Archive for May, 2023
God Spoke
On a scale of 0 to 100 measuring people’s confidence in the Bible are people on both ends and all points in between. The following is offered with the hope it will give cause for confidence in it.
Second Peter 1: 16 – 21 is the most definitive passage of Scripture regarding the origin and authority of the Bible.
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Peter said he was an eyewitness of the Holy Spirit’s descent on Jesus at His baptism.
He then said he heard the voice of God say, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Following saying he was an eye witness and an ear witness he says regarding Scripture “we have the prophetic word confirmed,” meaning we have a more sure word. The prophetic word confirmed is the Bible.
Furthermore it is said, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.” The interpretation related to its origin not being their own opinion.
It “never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Holy men of God were the penmen, but the Holy Spirit was their source of inspiration. It came from God. This affords confidence that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3: 16, 17
To have such confidence and not read and study is like a starving person having a banquet feast and not eating.
When you open the Bible it is as though God is opening His mouth.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2: 15)
Of Mice and Men
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6: 11 – 13
The text speaks of the “wiles of the devil.” That means the subtle tricky ways he entices us to do wrong, as well as to sin. To gain some insight we need to look no further than to one of the most secret intelligence forces of the cold war, the East German Stasi. They made an acrostic for the four things they used to recruit people who would defect and become undercover spies for them against American forces. It was M-I-C-E. How do you catch a mouse? You set a well bated trap. There bate was:
Money
Ideology
Compromise
Ego
Money was thought to be a significant factor. They believed they could entice anyone to defect if offered three or four time their annual salary.
What price tag do you put on the sale of your character? People still abandon ther allegiance to the Lord in their hunger for money.
Put a “NOT FOR SALE” sign in the yard of your will.
Ideology is a dark hole into which some fall. It comes in a variety of flavors: humanism, pluralism, secularism, pantheism, and materialism.
Many who become a Christian at a young age study Scripture as a child, but as they mature they are distracted and then begin to study the thoughts on one of those isms. Their childhood study fades in light of one of them and they defect.
Compromise is a slow and subtle slide away from Jesus. It is here those recruiting counter intelligent agents use sex and blackmail to induce people to forsake their allegiance to Jesus.
Ego plays a large part. If a person feels underappreciated, unrecognized, or underpaid they seek approval.
As a Revolutionary War General Benedict Arnold, realizing the strategic importance of securing New York, mustered a group of men and headed toward Fort Ticonderoga where he won an impressive victory. He suffered two wounds during the war. However, he felt unappreciated and not promoted. Thus, he became a candidate for betrayal and sold out the Patriot cause. For the same reason of ego some default on Jesus.
“….may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” (I Kings 8: 61)
Life’s Flags
“’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55: 8, 9
Some people don’t enjoy life simply because they haven’t taken the time to understand how God intends it to be lived.
How would you like to be on Jeopardy and have God as your opponent? Most realize God would be a formidable opponent. Who could know more and think better than He? If you don’t think you could out think God in a contest on Jeopardy what would cause you think you could out think Him in real life?
God said to and through Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts….”
A ski instructor said to one of his students, “Congratulations you finished the course faster than anyone. As a matter of fact you set a course record.” He paused, leaving the student feeling very good about himself, and then continued, “The problem is you missed every one of the flags.”
“Flag? What flags?”
Anyone who has even the most elementary knowledge of skiing knows flags mark the right course. Some people are setting new records on life’s downhill run, but they seem oblivious to God’s flags marking life’s correct course. Consequently there is no way they can win in life’s race.
Joy comes in the race lived by God’s standard and victory results in finishing the course.
God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” That is the problem. To correct this measure your every thought by one of His flags. If you think a thought that is not in line with His standard, go back and rethink the thought in accord with His thought.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12: 2)
Did you get it? It is good and acceptable. That is, it is pleasing to God for us to think like Him. Why? Because He is wiser and knows more than we and He knows what is best for us. It leads to our fulfillment and gratification. He wants that for us.
Back to Jeopardy, can you out-think God? If not, then trust His judgment.
The New Living Translation makes it even more clear. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
His thoughts are true, excellent, pure, lovely, honest, just, praiseworthy, virtuous and pure. (Philippians 4:8) That is a standard worthy for you.
Think about it. It is best and more blessed to follow His flags.
Supportive Faith
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11: 1
The English word “substance” is made up of two words meaning: “to stand” and “under.” Faith is the substance that stands under. It is the superstructure of life.
The faith of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 was so strong that they had “assurance” that they responded as though the things promised were already a reality.
Moses had such faith in messianic prophecies that he forsook all material things of Egypt which he could see for the Messiah who wasn’t to come for 1400 years (Hebrews 11:26).
Faith is the evidence of things not seen. The scientist sees the world, it is the evidence of things not seen, the atoms of which it is made.
Skeptics often make harsh statements critical of faith contending that to believe in faith is an absurdity. Yet, they have faith in that very faith believing it to be true. Every human being functions by faith. Persons who make deposits in banks have faith in them, yet there has been a lot of hankie-pankie in some.
Christians are often accused of acting on”blind faith.” Thus they are depicted as having committed intellectual suicide. The opposite is true. Jesus exhorted His followers to “know the truth.” The Christian experience is based on facts. Faith goes beyond reason, it does not go against it. Cognitive capacities are given as doormen to reality opening the door to truth.
Christians should put their entire mind in intellectual preparation, their whole heart into their presentation, and their entire life into their illustration.
Faith is the rapier that foils fear every time. Over the mantle of the Hind’s Hotel in England it is written: “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.”
Faith is needed to guide our reasoning in searching for the unknown. This is done in the same way a geometry problem is served. That involves starting with the known to find the unknown. Do what you know to do and it tends to clear the mind and stimulate creative thought. “Commit your works unto the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” (Proverbs 16: 3)
Faith and reason are like two wings upon which the human spirit rises in the contemplation of truth. God has placed in the human heart the desire to know the truth.
Faith without reason leads to superstition, and reason without faith to nihilism and pragmatism. Together faith and reason elevate human thought. Think about it. Face this and every day living as unto the Lord.
Our Founders’ Faith
No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible.
Consider these edited quotes by others instrumental in America’s emergence.
“Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshiped.” -Benjamin Franklin
“The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).” -John Quincy Adams. 6th U.S. President
“I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance equal in power and glory. That the scriptures of the old and new testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.” -Roger Sherman Signer of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution
“The gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations!” -Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into all the world would have been unnecessary.” -Alexander Hamilton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor.” -Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” -Patrick Henry of Virginia
“The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.” -John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
“I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself.
“…our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement ‘for the sins of the whole world,’ and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve.” -William Penn, not a founder of America but Founder of Pennsylvania
How does your statement of faith compare with these who constructed the foundational documents on which our nation was built?