And although the devil's cunning and intrigues worked in such a way that the wise men and the mighty of this age strongly opposed their preaching, they did not succeed in anything. And just as the wind could not hinder the sun's rays, so the apostles, as the rays from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, sent to the heavens, could in no way be hindered by the stormy devil's wind. And, what is more surprising, many of those who considered these preachers to be violent and violent, wanted to be their disciples, and the teaching, which was laughed at as at madness, was recognized as the truest wisdom. Therefore the word of God can be called fruitful (Col. 1:6), for it, sown in the hearts of men, bears fruit: one a hundredfold, and another sixty, and some thirty times (Matt. 13:8, 23). True and true is the word of God, spoken through the prophet: "As rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return thither, but waters the earth, and makes it able to bring forth and bring forth, that it may give seed to him who sows, and bread to him who eats, so also my word, which proceeds out of my mouth, it does not return to me in vain; but he does what pleases me, and does what I sent him to do (Isaiah 55:10-11).

It follows that a Christian:

1) The Word of God, as a great and heavenly gift, we must revere and love, as St. David did (Psalm 118).

2) For this great gift, thank the Heavenly Father from the heart.

3) To learn in it day and night.

4) According to his rule, to correct his life and morals.

5) Ungrateful and senseless are those who cease to read or listen to it; who do not have time to read the word of God, but have time to read funny books; who are trying to find out what is happening in Italy, in Rome, in Asia, in Africa and other places, but do not want to know from the word of God what is going on in their souls and to what end they are going, to eternal life or eternal torment, which is undoubtedly a sign of a lost soul.

§ 3. The Holy Bible, or the books that contain the word of God, are divided into the books of the Old and New Testaments. The books of the Old Testament are all those that were written before the coming of Christ, such as the books of Moses, the Prophets, and others. The books of the New Testament are those written by the apostles after the coming of Christ, they contain the teaching and holy preaching of Christ's saving coming, such as the four Gospels, the Apostolic Epistles, and others.

§ 4. The Word of God, contained in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments, is divided into two main parts: the Law and the Gospel. The Law of God is understood to be the commandments of God, in which God either commands or forbids us to do something, such as: turn away from evil, and do good (Psalm 33:15). The Gospel is understood to mean all His merciful and joyful promises to us, or those that have already been fulfilled, such as: about the coming of Christ the Son of God, Who has already come and accomplished the great work of our salvation, or those that have yet to be fulfilled, such as the general resurrection and eternal life for those who believe in Christ. The whole power of the Gospel is contained in Christ's brief saying: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

§ 5. The law of God, given to our forefathers Adam and Eve in paradise, was written on their hearts, but then, written on two tablets from God, it was handed down to holy Moses on Mount Sinai, and through him it was announced to all people, as it is written in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 32 and 34). And Christ, the Son of God, brought the Gospel from the bosom of His Heavenly Father to earth and preached: "And when He came, He preached peace to us, far and near" (Ephesians 2:17), as He says of Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, to restore sight to the blind, to set the afflicted at liberty, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). About the Law and the Gospel, St. John the Evangelist wrote briefly: The Law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

§ 6. What the Word of God reveals to us, we must believe as surely as if we had seen it with our eyes, or even more, since our sense can deceive us more easily than the Word of God, spoken from a true God. We must believe Him more than He who has risen from the dead and told Him. For it is written: "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not believe even if someone were to rise from the dead" (Luke 16:31). God's testimony, which is declared in the Holy Scriptures and confirmed by signs and wonders, is more reliable than the voice of the whole world. For the testimony of the Lord is true (Psalm 18:8). Any man can lie, but God, being Himself eternal truth, cannot lie. The Lord is faithful in all His words (Psalm 144:13). Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away (Matt. 24:35; Lk. 21:33). And therefore what God has revealed to us is irrevocably so, and what He has predicted will certainly come to pass in due time. There will certainly be the resurrection of the dead, there will be the second coming of Christ, as the first was, there will be His righteous judgment, there will be retribution for the righteous and the sinners, and so on.

§ 7. The Word of God has been handed down to us from God and written by God-inspired men so that we, holding on to it, may receive eternal salvation. "And this is written," says St. John, "that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing ye may have life in His name" (John 20:31). And St. Paul: "And all that was written before was written for our instruction, that we might keep hope in patience and comfort from the Scriptures" (Romans 15:4). That is why Christ sends the Jews to study the Scriptures: Search the Scriptures, for you think by them to have eternal life (John 5:39). And although the forefathers and holy patriarchs were saved without the Holy Scriptures, they were taught, instructed and comforted by the living voice of God, as we read in the Book of Genesis. We should not expect such a voice and instruction from God, but from the written word of His holy word we should seek advice and instruction, according to the word of Christ: Search the Scriptures.

The Word of God is an indubitable, true, firm and unshakable rule given by God of holy faith and God-pleasing Christian life. For it is a lamp unto our feet, as the prophet confesses: "Thy law is a lamp unto my feet, O Lord, and a light unto my ways" (Psalm 118:105). And the Holy Apostle Peter teaches: we have the most certain prophetic word; and you do well to turn to him as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day begins to dawn and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19). The law of the Lord is blameless: it converts souls; The Lord's testimony is true: He makes infants wise; the justifications of the Lord are right: they rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is bright: it enlightens the eyes of the heart (Psalm 18:8-9). All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore, the gospel of Christ is called and is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16), since faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God (Romans 10:17), by means of which we believe in Christ (John 17:20); thus, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save believers (1 Cor. 1:21). Therefore, all Christians who want to have the true and living faith, and to keep it to the end, and thus be saved, need to diligently read or hear the Word of God.

Just as those who walk the path or do something need the light of the senses, so those who go to eternal life and abide in the struggle of faith and piety need the lamp of the word of God, so as not to deviate to the path of the wicked. And just as the body is strengthened every day with food, so that it does not weaken and, having weakened, does not disappear, so it is proper to strengthen the soul every day with the spiritual food of the word of God, so that it does not faint from hunger and perish. Man is blind in himself, and therefore requires enlightenment; weak, and therefore he needs reinforcement; he is lazy and despondent, and therefore he needs encouragement and consolation. And all this comes from the word of God. The Word of God warns us against many snares of the devil and the charms of the world, which all try to seduce the soul from the path of godliness. Consequently, those Christians are mistaken who depart from this Divine rule and, like the blind or in darkness, walk until they finally fall into the pit of perdition.