Through the Bible - Isaiah 65-66, Mark 14:54-72
Good morning,
On a recent flight home to North Carolina I was reading a commentary on Genesis. The young man next to me asked what I was reading and saw what it was, he asked me - did you know that the Bible is full of contradictions?
As it turned out, he is the son of a pastor but didn't have the answers to all of the "contradictions" and has not been able to get past them.
We didn't get into all of those contradictions but I have an idea of what some of them may have been. I am not the Bible answer man and no one short of God Himself knows the answers to all of them. That is where faith comes in. Sure, I may not understand everything in the Bible, but I do know what I believe and it is the power of God to change hearts and minds, to heal, to comfort, and to do the impossible as we apply His Word to our lives.
For today's verses we'll go to Hebrews 10 where we find another instance where we see that we must live by faith. It is a common theme throughout scripture. To be in right standing before God requires faith.
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
When facing some of the questions it is natural to have some doubts. The important thing is what you do with them. Do you draw back or dig deeper into God's Word to know Him more and let Him reveal more of Himself to you.
If you've been there I'll share this post from Ray Ortlund's blog regarding someone who had some doubts but did not fall away. Quite the opposite, he believed and it lead to the saving of many souls. May it encourage you in your faith, to settle it in your mind to believe in your mind and put your trust in God no matter what.
"In 1949 I had been having a great many doubts concerning the Bible. I thought I saw apparent contradictions in Scripture. Some things I could not reconcile with my restricted concept of God. When I stood up to preach, the authoritative note so characteristic of all great preachers of the past was lacking. . . .
In August of that year I had been invited to Forest Home, a Presbyterian conference center high in the mountains outside Los Angeles. I remember walking down a trail, tramping into the woods, and almost wrestling with God. I dueled with my doubts, and my soul seemed to be caught in the crossfire. Finally, in desperation, I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in Scripture. I knelt before the open Bible and said, 'Lord, many things in this Book I do not understand. But thou hast said, The just shall live by faith. All I have received from thee, I have taken by faith. Here and now, by faith, I accept the Bible as thy word. I take it all. I take it without reservations. Where there are things I cannot understand, I will reserve judgment until I receive more light. If this pleases thee, give me authority as I proclaim thy word, and through that authority convict men of sin and turn sinners to the Savior.'
Within six weeks we started our Los Angeles crusade, which is now history. During that crusade I discovered the secret that changed my ministry. I stopped trying to prove that the Bible was true. I had settled in my own mind that it was, and this faith was conveyed to the audience. Over and over again I found myself saying, 'The Bible says.' I felt as though I were merely a voice through which the Holy Spirit was speaking."
Billy Graham, "Biblical Authority and Evangelism," Christianity Today, 15 October 1956, pages 5-
Will you live by faith, accept the Bible as God's Word, take it all without reservations?
Blessings,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.netmikesvotd.blogspot.com
Heb 10:35-11:1
35 Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you!
36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away."
39 But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation. NLT
No comments:
Post a Comment