“This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” -- 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Recent polls conclude that more than 80% of Americans own at least one Bible. Therefore, the crisis in our culture today is not due to a lack of access to God’s Word, as in some countries, instead, its due to a lack of knowledge regarding what God’s Word actually says.
According to research and statistics:
- “Americans revere the Bible but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.”
- 60 percent of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments.
- 82 percent of Americans believe “God helps those who help themselves” is a Bible verse.
- More than 50 percent of graduating high school seniors thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
This is not news to God, nor is it something that hasn’t been seen in past cultures. In Hosea 4, God, through his prophet Hosea deals with this very same problem among His people the Israelites:
“Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land.” -- Hosea 4:1 (NLT)
Sound like any nation you know?
This should sound alarms to all dedicated students of God’s Word. Now is the time to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to take an active role in increasing the knowledge of God in our land!
Consider verses 2, 3, and 6 of Hosea and observe the consequences that result from the lack of faithfulness, kindness, and knowledge of God:
“You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. That is why your land is in mourning … My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” -- Hosea 4:2-3a, 6a (NLT)
Did you know that 24 of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence held seminary or Bible school degrees? Yet today we face and real problem in our country with an “expanding and shrinking gap between the church and the culture” in which we live.
What can we do to help combat this rising trend?
1) Set time aside every day to read God’s Word.
2) Join a Bible Study group and invite a friend or loved one to attend with you.
3) Invest in your own personal knowledge and understanding of how to study the Word of God and consider leading a Bible Study once you are equipped and led by the Holy Spirit to do so.
What will you do this week to personally invest in the knowledge of God and His Word?
