God has given us His word that we may become acquainted with its teachings and know for ourselves what He requires of us . When the lawyer came to Jesus with the inquiry , " What shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" the Saviour referred him to the Scriptures , saying : " What is written in the law ? how readest thou ?" Ignorance will not excuse young or old , nor release them from the punishment due for the transgression of God ' s law ; because there is in their hands a faithful presentation of that law and of its principles and claims . It is not enough to have good intentions ; it is not enough to do what a man thinks is right or what the minister tells him is right . His soul ' s salvation is at stake , and he should search the Scriptures for himself . However strong may be his convictions , however confident he may be that the minister knows what is truth , this is not his foundation . He has a chart pointing out every waymark on the heavenward journey , and he ought not to guess at anything .
It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth , and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example . We should day by day study the Bible diligently , weighing every thought and comparing scripture with scripture . With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God . The truths most plainly revealed in the Bible have been involved in doubt and darkness by learned men , who , with a pretence of great wisdom , teach that the Scriptures have a mystical , a secret , spiritual meaning not apparent in the language employed . These men are false teachers . It was to such a class that Jesus declared : " Ye know not the Scriptures , neither the power of God ." Mark 12:24 . The language of the Bible should be explained according to its obvious meaning , unless a symbol or figure is employed . Christ has given the promise : " If any man will do His will , he shall know of the doctrine ." John 7:17 . If men would but take the Bible as it reads , if there were no false teachers to mislead and confuse their minds , a work would be accomplished that would make angels glad and that would bring into the fold of Christ thousands upon thousands who are now wandering in error .
We should exert all the powers of the mind in the study of the Scriptures and should task the understanding to comprehend , as far as mortals can , the deep things of God ; yet we must not forget that the docility and submission of a child is the true spirit of the learner . Scriptural difficulties can never be mastered by the same methods that are employed in grappling with philosophical problems . We should not engage in the study of the Bible with that self-reliance with which so many enter the domains of science , but with a prayerful dependence upon God and a sincere desire to learn His will . We must come with a humble and teachable spirit to obtain knowledge from the great I AM . Otherwise , evil angels will so blind our minds and harden our hearts that we shall not be impressed by the truth .
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