What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers, if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.
Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
Learning is something we are encouraged to engage in, as we've already seen, but learning means nothing if we don't actually learn. How do we know if we've learned anything? It becomes reflected in our lives and how we conduct ourselves. As one pastor liked to say, "you can have more degrees than Fahrenheit and still not have a lick of common sense." Scripture isn't simply a book of rules to follow, or laws to rule our lives. It is our guide to God and to life in and with God. It teaches us basic guidelines and principles that we are then expected to put into action in whatever situation we find ourselves in. But the greatest gift of all is that its purpose is to bring us closer to God and to love him more and more with each passing day.
