Understanding the uniquely divine nature of the Bible is no small thing. Many of us, in studying Scripture, will find questions of varying kinds popping up in our heads. We’ll wonder if we should really set our store by an ancient book. Our questions are no small things. They necessitate much discernment, much honest inquiry, and a good deal of patience.

As we have seen, Christianity is not closed to curiosity; in fact, you could say that faith is driven by curiosity. But we are not engaging in a make–up–our–own spirituality exercise. As we study the Bible’s claims, and as we come to see that Jesus is the Word of God, we are learning what God wants us to know. We’re not doing this alone, either: the Spirit is working in us, giving us faith.

This happens to the most unlikely, the most unsuspecting, of suspects. I’m reminded here of the conversion story of a woman named Rosaria Butterfield. While teaching queer studies at a major secular university, she came into contact with the Bible. Initially, she strongly disliked the Word of God. But she kept reading it, and as she did so, something happened to her: “I started reading the Bible. I read the way a glutton devours. . . . I continued reading the Bible, all the while fighting the idea that it was inspired. But the Bible . . . overflowed into my world.” In the midst of her personal chaos, “the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble” of her ruin.example After months and months of investigating Christianity for herself, Rosaria became a Christian. She left her old lifestyle and put all her faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Today, her story continues to echo around the world.

We may not all have such a dramatic experience as this. Many of us will find our journey to God much quieter, much more anonymous. But we all can study the Word of God. In the midst of confusing situations and tumultuous times, we can search the Scriptures, like peoples of old (Acts 17:11). We may do so seeking a stronger faith; we may do so without any background in religion or spirituality at all. Whatever the case, we can take confidence in this: in God’s great kindness, he has made himself known in the Word, offering us his grace, his purposes, and his very own Son, his ultimate Word, Jesus Christ.

Through the Word, God still speaks.

The question before us is this: will we listen?