The Bible was not printed in the common language when the Reformation began 500 years ago. And when it started becoming available, people realized their hunger for the Word.
Today access is abundant, but for many the Bible seems unnecessary, outdated, and irrelevant. For others, Scripture is lifted up higher than God Himself, and it is viewed as something that takes us to some mystical place beyond the terrestrial. Both of these are unhealthy viewpoints though.
We should view the Bible as a gift from God. And we should read it to take us closer to understanding God. We should also read it so it it can encourage and empower our life here and now. We should let it challenge us today.
We must come to the Word with open ears, but also with an inquisitive mind. We should not neglect our modernity when we read it, but we should ask what truths are eternally speaking to us through it.
The beauty of the Bible, is that it can be understood by us (a key teaching of the Reformation) and the important thing is that we listen to it. The text is not for the ears of God, they are for the ears of humankind.
The Bible brings us closer to God and closer to one another.
Relevant Reformation 