They say technology advances at an ever-faster pace. As a pastor, my job is pretty low-tech. I could get by without a computer. I could probably even get by, dare I say it, without a cell phone. I don’t have the reasons I once did to keep up with all the technological advances. These days, I’m a simple observer. I do not always see the advances promised by those who predicted exponential technological improvement.
If anything, the special effects we see in the film industry have gotten worse. How is that possible? How, when editing software can accomplish things filmmakers once considered impossible, can so many people argue that films released 10 or 15 years ago often looked better?
One entertainment commentator suggested that the problem lies in the audience’s demands rather than in producers’ decisions. His reasoning is that as media markets shifted to favor streaming services, the entertainment industry had to pivot away from its artistic priorities and toward producing content faster. As a result, visual effects are outsourced these days to the lowest bidder under tight deadlines. We have, in effect, traded creativity for productivity.
I cannot help but wonder whether something similar is happening within churches.
The Temptation for Immediate Answers
Never before have Christians had as much access to biblical information as they have today.
Thousands of sermons are available online. Entire libraries of commentaries now fit in our pockets. Podcasts accompany our morning commutes. Study tools that once belonged almost exclusively to pastors and seminary students are now easily accessible to nearly every believer.
And now, using these resources, artificial intelligence can summarize passages, attempt to answer theological questions, and generate entire Bible study outlines in seconds.
A few years ago, the caution we kept hearing was to be discerning about what you’re reading. Our focus was on being able to “spit out the bones” from our supplemental study material. Today, I think we need to make another warning our focus: “Don’t take shortcuts in your personal formation.”
Technology has never been our enemy. In fact, it can be a tremendous blessing. The danger before us is that we may be trained to expect immediate answers.
Bible study is a formative discipline. Your daily quiet times are an ordinary grace of God that He uses to shape you. As we grow in our understanding, our intellectual comprehension must shape the ethic of our lives. That is, our head knowledge must become heart knowledge. The key to that fundamental transition is the struggle we go through while studying.
My disciple-maker often reminded me, “Truth discovered is truth remembered.” Those words have proven true. The biblical truths that have shaped my life were rarely the ones someone handed me in five minutes. They rarely came from a commentary or a sermon. They came after wrestling with difficult passages, comparing Scripture with Scripture, praying for wisdom, and realizing that God’s Word challenged my assumptions rather than affirming them.
The struggle you face as you study God’s Word isn’t an obstacle to your learning and growth. It is part of God’s method of teaching you.
God Forms His People Through Struggle
God doesn’t need to rush His people toward maturity. Jacob wrestled before he walked away blessed (Gen. 32:22-32). Israel wandered before entering the promised land (Num. 14:33-34). The disciples repeatedly misunderstood Jesus before they became faithful witnesses. Even our Lord “learned obedience through what He suffered” (Heb. 5:8 ESV), not because He had ever been disobedient, but because obedience was lived and experienced amid the realities of human suffering.
The biblical testimony is chock-full of times when God used struggle as a classroom.
I know that when I go to the gym, my strength and endurance aren’t going to change dramatically overnight. I have to commit to consistency and to working toward the change I want to see.
Why should we expect spiritual maturity to be any different?
We Need to Clarify Our Goal
God is not merely interested in how much you know about Him. The purpose of Bible study should not be merely to arrive at the correct interpretation. Hasn’t God made it clear what our goal should be? Isn’t the goal of Bible study to know God and be transformed into the likeness of Christ?
Unfortunately, it’s too easy to get caught up in gathering information. Too often, our study is driven by the next lesson we have to teach, the next devotion we have to lead, or the next question we have to answer. We begin reading Scripture to produce something for others instead of allowing God to produce something in us. As a result, we seek the quickest available answer. But because our goal should be sincere communion with God, the process matters, struggle is valuable, and living out the truth we discover is paramount.
When I linger over a difficult passage or subject, I am doing more than solving a theological puzzle. I am learning patience, cultivating humility, submitting my assumptions to God’s authority, and allowing the Holy Spirit to expose areas of my heart that need repentance.
Those things cannot be outsourced.
There’s no shortcut that can pray for me. There’s no algorithm that can meditate on Scripture for me. There will never be an artificial intelligence that can submit my heart to the Lordship of Christ. Bible study is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is an act of worship. God could have written the Bible as a theological encyclopedia. Instead, He gave us poetry, narrative, prophecy, letters, wisdom literature, parables, and apocalyptic visions — genres that require meditation.
Don’t Rush What God Is Growing
The next time you encounter a difficult passage of Scripture, resist the urge to reach immediately for the fastest answer.
Read it again.
Spend time in prayer.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Write down your questions.
Sit quietly before the Lord.
Allow the text to challenge your thinking before someone explains it to you.
You may eventually consult a pastor, a commentary, or even an AI assistant. There’s nothing wrong with using good tools. Just don’t skip the struggle.
Our magnificent, wonderful God is shaping a people who love Him enough to seek Him patiently, submit to Him joyfully, and trust Him even when our understanding comes slowly.
