How Are You Treating the Word?
WOULD we have faith? It is not based on imagination, or feeling, or experience. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17. Hope is based on God's immutable promise. Heb. 6:17, 18. God's promises of eternal salvation are based on conditions, that is, we must comply with certain conditions if we would inherit them. We can not receive the blessing unless we comply with the requirement. All this is revealed in the word of God. But it is a sad fact that many, yes, even the majority of professed Christians, not only do not study the word of God, but show a positive disinclination to do so. Men of intelligence, who know all about farming, mining, politics, and many other matters, know little, so little, about the word of God. Thousands from week to week sit under so-called expositions of the Scriptures, or what are called Bible sermons, and which consist either of perversions of Scripture texts and doctrines, or the mere opinions of man upon some passage, and call it all good doctrine, simply because they are ignorant of the Bible. And if they have doubts of what they hear, they are too indolent or indifferent to look the matter up. They would treat no worldly matter of importance in that way.