Paul said
to Timothy that the Holy Scriptures were able to make him wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15) and also: “All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16)
and to the Romans he said: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). |
The Holy
Scriptures are useful for teaching. What do they teach us? They teach us many
things. Here are some of the things the Bible teaches us: God is one,
eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, righteous,
faithful, merciful, good, etc.; Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah,
the Son of God who according to the words of the prophets of old was to come
into the world to save the world, who in the fulness of the time was sent
from the Father to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification, and
after His resurrection He appeared to His disciples and ascended to heaven; the
Holy Spirit is a divine person, who works powerfully in the Church
transforming the saints into Christ’s image and distributing His gifts; men
are sinners and need to be reconciled to God, and the only way to be
reconciled to God is to repent and believe in His beloved Son; that every man
possesses an immortal soul, which is conscious after death, and depending on
his spiritual state at death, goes either to paradise or to hell; one day all
the dead will rise again, the righteous will rise to live, while the wicked will
rise to be condemned; Jesus Christ will come back from heaven and will
establish the Millennial Reign on earth during which He will reign with His
saints; we must say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. |
Furthermore,
the Holy Scriptures rebuke us when we sin; they correct us when we make
mistakes; and they instruct us in righteousness so that we may be holy, right
and wise in all our conduct. The Holy Scriptures comfort us when we are downcast
and perplexed, and urges us to be patient till the coming of the Lord from
heaven and to have faith in God in the midst of our distresses and
afflictions for God is almighty and faithful. And last but not least, the
Holy Scriptures help us refute all the false doctrines which are taught both in
the Church and outside it; the Holy Scriptures are called “the sword of the
Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) and we use it to demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians
10:5). |
The Holy Scriptures
are indeed a fountain of wisdom and strength for all those who take delight in
them. We can rely on them always, because they lead us in the paths of
righteousness and peace. |
Therefore,
it is very important to know the Holy Scriptures, and we can know them only
by reading and searching them. So I exhort all of you to read them, to search
them, to meditate on them, and to let them dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
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Trust in the Holy Scriptures and
do what they say all the days of your life, you will be blessed and honoured
by God; you will experience in your life the truthfulness and the
faithfulness of the Word of God. |