In 2019 a survey was done by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in all 50 states. The survey was conducted on 41,000 people. In the survey Americans were asked the the questions that are found on the citizenship test. The results were abysmal. 49 out of 50 states had less than a majority that could pass this test with Vermont being the only exception. Only 40 percent passed the test nationwide and only 27 percent of those under the age of 45 were able to pass the test. Only 15 percent of Americans knew that the Constitution was written in 1787.
It is clear with results like these that Americans don’t know their history and history is important. The writer-philosopher George Santayana is credited with saying:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.
If that is the case it seems like our culture is on a fast track to repeating our history. Is the same true for the church? The bible says:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:…Hosea 4:6
It seems that many of God’s people lack life saving information and according to the apostle Paul this life saving information is found in the Bible. He says:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4
And in 1 Corinthians 10:11 he adds:
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 1 Corinthians 10:11
It clear from these passages that we are to learn from the pages of scripture. It is within the stories and lessons of scripture that we gain the knowledge necessary for our own salvation. In other words as we look back into the past through the lens of the Bible we can learn how God wants us to live in the present. With this in mind our ignorance of God’s leading in the past is to our own detriment.
Did you know that the Bible is the most preserved ancient text of all time? No other text as old as the Bible has so many copies in such close agreement. God wants us to know His word. Ellen White comments:
We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history. Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Volume 9, p10.
As we come to the conclusion of yet another year perhaps we can look back not only on this year but all of the history of God’s people. Let’s remember the past so that we look forward to the future.
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