Faith Induration- FAITH AND THE BIBLE The Bible is God’s perfectly inspired word. The written Word testifies to God’s self-revelation in His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. All Scripture, both Old and New Testament, is a clear testimony to Jesus Christ. The Bible is not just a record of revelation of God, but it is revelation itself, and it is an infallible witness of God to men. “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8). There is nothing like the abiding Word of God. This is why it is so important for us to examine God’s Word and seek to understand it and its authority in the believer’s life. Our faith is defined by God’s Word, and there cannot be any true saving faith without the Word of God. The apostle Paul wrote, there is “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:22). Believe in what? Our faith must rest in Jesus Christ and His atoning work. Our faith must reside in Jesus Christ. Calvin wrote, “There is a permanent relationship between faith and the Word. Take away the Word and no faith will there remain.” The Word of God also does something. Apart from the word of God we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We are as Whitfield compared us to Lazarus’ body dead in his tomb before Jesus arrived. Martha told Jesus, “Lord, he has been dead four days and he stinks.” What will awaken us from our spiritual death? “Lazarus come forth!” He shouts to us in his Word, “Wil, come forth!” And the Word of God awakened in me the truth of my sinfulness and the saving work of Jesus Christ. Have you heard Him calling your name? Only the call of the living Word of God can produce such new life. But where can we hear that call? Not in words of men or women or a religious guru. You won’t find it in secular humanism or pop psychology or self-help preachers. The only place we can hear God calling forth the dead is in the pages of the Bible, where alone God speaks. The apostle Pete wrote, “You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23 NET). Why is this so important? “The Word of the LORD abides forever” (v. 25; Isa. 40:8). The opinions of men, including mine, will perish. Let’s make sure our faith is centered in the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. All else will burn up one day. The apostle Paul affirmed, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Our conviction is that the Bible, God’s Word, is God-breathed (v. 16). It was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to men. It is without error because it is God-breathed. God is its author and the Holy Spirit moving over the minds of those whom He chose to record the permanent revelation of God insured that it is totally true and perfectly trustworthy. That is why the Bible is constantly under assault by secular humanists. Moreover, the Christian’s faith is strengthened and sustained through the Bible. The Bible is filled with promises, admonitions, corrections, and reproof for the believer (2 Tim. 3:16). In order for us to abide in Christ we must saturate our minds with God’s Word. As we study, meditate, memorize the Word it settles down into our hearts and we learn to think and act biblically. The Holy Spirit uses His Word to conform us to the likeness of Christ. If you are not already doing so, please make a commitment to get into the Bible daily.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 06:43:16 +0000