Searchers or Hearers Only

"For you ought not to seek a foreign and extraneous sense, which you have brought from without, which you may confirm from the authority of the Scriptures, but to take the sense of truth from the Scriptures themselves; and therefore it behooves you to learn the meaning of the Scriptures from Him who keeps it according to the truth handed down to Him from His Father, so that He can authoritatively declare what He has rightly received" (Spoken by Peter from Clement of Rome). 

Paul and Silas’ missionary experience with the Jews in the synagogue at Berea reveals a telling contrast between the early saints who searched the scriptures daily to determine what God was saying in his Word and those who remained content to listen to the brethren’s preaching: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women who were Greeks, and of men, not a few” (Acts 17:11–12). 

If searching the scriptures daily to see what they said—not only what Paul and Silas preached—defined saints as “more noble” before God, then wouldn’t it profit saints today to follow their example, especially in a day when those scriptures are beginning to be fulfilled? Certainly, the early saints had full-time professions like the saints do today, that perhaps required the bulk of their daytime hours to sustain life. 

Yet, the scriptures they had and searched—most likely the words of Isaiah that predict the first and second comings of Jesus Christ—set their faith on fire. Religious Jewish traditions to this day focus on searching the Torah to elicit the truths of God that sustain them through life’s challenges. Jews have traditionally eschewed the practices of the Gentiles such as the games and circuses these loved to attend. Even though Jews were scattered around the world, and were judged and persecuted by non-Jews for being different, God was still the center of their lives. 

But isn’t being different also what characterizes church members today, and within the body of the church what characterizes persons who search the words of Isaiah? Isn’t the spirit of inquiry shared by saints and Jews ancient and modern what sets them apart from secular Jews and saints-in-name only? Wasn’t that what distinguished Nephi, who inquired of the Lord, from his brothers, who didn’t? 

The same can be said of the Sons of Mosiah who were "men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God" (Alma 17:2).

Do we realize that the gap between searchers and listeners-only has so widened that in just one generation almost the entire church has moved into a non-searching mode? This is exasperated by the emphasis and almost mandate to use conference talks in almost all our meetings. I must say, however, that the Handbook does not say that the talks must be the instruction material for Priesthood and Relief Society, but that topics must come from General Conference talks. A difference maybe, but can we discern between searching the word of God and parroting Conference talks? Only in this generation will we hear the phrase, "have a good General Conference."

Isn't this non-searching mode and reliance on quotes from General Authorities also manifested in the majority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Facebook posts?

Don't we create an illusion of knowledge by referring to the books which contain the truth, not by searching the truth within the books?

When prophecy fails—as Isaiah says—where will the saints turn who have never exercised these spiritual skills but relied instead on what non-searchers told them?

We cannot pretend that the casual believer who relies primarily on what is said from the pulpit can perceive the things of God just as well as one who diligently searches God’s Word and lives it until it permeates his/her whole being.

Can we honestly say that Nephi was not speaking about us when he says that "there are many...who cast many things away which are written," who "will not search" His words, who will not believe them because they are ignorant of what He has caused to be written (2 Nephi 32-33)? Do we really believe Christ when He says that we will be judged by His words (John 12:47-48)?

How do we search His words? See: Let Us Search Them: One Effective way to Search