You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

Be An Open Book

The primary purpose of a book is to convey information from one source to another. A book is written to be read. It has been suggested the only value to a closed book is to prop up a wobbly table. Books are created to preserve knowledge and impart that knowledge to those who would read its pages. Paul used the illustration of a book to show the immense value of a life lived for righteousness. He tells the saints at Corinth they are an epistle, not in the literary form of a published book, but the lives they share with all men as an open testimony of Jesus Christ. The first lesson is to know that all men read the stories of other men. What is said, how a person carries themselves, their example (good or bad), and influence is on display for all to see.

An open book is an individual that is easy to learn about and understand. There is no pretense about who they are, and everyone knows the kind of person they are. This is the importance of being a Christian to show the world the glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in His sermon on the mountain His disciples must be the light of the world. Like an open book, the life of the Christian is patterned after the life of Jesus Christ, and what the world sees is God in everything they do. That person will be remembered as a devoted servant of Jesus Christ. No Christian should live in such a way their life is closed to others.

As the light of the world, the story of Jesus should radiate from the pages of our lives to show the glory of God. The life of a Christian needs to be known and read by all men because the world needs more light and more truth. There may be many things an individual cannot do in his life to impact the world on a global level, but they can make a difference in their community as an open book of righteousness. What the world needs now are more open books of Jesus Christ walking around for others to see and read. Open books invite investigation. To be an epistle of Jesus Christ is to bear the marks of the Lord on every page of life.

The glory of God is not written on the heart of the Christian through human wisdom. Paul shows that as an epistle of Christ, what is written comes from the Spirit of the living God. The heart is filled with the word of God guiding life’s decisions, what is said, how one conducts themselves, and their example of devotion to the work of the Lord. Being a Christian and living as if you were a closed book does not give glory to God. We should all desire to open our lives for full inspection by the world to show them how the Lord has changed our lives. We must be epistles of Jesus Christ known and read by all men – and what they see is God! Are you an open or closed book?