“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”  (John 12:48)

That’s an interesting verse, at least it ought to interest us. On the day of judgment, Christ will be on His judgment seat, and will judge us by the word He has spoken to us. Yet, some say, “I don’t like to read.”

I get it, the bible can be challenging to read, but you need not go it alone. There are plenty of tools and people to help you leverage your reading.

Attend an assembly of the church of Christ where you will hear a message from the bible. Come a little early and sit in on a bible study. These studies will leverage your reading.

Better still, ask for a personal home bible study where someone will come and help you with questions directly affecting your life right now.

This series of articles is about how to READ the bible more effectively. So far, we’ve covered 1) how to Rightly divide the word, which means to handle it accurately. 2) To use the bible to Examine ourselves by it, and Examine the teaching of others whether it be so. 3) We’ve learned that Jesus has ALL AUTHORITY, which is why He will be the one opening the books at the day of judgment. (Rev 20:12; 2cor 5:10-11). This last article in the series will point out that we are to be DOERS of the word.

While some may tell you that there is nothing one must do, the bible paints a much different picture.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” (Matthew 7:24).

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)?

“But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28).

“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1John 3:7).

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1Corinthians 14:37).

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).

Putting all of these lessons together we discover how to know what God requires of man.

By Rightly dividing the word of truth, we recognize that we are living under the New Testament covenant and are not bound to the Law of Moses.

By Examining the word, and ourselves, we learn that we all fall short of the glory of God and need to make some changes.

By recognizing that Jesus has All Authority, we are to listen to Him. No longer is anyone under the Law of Moses nor the earlier patriarchal law.

By reading the cited passages above, it’s not enough to believe (which is absolutely essential) but we are to be DOERS also of what is commanded in the New Testament.

There are 4 steps to becoming a DOER of the word of Christ.

Step one, we must DESIRE to do His will. It’s not enough to comply without having our heart involved. Faith without works is dead being alone, James wrote (James 2:17). It’s also true that works without faith (faith comes by hearing) is dead also being done in vain (cf. Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 10:17; 14:23).

Step two, after we desire to do His will, we must OBEY. Obedience to the commands of God is not legalism, it’s submitting to His will. Here’s a question; which direct commands of God can one ignore and still consider himself a follower of Christ? (read Luke 6:46 again if you have any doubt)

Step three, be an immediate Doer. The faithful child of God, upon learning of a command of God, puts it into practice immediately. We see this when they “rose EARLY” to comply as did Abraham (Gen 22:3), as we see with the Jailor upon hearing what he needed to do to be saved. “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33). When is the best time to comply with a command of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Step four is of great importance. We will make some mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we’re lost every time we stumble. The child of God has the avenue of confessing our sins and REPENTANCE. The church at Corinth repented of their faults, and John gives us assurance of our salvation. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).

God loves us. We know that He loves because He sent His Son. His Son loves us because He gave His life for us. We know about this love because the Holy Spirit was sent to reveal the will of God for us in the word.

Agape,

Spencer

Here is a link to a page with some Frequently Asked Questions.