A Passion for the Bible

Born in London in 1467, John Colet came from a family of influence. His father twice was London’s Lord Mayor. Blessed with ample resources, Colet was able to travel extensively.

Colet, who was a devout Believer, studied the life of Christians and their testimony wherever he travelled. He came to the conclusion that they urgently needed to focus more on the Bible. Some leaders rejected his emphasis, and even accused Colet of heresy. But he overcame these accusations.

When his father died, Colet inherited a fortune. Instead of squandering it on himself, he used it to endow St. Paul’s School, an institution dedicated to providing a sound Christian education.

In 1496, Colet started reading the New Testament in Greek, translating it into English for his students at Oxford and later for the public at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. It’s reported that people were so hungry to hear God’s Word in their own language that within six months the church was packed with 20,000 people, and thousands more were waiting outside, trying to get in!

His commitment to the Bible attracted many influential leaders, including Thomas More and Erasmus. In fact, Erasmus came to England in 1499 specifically to hear Colet. And it was Colet who inspired Erasmus to write a fresh Latin translation of the Greek New Testament.

Today, God wants you to have this same kind of hunger for His Word, to thirst for His Word just as newborn babies long for their mother’s milk. Read His Word diligently, and base your life on its truths.