The authority and power of God's word
One reason God’s word loses its power and authority is when men remove the lessons and principles it teaches. History takes on the form of fairy tale when it becomes just facts and dates, and the lessons behind those events go unspoken and unheeded, lessons that should have been bravely taught from past mistakes or from good decisions.
When the force of truth is subtracted from God’s word, religious men begin to add in an overabundance of imaginary miracles that create an apocrypha of worthless reading. Satan works ingeniously in this environment. Thus through valid miracles which God has used to reveal Himself, Satan uses to destroy those miracles and faith in God’s ability to protect and care for His children. And the result of such religion is a world full of atheists and infidels.
In the brief recap of Israel’s history in 2Kings 17:6-23 the ancient readers of Holy Scripture could weave through the confusion that had taken place with the Assyrian conquest of the people of the Lord. The mighty lesson for them to see was their rejection of God’s many attempts to lead them into purity and truth. Judges chapter 2 also declares that the trouble from the other nations was due to the departure from Yahweh to Baalim and Ashtoreth.
We see an unhappy nation without rules and order and king Josiah wondering what could be done to fix this tragic condition of society. Next, we see people doing some cleaning in the shambles of Solomon’s old broken down temple, when they stumble upon some old dusty scrolls. They have discovered the law of God. “What’s this?” they wonder. It’s the very law of God, Israelite people of God!
“And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.” (2Ki. 22:10,11).
Oh, if only we would find the value of the Law of God, the volumes of principles and high standards located within the holy pages of sacred scripture! And oh that we would tremble in awe and fear and dread, and take the shoes off of our feet and the thick covering from our proud hearts in the holy presence of that burning bush!
“For all this they sinned still, and believed not for His wondrous works.
Therefore their days did He consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
When He slew them, then they sought Him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
They remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer.
Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues.
For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath.
For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Ps 78. 32-39).
We see from Holy Scripture that two basic essentials come through again and again—the truth of man’s sinful human nature, and the grace of God to meet us in our decrepitude. All through time, this has been the message to be gleaned from human history; this is the “everlasting gospel” God has been thundering to mankind, and to all heaven before whom Earth has been a spectacle and a theatre.
The law and grace—without these two huge lessons, the scriptures has no power or authority to this world of sinners. Give the world grace only and they won’t have a reference point to know how to apply that grace. They must know the truth of their condition. But, give them only the law and truth, and they will drown in the “slough of despond.”
If we want the scriptures to have the power and authority that is inherent in its pages, we must restore that which we have removed—the force of the Law of God, and then the application of the mighty argument of the cross—the abundant grace of God poured on us through Jesus, who “poured out His soul unto death,” who “was numbered with the transgressors,” “bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Is. 53:12).
“Saith the Lord: …to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” (Is. 66:2).
When the force of truth is subtracted from God’s word, religious men begin to add in an overabundance of imaginary miracles that create an apocrypha of worthless reading. Satan works ingeniously in this environment. Thus through valid miracles which God has used to reveal Himself, Satan uses to destroy those miracles and faith in God’s ability to protect and care for His children. And the result of such religion is a world full of atheists and infidels.
In the brief recap of Israel’s history in 2Kings 17:6-23 the ancient readers of Holy Scripture could weave through the confusion that had taken place with the Assyrian conquest of the people of the Lord. The mighty lesson for them to see was their rejection of God’s many attempts to lead them into purity and truth. Judges chapter 2 also declares that the trouble from the other nations was due to the departure from Yahweh to Baalim and Ashtoreth.
We see an unhappy nation without rules and order and king Josiah wondering what could be done to fix this tragic condition of society. Next, we see people doing some cleaning in the shambles of Solomon’s old broken down temple, when they stumble upon some old dusty scrolls. They have discovered the law of God. “What’s this?” they wonder. It’s the very law of God, Israelite people of God!
“And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.” (2Ki. 22:10,11).
Oh, if only we would find the value of the Law of God, the volumes of principles and high standards located within the holy pages of sacred scripture! And oh that we would tremble in awe and fear and dread, and take the shoes off of our feet and the thick covering from our proud hearts in the holy presence of that burning bush!
“For all this they sinned still, and believed not for His wondrous works.
Therefore their days did He consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
When He slew them, then they sought Him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
They remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer.
Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues.
For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath.
For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.” (Ps 78. 32-39).
We see from Holy Scripture that two basic essentials come through again and again—the truth of man’s sinful human nature, and the grace of God to meet us in our decrepitude. All through time, this has been the message to be gleaned from human history; this is the “everlasting gospel” God has been thundering to mankind, and to all heaven before whom Earth has been a spectacle and a theatre.
The law and grace—without these two huge lessons, the scriptures has no power or authority to this world of sinners. Give the world grace only and they won’t have a reference point to know how to apply that grace. They must know the truth of their condition. But, give them only the law and truth, and they will drown in the “slough of despond.”
If we want the scriptures to have the power and authority that is inherent in its pages, we must restore that which we have removed—the force of the Law of God, and then the application of the mighty argument of the cross—the abundant grace of God poured on us through Jesus, who “poured out His soul unto death,” who “was numbered with the transgressors,” “bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Is. 53:12).
“Saith the Lord: …to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” (Is. 66:2).
posted by David | 5:32 PM
1 Comments:
I have put most of what is in this article in my sermon to an episcopal church this morning. They invited me for a Bible emphasis week. Thanks David for the post.
Daniel
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