Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Acts 3: 17
3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did [it], as [did] also your rulers.
No Excuse for Willful Ignorance—
“I wot that through ignorance ye did it,” said Peter; but this ignorance did not excuse the action; for they had had great light granted unto them. The statement is made that had they known that He was the Prince of life, they would not have crucified Him. But why did they not know?—because they chose not to know. They had no interest to search and study, and their ignorance proved their eternal ruin. They had had the strongest evidence on which to base their faith, and they were under obligation to God to accept the evidence He had given them. Their unbelief made them guilty of the blood of the only begotten Son of the infinite God (Manuscript 9, 1898). {6BC 1056.3}
Here on earth, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law. In the Bible, God did wink at their ignorance, but once given the light, repentance was expected. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent Acts 17:30. However, stated in the reading above is that those remaining in ignorance was by their own choice. If they had chosen to search and study the scriptures, they would have known. Instead, their ignorance was their downfall. Their faith failed, they failed to believe even though they had all the evidence given them by God. Therefore, they were guilty of crucifying the only begotten Son of the infinite God.
Dear God,
We come to You in prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. We thank You for Your Word, that we may know how to live a righteous life, for our righteousness is of You. We pray for wisdom and understanding as we search the scriptures that we may not be ignorant as those who choose to stay in darkness. We pray for Your light to shine upon us, that we may reflect Your light unto this dark world. We pray that Thy word be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. We pray that You may increase our faith, and help our unbelief. We pray for the faith of Jesus. We pray that You strengthen us to overcome sin, and that we would not be found guilty of crucifying You afresh. We pray for the forgiveness of our sins, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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