Studying the Word with the Aim of Living It
For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. —Ezra 7:10
There . . . is no ground for a thoughtful, thankful believer to deny that his or her salvation was wrought by the same eternal Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the whole emphasis of Hebrews 9:14. And it is what I want to emphasize, too.
None of us can ever be fully pleasing to God if we are not willing to be well taught in His Word. I want to be sure that we know what being well taught in the Word means. It does not refer to being well taught in religion. Rather, it is being well taught in the basic concepts necessary to the Christian faith.
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One of these basic concepts is the insistence that the crowning achievement of New Testament revelation is the implantation within a believer of a force that impels him or her to act righteously. God has promised this as confirmation that He is able to purge the human conscience from dead religious works, freeing the believer to serve the living God in joy and victory regardless of his or her circumstances in life.
The writer was not suggesting that these early Hebrew Christians, in a time of crisis, lean on religious forms or depend on religious practices. He stressed their need to grasp what God had done for them in a New Covenant centered in Jesus Christ, Savior and Messiah.
Prayer
Deliver me, Father, from an obligatory or superstitious study of Your Word. May I seriously study it in order to practice it.
Thought
Ezra provides us with a superb model. He devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees. Commitment both to diligent study of the Word and to living it equips one to effectively teach the Word.
Used with Permission.
