires and feelings to be shaped by Scripture. One of the parts of Scripture that God has provided in particular for this is the Psalms. They both reveal how healthy our emotions and affections are, and help to re-calibrate them so that we feel the way we ought to feel.

Recently I came across these words from a former pastor of mine: "It has been wisely said that the Psalter is a spiritual cardiograph. The more I am at home in the Psalms, the healthier my spiritual condition." That is, the Psalms show us the state of our hearts. They help us to see how healthy our feelings and longings are. The more we read through them the more we see what affections and emotions shaped by the truth of God's word look like. The more we see of this the more clearly we will be able to diagnose how healthy our desires and emotions are.

Another great function of the Psalms is to shape our distorted feelings and desires so that we begin to feel as we ought to feel, delight in what we ought to delight in and weep over what we ought to weep over. Christopher Ash says: "The Psalms give us authorised, authentic response to God and his word." They re-calibrate our emotions so that they are shaped by God's word. This is because the Psalms not only teach us truth about God, they also take that truth and turn it into prayer, they show us how we ought to respond to God's word. One of the things the Psalmists do throughout the book of Psalms is to take the rest of Scripture and turn it into prayer. They show how we ought to respond to the rest of the Bible. In doing so they are re-ordering our ragged desires and emotions so that they are brought more in line with the truth of God's word.

This means that, if we want to feel the way we ought to feel, one of the best ways we can do this is to learn to pray the Psalms. Take them and make them our prayers. One of the ways I have tried to do this is to try and pray through a Psalm a day. Why not try making the Psalms more a part of your prayer life (both private and corporate). Take a Psalm, read it and then turn it into prayer. Let what the Psalmist delights in become what you delight in, let what he mourns over be what he mourns over, let what he longs for be what you long for. The more we do this the more we find that we will become aware of how we ought to feel, and we will find that our affections and emotions become increasingly shaped by the truth of God's word.

The Dangers and Blessings of Reading the Bible in a Year

One of the most popular and most versatile plans to read through the Bible in a year was prepared by the Scottish pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne in 1842. It consists of four readings a day from different parts of Scripture which bring the reader through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice over a year. It can also be adapted so that you read through the Bible over the course of two years. You can view the plan online here, or order a copy here.

When M'Cheyne gave the plan to his congregation it came with an introduction which outlined the dangers and advantages of reading through the Bible in a year, and some practical directions for doing so. This is a very helpful introduction and it is well worth taking the time to read through before embarking on a Bible in a year reading plan, or to whet our appetite to undertake such a plan.

I have taken the body of what M'Cheyne wrote to his congregation and have edited it to make it slightly easier to read for a modern audience. What follows is my re-wording of M'Cheyne's introduction. I have tried to keep as close to M'Cheyne's original words as possible, and to retain his imagery. Where the words, phrases or word order have become outdated I have tried to render them in a modern equivalent. So here it is, Robert Murray M'Cheyne's introduction to reading the Bible in a year:

Dangers

1) Formality – We are such weak creatures that any regular practice easily degenerates into a lifeless form. For some people, the tendency of reading the Bible in a fixed manner can create such skeleton Christianity. A characteristic sin of the last days is that people will have the appearance of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Guard against this. Let the plan perish instead of letting this rust eat up your souls.

2) Self-righteousness – Some people, when they have devoted their set time to reading the Bible, and finished reading the portion assigned for that day, may be tempted to look at themselves with self-complacency. I am persuaded that there are many who are living without a divine work on their soul (unpardoned and unsanctified, and ready to perish) who diligently spend set times in both personal and family devotions. This is going to hell with a lie in the right hand.

3) Careless reading – There are few who tremble at the word of God. There are few who, in reading Scripture, recognise the voice of God, which is full of majesty. Some, because they have such a large portion to read every day, may be tempted to become weary of it, as Israel did of the daily manna, saying “Our soul loathes this light bread!”, and therefore they read it in a light and careless way. This would be fearfully provoking to God. Beware, take care that this word is not true of you: “You also said, ‘Behold, what a weariness this is!’ and you have snuffed, says the Lord of hosts.”

4) A yoke too heavy to bear – Some people may begin reading with enthusiasm for a time, and then it may later feel like a burden that is heavy to bear. They may find their conscience dragging them through the set task without relishing the heavenly food. If you find this to be the case, throw away the chains, and feed freely in the sweet garden of God. I do not desire to put a snare upon you, but to be a helper of your joy.

If there are so many dangers in such a Bible reading plan, why suggest such a plan at all? In answer to this I say the best things are accompanied with danger, just as the most beautiful flowers are often gathered from the clefts of a dangerous precipice. Therefore, let us also weigh up the advantages.

Advantages

1) The whole Bible will be read through in an ordered way in the course of a year – The Old Testament will be read through once, and the New Testament and Psalms twice. I fear that many of you have never read the whole Bible; yet all of it is equally divine: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man o God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If we ignore some parts of Scripture we shall be incomplete Christians.

2) Time will not be wasted in choosing what portions to read – Often believers are unable to work out which part of the mountains of spices they should direct their steps towards. This question is solved at once in a very simple manner by this Bible reading plan.

3) Parents will have a regular subject upon which to examine their children – Family devotions ought to be much more instructive than they generally are. Merely reading a chapter of the Bible is often too much like water spilt on the ground. Instead, let the day’s portion of the Bible be read by every member of the family beforehand, and then draw out the meaning and application of the passage by question and answer. This Bible reading plan will be helpful for this.

It also means that when friends meet together, they have something edifying to talk about from the portions of Scripture they have been reading that day. It also means that younger Christians can also ask more mature Christians about the meaning of difficult passages, and the fragrance of simpler passages spread further.

4) The pastor will know in what part of the pasture the flock are feeding – This will enable him to speak more suitably to them on a Sunday, and to drop a word of light and comfort when he visits them from house to house, which will be more readily responded to.

5) The sweet bond of Christian love and unity will be strengthened – We will be often reminded of our dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, both here and elsewhere, who join with us in reading these portions of Scripture. We shall more often be led to agree on earth, about something we shall ask of God. We shall pray over the same promises, mourn over the same confessions, praise God in the same songs, and be nourished by the same words of eternal life.

Directions

1) The first two columns contain the passages to be read with the family. The last two columns contain the passages to be read in private. (M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan contained four columns of readings for each day).

2) The head of the family ought to read the passage for family devotions beforehand and note the key verses, and spend some time upon them with the family asking a few simple questions.

3) Sometimes the passage for family reading might be more suitable for personal reading. If this is the case, the head of the family ought to switch the readings so that the passage for personal reading that day may be read with the family, and the passage for family reading be read in private.

4) The Psalms ought to be worked through with the family at least once in the course of a year. (M’Cheyne here recommends that the family sing through the Psalter in a metrical version of the Psalms, which had been written for such a purpose, and was widely used in the Scottish church at that time).

5) Let the conversation at family meals often be focused upon the passage read or the Psalm. Thus every meal will be edifying, sanctified by the word and prayer.

6) Let our personal Bible reading happen first thing in the morning. Let God’s voice be the first we hear in the morning. Note the key verses and pray through every line and word of them. If you mark your Bible, let it be neatly done, so as to never abuse a copy of the Bible.

7) When you meet other believers in the street or elsewhere, speak about the passages read that day, as often as you have the opportunity. This will be a blessed alternative to those idle words which waste the soul and grieve the Holy Spirit of God. If you are writing letters (or emailing or on the phone etc.) make use of what you have gathered from Scripture that day.

8) Above all, use the word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path – your guide in perplexity, your armour in temptation, your food in times of faintness. Hear the constant cry of Jesus, the One who Intercedes for us: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17).

[The copy of M'Cheyne's introduction I have worked from can be found in Andrew Bonar's book Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne published by Banner of Truth.]

Reading the Bible in a Year or Two

It is about this time of year that many of us start making plans to read through the Bible in a year. Over at the Gospel Coalition blog Stephen Witmer has posted a very helpful little piece on a two year Bible reading plan that he prepared for his church. It has some good pointers for those of us thinking of embarking on reading through the Bible over the next year (or two).

Witmer begins by quoting these words from Scottish pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne, who was writing to his flock about a scheme he had prepared for his church to read through the whole of Scripture in a year:

MY DEAR FLOCK,—The approach of another year stirs up within me new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved. “God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” What the coming year is to bring forth, who can tell? . . . Those believers will stand firmest who have no dependence upon self or upon creatures, but upon Jehovah our Righteousness. We must be driven more to our Bibles, and to the mercy-seat, if we are to stand in the evil day. Then we shall be able to say like David—, “The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined from thy law.” “Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word.” It has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading, in which as many as were made willing by God might agree, so that the whole Bible might be read once by you in the year, and all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time.

Witmer's article can be read in full by clicking here, where you can also download a copy of his Bible reading plan.

"Meat indeed and drink indeed"

What is it that will sustain us as Christians? What is it that will keep our souls from withering? The answer is simple, yet is something that we easily overlook. It is the prayerful and dilligent reading of the Bible. Nothing can replace this. This is something that the great evangelist George Whitefield discovered at his conversion. Here is what he said in his own words.

Above all my mind being now more opened and enlarged, I began to read the holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word. This proved meat indeed and drink indeed to my soul. I daily received fresh life, light, and power from above. I got more true knowledge from reading the book of God in one month than I could ever have acquired from all the writings of men.

Therefore, let us not run after the latest fad or book about spiritual growth. Instead let us give ourselves to the prayerful and dilligent reading of the Scriptures.

Sufficient

"If God would only do a miracle, then I'd believe." How often do we hear words similar to these from non-Christian friends, family members or contacts? For many people they excuse themselves from taking seriously the truths of the gospel, by saying they need something more to convince them. If only they could see something miraculous, then they'd believe in the gospel. However, such an argument is not convincing.

In Luke 16, Jesus says that if they refuse to listen to the Bible, then even if they see something miraculous they will not be convinced. Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, who were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). In verses 19-31 he gives them a shocking warning in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man dies and is in torment in Hades (verse 22-23), upon finding himself in this irreversible torment (verses 25-26) he longs that his brothers be warned so that they might repent before they face the same (verses 27-28). The answer comes back "They have Moses and the prophets [i.e. the Scriptures]; let them hear them." (verse 29). Lazarus insists: "No,...but if someone goes to them fro the dead, they will repent." (verse 30). To which Abraham replies "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (verse 31).

The Bible is sufficient for belief. We do not need anything else to convince us and to bring us to repentance. J. C. Ryle has these helpful and challenging words to say on this in his 'Expository Thoughts' on Luke:

The Scriptures contain all that we need to know in order to be saved, and a messenger from the world beyond the grave could add nothing to them. It is not more evidence that is wanted in order to make men repent, but more heart and will to make use of what they already know. The dead could tell us nothing more than the Bible contains, it they rose from their graves to instruct us. After the first novelty of their testimony was worn away, we should care no more for their words than the words of any other. This wretched waiting for something which we have not, and neglect of what we have, is the ruin of thousands of souls. Faith, simple faith in the Scriptures which we already posess, is the first thing needful to salvation. The man who has the Bible, and can read it, and yet waits for more evidence before he becomes a decided Christian, is decieving himself. Except he awakens from his delusion he will die in his sins.

Taken from 'Expository Thoughts on Luke'.