Public reading of Scripture
The public reading of Scripture is the practice of reading God’s Word aloud in the gathered worship of His people. It is a biblical pattern for instruction, exhortation, and reverent attention to God’s truth.
At a Glance
The public reading of Scripture is the practice of reading God’s Word aloud in the gathered worship of His people. It is a biblical pattern for instruction, exhortation, and reverent attention to God’s truth.
Description
The public reading of Scripture is the gathered-church practice of reading the written Word of God aloud before God’s people. Scripture presents this as an established pattern among the covenant community, seen in Israel’s assemblies and continued in the life of the church. Such reading helps the congregation hear, understand, remember, and respond to God’s revealed truth, and it naturally supports preaching, teaching, exhortation, and worship. While churches may differ in how much Scripture they read publicly and in what order, the basic practice itself is plainly biblical and should be treated with seriousness, clarity, and reverence.