The Errancy of Man

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Eph. 5:3-4)

Many years ago, I copied these verses on a large poster and hung it on the wall of the stairwell leading to the school mailboxes at a Christian junior college. The entire student body came down those steps at least once a day.

The effect it had on some of the students was a surprise to me. Until that time, they thought using the Lord’s name in vain was the only form of profanity. They carefully avoided the use of the Lord’s name but participated in other kinds of loose talk. This told me that they did not read the Scripture completely, carefully, or often. Nor did they read the Scripture with the anticipation of finding some new truth to obey.

If the text above catches you like it caught them, perhaps you need some help or motivation in your reading of Scripture. Here is a plan for reading the New Testament in 67 days. Reading four chapters a day will take only 20-30 minutes, even if you are a slow reader. Only Matthew and Acts will take as long as a week. The rest will be done more quickly, and 14 books of the NT will be read in one day each.

Pay attention as you read. After you finish, start over.

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