Why do people read the bible and still refuse to obey?

I think people read the Bible for different purposes. Some people read it as a piece of literature and try to study the evolution of language. So for them, I believe following God's instructions is less important compared with their secular purposes. Besides, there are people who just read the Bible for the first time and they cannot understand every word of it. They need some time to digest it and fathom god's intention. Surely, there are Christians who disobey the instructions of the Bible. To them, I would hardly class them as Christians, because they say one thing and do the otherwise. Finally, I should note that I am not quite sure what do you exactly refer to when saying 'follow the instructions'. What are the instructions actually? People understand Bible in different ways, so in different people, there may be different instructions. In another way, the instruction in your eyes may not necessarily be the instruction in the others'.

It is not a matter of reading it and not wanting to obey it. The Bible cannot be obeyed unless you understand what it is saying. Thus in order to understand what it is saying we must first know the author. 1 Cor 2:14 This Scripture tells us that our human abilities cannot understand the things of God. We must know Christ as our Saviour. When one is saved He receives a gift. Acts 2:37 That gift is the Holy Spirit. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth. He helps us to understand the truth. However, not all passages are always cut and dry. We sometimes have to put some study into it. In my experience, sometimes the Holy Spirit wants us to do a little work to find out what He wants us to know. The Word of God is such a vast rich source of truth and knowledge. Once we understand it how could we not want to obey. Remember it takes The Holy Spirit helping us to understand the truth.

To thaannointedone, Yes, I totally agree with you about reading the Bible and applying it to our lives daily. When we put a lot of energy in reading it, we should transfer that energy into action, and not allow the energy to stop after we read the Bible. Perhaps, people are reading their Bibles like it was a novel or a good book, instead of having the right motive. My motivation to read and study God's Word daily, comes from the love of God. It is the love of God within us that motivates us to love, obey, summit, commit, and humble ourselves daily before the Lord. For myself, I delight in reading and studying the Bible,because I know it's the only way to have a better relationship in knowing God. Of course, sometimes a person may need to change to a different version with more features in order to grasp God's Word and how to apply it to one's life. Which that is what I did in 2007 with my tax refund. I bought a new Bible with more features and it's the best investment I did for myself in a long time. However, in previous years past, I too, use to read the Bible as it was just a book. And only time I studied it is when I was in church for a Bible Study. Didn't do much in the way of applying what I have learned to my life. The Bible is our only road map, with the Holy Spirit, to guid us home to be reunited with our Father and Jesus Christ in Heaven. I believe people need to look at their Bibles in a whole new way with the love of God. I found out recently that taking time in reading and studying God's Word is a privilege. Yes, it is foolish and also disobedient to read the Bible and not do what is says to do. A person is only being half obedient and not wholeheartedly committed. So maybe people who pick up their Bibles to read, should allow enough time to not only read, but study, meditate on what they have read, and above all pray and ask God for understanding of his Word and how to apply it to their daily lives.

i call these people fake, i know so many like this they preach about what they bible say and this and that, how God wants us to live our life. then they will pick out where we go wrong with our own life, but they do the opsite with thier own and judge us. to me i tell them thy shall not judge, unless we judge ourself. ok straight to the point i could carelss what they say about me. lol they often get upset with me.

Some people like to say that the Bible is ancient and it doesnt fit with our modern times and thats why they think they dont need to obey the Bible. The Bible is very modern, all the things that happened back then during those times are happening today but on a larger scale.

Easier said than done. We are all at the end humans, and prone to human error. We are 'greater than animals and yet lower than angels'. We are not perfect, the bible is a guideline for us to be there, but if we were perfect and able to follow it to the letter, we would not be needing the bible in the first place, and (if you believe), there would have been no need for Jesus to come back on earth. But, we are humans, we are sinners, our imperfections are what makes us special, the lord loves us no matter what, and he gave us the bible as something to follow and try to be like. But, we are humans.