As with most mornings my wife and I read a passage of Scripture as we began our time of prayer together. (Praying together is something I would encourage all married couples to do.)

Two verses that were read this morning were these from the Gospel of John.

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 4:39-40) (New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica)

Those words of Jesus let us know that just reading the Bible doesn't give us eternal life.

John the Baptist certainly knew the Scriptures and when Jesus came along he realized who He was and why He had come. John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (NIV copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica).

If we don't believe the right things about Jesus then what we think we understand about the Bible is worthless. John the Baptist knew that the sacrifices of animals in the Scripture were just to let us know that payment had to be made for sin.

Jesus is that payment. He is the only one who was an acceptable sacrifice to pay for our sins because He was everything needed to be our perfect substitute. He was sinless, He was the Son of God and therefore holy, and also the Son of Man because He was actually a real flesh and blood human being.

When Jesus was here there were some who believed in Him and learned from Him and obeyed Him as their Savior and Lord.

There were others who rejected him. The consequences of rejecting Jesus as Savior and Lord are something people should greatly fear and do whatever is necessary to cease rejecting Him.