One challenge I wish to present in this series of articles is the lack of knowledge of the Word of God, a serious problem that has affected God’s people in every age. From ancient times, God has warned about the grave consequences of ignoring His Word. The prophet Hosea expressed this reality with powerful words:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you… because you have forgotten the law of your God” (Hosea 4:6).

This passage reveals the terrible consequences of opening the door to biblical ignorance. Both the priests and the people had deliberately rejected divine knowledge and had forgotten the law of the Lord (cf. Jeremiah 2:8; Nehemiah 9:26). When this happens, ignorance of the Scriptures becomes a serious spiritual problem capable of leading God’s people into moral, doctrinal, and spiritual ruin (cf. Isaiah 1:3; Matthew 22:29).

Biblical ignorance is not simply the absence of religious information, but often a willful rejection of the truth revealed by God (cf. Proverbs 1:22, 29). Where there is no knowledge of the Word, there can be no firm faith, sincere obedience, or healthy spiritual life, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17; cf. John 8:31–32).

For this reason, I want to encourage you, young person, to take seriously the diligent study of the Word of God. The apostle Paul exhorted Timothy, saying:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God… rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

This knowledge will help you avoid being destroyed by the enemy and will enable you to remain firm in the midst of a world filled with spiritual deception (cf. Isaiah 5:13; Ephesians 6:11–17). The Bible also exhorts us to continue in both public and personal reading of the Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:13), to store God’s Word in our hearts through memorization (Psalm 119:9, 11), and to meditate deeply on what God teaches us through it (Psalm 1:1–3; Joshua 1:8).

We live in a world that “lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19), where false doctrines, moral confusion, and opposition to divine truth abound (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3–4; Ephesians 4:14). Therefore, it is essential that we strive for the Word of Christ to dwell richly in our hearts (Colossians 3:16), continually growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

If you make the Word of God a priority in your life, you will be able to live as more than a conqueror (cf. Romans 8:37), and biblical ignorance will have no place in your heart. Let us always remember that a people who know their God shall be strong, faithful, and victorious (Daniel 11:32; cf. Psalm 119:105; John 17:17).