For their part, the people of God must listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. Certainly we must all make use of the Word of God – reading, meditating, studying – but not in isolation. None of us is adequate, in and of himself, to make clear or full sense of the Scriptures. The Bible is best understood in community, where pastors and teachers equip the saints for ministry by teaching us the Word of God faithfully (Eph. 4.11, 12; Jms. 3.1).

Moreover, the saints have a duty toward one another, to let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly, so that they might teach and admonish one another (Col. 3.16). In addition, both pastors and those they teach must not neglect the vast resources of the larger Church – present and past – in their reading and study of God’s Word. In our day we are blessed to have available the great heritage of Christian literature from every age of the Church to guide us in hearing the voice of the Lord in His Word. We are not wise if, having such a great treasure, we fail to make good use of it.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.