Elder Christofferson begins his message by relating the story of William Tyndale, how he translated the Bible into English, and finally was martyred for it. He also speaks of many others who suffered and risked much to preserve the word of God throughout the centuries. He poses these thought-provoking questions:
"What did they know about the importance of scriptures that we also need to know? What did people in 16th-century England, who paid enormous sums and ran grave personal risks for access to a Bible, understand that we should also understand?"I wonder how much we really take the Bible and other scriptures for granted when people literally gave their lives in order to have this sacred text and to make it available for us...
The talk's thesis:
"Through the scriptures, God does indeed “show forth his power” to save and exalt His children. By His word, as Alma said, He enlarges our memory, sheds light on falsehood and error, and brings us to repentance and to rejoice in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer."He then continues to expound some of the ways the scriptures can and should bless our lives:
"The scriptures enlarge our memory by helping us always to remember the Lord and our relationship to Him and the Father. They remind us of what we knew in our premortal life."
"...And as these things penetrate our minds and hearts, our faith in God and His Beloved Son takes root."
"God uses scripture to unmask erroneous thinking, false traditions, and sin with its devastating effects. He is a tender parent who would spare us needless suffering and grief and at the same time help us realize our divine potential. "Another good quote to get you thinking:
"In Tyndale’s day, scriptural ignorance abounded because people lacked access to the Bible, especially in a language they could understand. Today the Bible and other scripture are readily at hand, yet there is a growing scriptural illiteracy because people will not open the books. Consequently they have forgotten things their grandparents knew."
"His commandments are the voice of reality and our protection against self-inflicted pain. The scriptures are the touchstone for measuring correctness and truth, and they are clear that real happiness lies not in denying the justice of God or trying to circumvent the consequences of sin but in repentance and forgiveness through the atoning grace of the Son of God (see Alma 42)."This is why the scriptures are so essential to society:
"Where scriptural truths are ignored or abandoned, the essential moral core of society disintegrates and decay is close behind. In time, nothing is left to sustain the institutions that sustain society."And why they are so incredibly important for us:
"In the end, the central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ"
"Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, Spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word."The role of the Holy Ghost and revelation:
"Therefore, being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost. Of course, scripture is given through the Holy Ghost in the first place (see 2 Peter 1:21; D&C 20:26–27; 68:4), and that same Spirit can attest its truth to you and me. Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. Ponder and pray over them. Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation."Let us not take the scriptures for granted. Let us remember their value in our lives and the benefit that can be ours as we study them. We are so blessed to have the scriptures in so many forms including free online: scriptures.lds.org. "Surely with this blessing the Lord is telling us that our need for constant recourse to the scriptures is greater than in any previous time."
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