Live the Holy Scriptures

It is prudent and beneficial that as Christians we make ourselves familiar with the Holy Scriptures by regularly reading and meditating on them. By so doing we are exposed to the wonderful fear and reverence that the patriarchs and apostles of the faith held for God and in His Son Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we become acquainted with the Lord by reading and relating to His mercy for sinners, His justice for sin, His love of a sinner, His hate for sin, His compassion towards the oppressed and His anger toward the oppressor. We further learn that God's love for humanity is not only a set of words, principles or beliefs, but rather that He took action and became like us so that we could become like Him.

What I am inferring is that many falsely believe that reading scripture and even memorising scripture is a pathway for salvation, but simply knowing what is written within the Holy Bible is not sufficient in and of its own to save a soul. This reading must be coupled with a willingness to become what sacred scripture teaches, it is prudent to learn what humility is but it is far more excellent to become humble, it is beneficial to know that we must 'Love thy neighbour' it is far more excellent to feed the hungry. God did not simply speak of His love for humanity whilst resting comfortably in the glories of Heaven, He rather became as one of us in order to free us from sin, death and satan because of His love. By so doing, God has purposefully portrayed to us how we ought to be.

But if reading the Bible and coming to church isn't enough then what are we to do? In Second Peter 1:1-4 we read -

1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust

As stated by the blessed Apostle, we must become partakers of the divine nature by not only knowing and understanding sacred scripture but by living it through constant vigil, prayer, fasting, alms giving and practising all manner of righteous virtues in order to receive the grace of God that are His energies, and which will transform your heart, soul and mind. The Grace of God will purify and illuminate you so that you no longer live for yourself but count yourself as dust considering all others before you. This only occurs through action, lip service is not desired by God, He looks into the heart and desires to dwell there and we must ensure that the temple of God (your body) remains clean and holy. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 -

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Woe to us when we desecrate our body whilst the Spirit of the Most High God resides within us, and Praise His name for His mercies and His constant calling for repentance. Let us desire more than biblical knowledge, but let us yearn to acquire wisdom that stems directly from God, let us thirst for the love that is God so that we can love our fellow man and let us hunger for righteousness by destroying our passions and being regenerated by the presence of the Lord within us.

Let us not only read scripture but let us live it, breath it and be it. We must all be a walking, living image of the gospel by the grace of God so that through our light we can bring men to repentance through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.