A Bible test was sprung recently on five classes of college-bound 11th and 12th graders. Some thought Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers; that the Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luther and John; that Eve was created from an apple; and that the stories which Jesus told were called parodies.
Eighty to ninety percent of the students could not complete the most familiar quotations from Scripture.
The teacher was understandably upset and rightly asked: βIs the student to study mythology and Shakespeare and not the Bible? Is it important for him to learn what it means when a man is called an Adonis or a Romeo, yetΒ unimportantΒ for him to be able to tell a Jonah from a Judas?β
This writerβs heart is with that teacher and all who are awake enough to see that the Bible is disappearing more and more from the lives of many. How can we expect anything but juvenile delinquency, the rapid general rise in the crime rate, the growing divorce rate, increasing dishonesty at every level of business and social life β how can we expect anything but these conditions when the Bible is flaunted and despised? This departure from the Word of God is bound to get us deeper and deeper into trouble.
But whatever the conditions about you, you may have the joy and peace and light that comes from that Blessed Book. The Bible tells us thatΒ βall have sinnedβΒ (Rom. 3:23) and thatΒ βthe wages of sin is deathβΒ (Rom. 6:23) since a just GodΒ mustΒ deal with sin. Ah, but it tells us also that βChrist diedΒ forΒ our sinsβ (I Cor. 15:3), and that the believer may haveΒ βpeace with God through our Lord Jesus ChristβΒ (Rom. 5:1).
Read the Bible, especially the Epistles of Paul, who was raised up to proclaimΒ βthe gospel [good news] of the grace of GodβΒ (Acts 20:24). You will never cease to thank God for having given your attention to this wonderful Book. source
