6/28/2021
We are not meant to turn God’s Word, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, into entertaining stories, fables, or otherwise enhanced fictional accounts in an attempt to make them entertaining for our children, or to capture the comfortable imagination of sinners who might then believe wrongly. What good does it do our children to learn a falsehood? Will a cleverly contrived and embellished account of God sending His Son to redeem us actually convey the new covenant in Christ, and save the lost? We are meant to deliver God’s Word and the gospel just as they are written… worshipping in spirit and truth.
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
2 Peter 1:16 ESV
We are told to go into all nations, and to have gospel conversations that are true to the gospel message as it is actually written, and established in God’s inspired Word, so that souls led to believe in Him through Jesus Christ will come to know Him rightly, and their belief founded firmly in truth. There is no room in perfection for fabrication, or for watering down the content of His true Holy Word so that it might accommodate man’s sinful desires, or make it seem easier for us to follow Jesus.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
God didn’t give us His Holy Word as a starting point from which we could build our own religion, or to help us choose how we would define Him, no, it is meant to be the entirety of our faith, and lead us from beginning to end; knowing Him as He would have us to know Him, and in this way to love Him, and live our lives righteously.
“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
Proverbs 30:5-6 ESV
From the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament to the last words, of the closing chapter of the final book of the New Testament, Revelation, we are warned regarding how we should adhere to God’s Word as it is written, and to fearfully keep it, and teach it truthfully, without change.
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
Revelation 22:18-19 ESV
So how are we approaching God’s Word, and the Gospel of Jesus? Are we holding firm to it as the absolute truth when we read it, are we using it to guide our lives, teach and admonish ourselves and our children? Many people, and churches, have wandered from believing God’s Word to be infallible; they are teaching heresy, and attempting to rewrite scripture to suit themselves. Some do this rather innocently at first, but it is the ultimate subterfuge, and lie, of Satan. It is leading to the destruction of lives, the loss of souls, the demise of nations, and the fall of churches around the world. If we don’t reverse this course… the Church as a whole will lose its effectiveness at saving souls, its ability to redeem will be lost, and God will find it to me moot… irrelevant.
How are each of us reading God’s Word? What are we teaching our children? Are our gospel conversations founded in truth? Or, are we lost, and ineffective in our faith?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy Word, and the amazing gospel of your Son Jesus Christ. Take the veil of Satan’s lies from our eyes Father so that we see your Word as our absolute truth. In this way help us to teach your Word as we should so that those who come to believe will believe correctly in the perfect nature of your truth, and the gospel of Jesus. Guide us in teaching so that those who recount the Revelation given to John will not lose their share in the tree of life. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who gives us truth, hope, and faith in your Word, and grows us in it as we study, and seek you; worshipping you in both spirit and truth. Praised be your name as your Holy Spirit reveals you to us, and gives us an understanding as we read the Bible each day. Merciful are you Lord who is calling us now to return to your Word, and to seek you there with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Your grace that we find flowing through Christ is a saving grace indeed, and can only be found through our faith in Him as we have been called by you, and now come, just as scripture tells us to, through Christ. Father, wash us clean of our sins in the blood of your Son, and open our eyes to your truth, and the New Covenant we find in His cleansing blood. Return us to a fullness of faith in the unwavering truth of your Word. Reset your boundary stones, and meet us on the sad road to our spiritual Emmaus that we find ourselves on. Recount your truths to us as we are wandering away from you, and return us home, redeemed, firm in your Word, and filled with worship as we experience your peace and joy forevermore. Protect us always from those who would lead us from your Word, and the gospel of Jesus.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
2 Peter 2:1-3 ESV
Rich Forbes