Musick-al note # 106
From the beginning of time, God has always desired and expected man to obey Him and blessed those who did. His love for man continued even after man disobeyed Him. His love was expressed in the magnitude of forgiveness to every person every time they turned back to Him. However, His wrath and retribution upon rebellious persons has always been an awesome recompense of rejection and destruction. Now we have sixty-six inspired scripture writings that are bound into one volume – the Bible – that has been virtually unchanged for centuries. Jesus said of the Old Testament, “The scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:36).
The written Word was important to Jesus for they spoke of Him. He said, “I tell you that everything in the scripture must be fulfilled in me” (Luke 22:37). Paul said that the former writings were given for our learning to give us hope (Romans 15:4). John stated that Jesus did many things that were not written down but the present writings are given that we might believe and receive life (John 20:30-31). The remainder of the New Testament has come under the same category – being scripture as Peter declared in 2 Peter 3:14-16 when he warned Christians to be diligent in the Word concerning Christ and bestowed upon Paul’s writings the term ‘scripture’. John ended the book of Revelation with the warning that no man can add to or take from these words that are written without dire consequences coming upon him. It stands to reason that we must be diligent in study and to obey the written Word because each one will come to Judgment based upon these Words (Revelation 20:12). Therefore our greatest need today is to know God and Jesus to have eternal life (John 17:1-3). Jesus has given us everything for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and Peter wrote that men can continue to know His will even after his death (2 Peter 1:13-15). The scripture is the certain Word to guide men today (1 Peter 1:19-21). We must give careful attention to this Word lest we let them slip from our minds. Since the message given by angels was binding and every transgression brought its punishment, how can we expect to escape if we ignore this Word brought to us by God’s Son? (Hebrews 2:1-3) This is our greatest need.
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 