§ 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.

§ 8. The word of God, being the truest and most perfect rule of piety, as has been said, is necessary for all Christians, but especially for pastors, that is, bishops and priests: for they have taken the key of understanding (Luke 11:52), which is the word of God, and by this they must open the door to Christ the Living God and the source of life, and to eternal bliss, which was opened by His death. The holy Apostle wrote to Timothy, and in his person to every pastor: Take heed to thyself and to the teaching; Do this continually: for by doing so, you will save yourself and those who hear you. And a little higher: "Be occupied with reading, with instruction, with teaching" (1 Tim. 4:16, 13). Consequently, those pastors are defective in their calling who do not heed, according to the apostolic admonition, the reading of the Holy Scriptures. How can such a pastor teach others if he himself is ignorant? How can He enlighten others, if He himself is in darkness and blindness? How can he instruct others if he himself is mistaken? Christ likens such shepherds to blind leaders: They are the blind leaders of the blind; but if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit (Matt. 15:14).

§ 9. The Word of God, both to everyone in general and to each in particular, to me, and to you, and to others, has been equally transmitted and written. For God does not look at persons, but wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). For this reason He commanded that His holy word be written for the sake of all and everyone, so that everyone who reads or hears it may receive eternal salvation. As God says to me in His word, I am the Lord your God; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, and so on, so also saith unto thee (Lev. 19:18). And Christ commands everyone to search the Scriptures: Search the Scriptures. And the Apostolic Epistles are addressed to all Christians, as everyone can see from those epistles. And the holy Apostle John wrote in his epistle: "I write to you, fathers, I write to you, young men, I write to you, youths, and so on" (1 John 2:13).

He wrote to the fathers, young men and youths, therefore:

1) Everyone and everyone, and people of every rank and rank, that is, sanctified and unconsecrated, noble and simple, men and women, can and should read and listen to it;

2) obliges everyone and every rank of people to obedience, that is, to avoid evil and do good;

3) those sin who believe and teach that the Holy Scriptures should not be read by ordinary people, but only by priests and other sanctified persons. And indeed, this opinion is a fiction and the intrigue of the devil, who leads people away from this soul-beneficial reading, so that, without reading the Holy Scriptures, they do not have true and living faith and thus would not be saved.

§ 10. Since those who do not only hear the word of God are blessed, but those who hear and keep it, as Christ says: "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28), then we must strive both to hear and to observe what we hear with God's help. That is why the Apostle exhorts Christians: Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For whoever hears the word and does not do it is like a man who examines the natural features of his face in a mirror: he looked at himself, went away, and immediately forgot what he was (James 1:22-24). For God did not declare His word to lie only outside, on the charter, like a dead mark, but that within, in our hearts, it might have its fruit. For the Word of God is a living, divine seed, which must germinate on the earth of our hearts with spiritual fruits.