Jesus replied, “You (the Sadducees) are in error becauseyou do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Matthew 22:29

Advertisements will often highlight the good points of a product in big, bold letters, and anything negative appears in the fine print at the end, or off to corner.  In contracts, some companies will try to hide the facts in the fine print that will benefit them at the expense of the signers, hoping that those points won’t be noticed. We’re often in such a rush, or so excited about a deal, that we forget to read the fine print.

            Someone once said that we can’t neglect to read the fine print in the Bible.  I would contend that there is no fine print in the Bible. It’s not in God’s character to hide pertinent information or to camouflage certain truth so only the exceptionally wise and astute students of the Word would catch it.  There are many, however, that do read Scripture as if some of it is “fine print” – “fine print” being what we would consider negative in nature. 

            Do we read Scripture that way? Do we read Scripture in a way that only focuses on the positive aspects – love and grace and kindness and forgiveness, etc.?  We do need to focus on those because without God’s grace and mercy, we would be undone, ruined, lost, condemned.  However, we cannot ignore the “fine print” of Scripture that speaks of God’s wrath, and His hatred toward sin, and the consequences of sin and disobedience…yes, even in the life of a believer.  Because the promises in the Bible may be more “appealing” than its warnings, it’s easy to try to steer clear of verses of warning or play down God’s warnings because, after all, God is love, right?

            We must remember that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). When we share Christ with people, do we only talk about the things that we may think they agree with?  God wants us to teach them everything in Scripture, as Jesus stated in the Great Commission in Matthew 28.

            God doesn’t hide anything in ‘the fine print’ because He has no fine print.  It is all there to help us walk in righteousness.  Let us be diligent to read all the Scriptures and take it all into account as we draw closer to the Lord by faith.