It has been said that more people praise the Bible than read the Bible, and more people read the Bible than believe the Bible, and more people believe the Bible than understand the Bible, and more people understand the Bible than obey the Bible. Unfortunately, that really does describe a lot of people. In a world where the Word of God is accessible to the majority of the population, many people never read the Bible. Others may read it, but blindly ignore its evidences of inspiration. Then there are those who acknowledge that the Bible is God’s Word, but their preconceptions and prejudices prevent them from understanding it. And finally, there are many people who understand much of what God commands of us in the Scriptures, but they do not obey it.

 

One reason this is so sad is the fact that God gave us the Scriptures to save us, and those who disbelieve or disobey God’s Word will not be saved! James 1: 21 admonishes us to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” But merely having a copy of the Bible somewhere in your home, or even displaying the Bible in a prominent place, will not bring salvation. God’s Word must be received by faith, and embraced by obedience.

 

Jesus Himself spoke of the consequences of rejecting His message in the Scriptures. In John 12: 48 He said: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” To refuse Jesus’ Word is to reject Him! Even though many teach that one may “believe in Christ” and yet refuse to do what He says, to all such, Jesus says: “when you refuse to accept My teaching you refuse, in so doing, to accept Me, and My Word which you refuse will be that which will condemn you at the Judgment! Thus, the message which proclaims life to the believer is the message which proclaims judgment to the disobedient! 

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Friend, please be careful that you are not like those who have the Bible, but will not read it, or like those who read the Bible, but will not believe it, or like those who believe it, but will not understand it, or like those who understand it, but will not obey it. Think on these things.

 

Dennis Abernathy