11/29/2023
Do we understand that Jesus Christ had to die in order to secure our redemption, or do we think He was just a mythical character meant to describe morality to us in a how-to book called the Bible? Friends, the account is real, and not a story; it is the single greatest event to occur since creation, and is complete with all the miracles, wonders, suffering, awe, and yes, death. The Bible is the one true account of faith, and the never ending story of God’s love and creation that continues today.
“"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
John 16:12-14 ESV
In this Politically Correct (PC) feel good world we live in today any reference to the reality of Christ’s suffering is being systematically eliminated, and the Bible is becoming just another PC target of a man-centered agenda. This isn’t a modern dilemma, but has been going on since at least the early 1900s when Oswald Chambers preached and wrote about it. Let’s listen to his description of the problem we are facing...
“The type of Christian experience in the New Testament is that of devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other type of Christian experience, so called, is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration, no being born again into the Kingdom in which Christ lives, but only the idea that He is our pattern. To-day He is being dispatched as the Figurehead of a Religion, a mere Example. He is that, but He is infinitely more; He is salvation itself, He is the Gospel of God.” - Oswald Chambers
Jesus is not simply an example of purity and righteousness... he is the embodiment of it. Our lives are not merely plays in which we are acting out a feel good faith or religion, no, they are the true essence of an absolute and unwavering faith embodied in all of our suffering, joy, and obedience to God. The ramifications of our failure to believe this truth are massive and can be devastating, but believing in Jesus, and setting all else aside to follow Him, becomes true salvation as the Holy Spirit is manifest in us by a very real encounter with God’s grace, which is eternal.
When I was a young boy I used to play on the playground with the other kids. In our group there was one boy in particular who would change the rules whenever the game turned sour for him. He had to feel like he was winning, no matter what it took. The unfortunate reality of this was that by cheating he had already lost... there was no victory for him. Cheating doesn’t make us a winner, it is just an illusion of winning, and in the end we are judged by that.
This is feel good Christianity... you might think that you have changed the rules, but the rules are set by a much higher power... they are set by God the Father. So when churches, denominations, pastors, or laypersons modify the Word of God, and feel like they are doing well... they are not. Truth is always truth, no matter how fervently we argue against it. The sun is always hot, the moon is naturally cool, love triumphs, and a true equation proves itself every time.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
Are we living out the truth today that is embodied in the Word of God, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we attempting to live within a self-serving and concocted dream? Has our life become a lie that we have told so many times that we now believe it, or is it based on actual truth, the absolute and unchanging truth of God with all of its good and bad, peace and pain, joy and suffering? Let’s consider this today, and every day.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your unchanging truth, and the comfort I find in it. I thank you for your judgement and the truing up of all those who wander from your righteous will. Holy Father, keep your hand on me, and guide me in your unwavering truth, and in obedience to your Word. Never let me rationalize your intentions as I try to make straight the winding road of my life that only you can straighten. Help me to keep my eye on you at all times Father, and I pray that my hand will never lose its grip on yours. There is no decision that you make which can be overturned, or set aside... you are omnipotent, and unfailing. I praise you Father for your goodness, mercy, and grace. I keep your commandments, shout your glory to all of creation, sing your praises with my mouth, and signal your glory with my lifted arms. You are my God and your blessings are good, true, and eternal. Your Word is like honey in my mouth, and is the taste of your love is the everlasting Amen to every prayer I pray.
Rich Forbes