The Bible did not originally contain chapter or verse references. So what happened? Well it is not hard to understand that being divided into chapters and verses helps us find scriptures quickly and easily. Consider how much harder it would be to find even one of the best known verses, John 3:16, if you had to read through the words till you found it. Chapter and verse makes it much easier. Not every thing is perfect and there are some poorly placed chapter starts and endings but overall chapter and verse works well.The Chapter divisions occurred about A. D. 1227. Sometime later along came the verses. When I was growing up and first started attending Church and Sunday School the one thing I remember the most was the memorizing of Bible verses. I did not do well at it even though I loved to go to Church and Sunday School, I was what I call a present mark on the S.S. roster. The teacher would read a bible story, sometimes we even had coloring books or pictures according to the grade we were in. Let me mention also that we even had a work sheet to follow and then take home to show to our parents. In some classes we even had treats!

 Read this from  2 Timothy 3: 14-17 (NLT)

 “14But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” Things change, I am now 80 years old and recall what the Apostle Paul Wrote long ago.

1 Corinthians 13:11 New Living Translation

 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

We all experience this in our lifetimes… they have a term for it…the growth and maturing process. At this time even at my age I have only a small revelation of what God in time will reveal to me.  There will come a time in the future when all of us will have a have a complete knowledge of God’s will. Here is a caveat we would do well to remember. It will be revealed on a completely different road, one devoid of the sins and temptations of the earthly world. How do we know which is the road we should take? In his second letter to Timothy, Chapter 3:14-17 might be a guide we could follow.Most of us have read at one time or another 2 Timothy  3:16…

What is that different road and what would it look like? Well for one thing it would follow those things you have learned, confirmed by those who taught you, by the way they have lived. You will retain and refresh the sacred writings which you were taught from childhood. These words have given you the wisdom to bring you to salvation through Jesus Christ. You will be careful to follow only God inspired scripture not the writings of those who seek to produce their own literature to support their own claims. We can and must respect the scripture that has open the way to God. If you are a seeking the truth you must read the Bible, no other book has such a record of bringing people to God and Christ and must not be disregarded. The scriptures in the Bible are a necessary tool in teaching others about our God. It is here in the New Testament we have the teaching of Christ and a record of his life. We as Christians can use the scriptures to convince people of the errors of their way and put them on the right road. I have no numbers to present but I do have the testimony of Saints past that Scriptures can and have convinced people of the errors of their way.  We must study the Scriptures to make ourselves useful to God and to other people. No one is saved who does not have a burning desire to save others. 

Life is Good

jk