Starting a new job often involves going through a massive binder or watching hours of videos to learn the company’s standard operating procedure (SOP). While perhaps tedious, these resources provide a clear understanding of their expectations. You might still need further training or make mistakes, but you have a solid grasp of the goals, thanks to the SOP.
Christians can approach the Bible similarly, but with a different attitude. It’s not something to rush through or skim over, hoping to understand later. Instead, we should recognize that the scriptures contain everything about life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The Scriptures are the only way to learn how to be pleasing to God.
As we read Paul’s writings to the Philippians, we see the seriousness of his encouragement to live by the same standard we have attained (Philippians 3:16). God has given us all we need to know, promised us heaven, and shown us how to become and remain His children. The solution is to live by God’s SOP: His Word. By doing so, we can prove ourselves blameless and innocent in God’s eyes and let our light shine in this world (Philippians 2:15).
Joshua Schutkowski