Who Can You Trust?
Good Morning Friends,
A Christian who has come to know Christ through the living Word will want to know more of the written Word, the Bible. But as they examine the Bible there may sometimes come over them a feeling of confusion and discouragement. The Bible is composed of many books written over a long period of time. It is hard work to know what it means in context and then collectively and then sometimes there are just paradoxes. It is divided by convention into an Old and New Testament. But also an old and new covenants. One can wonder how a person can really master the Bible. So we ask a basic question. How do you begin a study of the Bible? Who Can You Trust?
Scripture: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’
Genesis 3:15 (NRSV)
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt-offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 43:22-25 (NRSV)
You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
John 15:16 (NRSV)
he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 (NRSV)
The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17 (NRSV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV)
Message: Throughout the entire Bible there is one underlying message; it is the message of salvation by a Redeemer. And either you trust in this message or you do not for in the end it is all we really have. The Old Testament prophesies that the Savior will come. The New Testament tells us that he has come and what he has done. This underlying message of salvation serves as a unifying principle, connecting the various revelations of the Bible and uniting them into a harmonious whole. Like a winding stream it connects the many rivulets and streams of thought that run throughout the Bible and unites them into one river of holy history converging with the Spirit of God and the plan. The covenant of grace is that plan of redemption which runs through the Bible. An understanding of God’s covenant will acquaint one with the central message of the Bible and at the same time provide an outline of its history and revelation that more sin means more suffering. Thankfully God’s mercy rules over all. In today’s Lenten journey we take a look at sin through the lens of broken covenants. The conditional covenant mentioned in Scripture is the Mosaic Covenant; the blessings it extends are contingent upon Israel’s adherence to the Law. The unconditional covenants mentioned in the Bible are the Abrahamic, Palestinian, and Davidic Covenants; God promises to fulfill these regardless of other factors. The general covenants mentioned are the Adamic, Noahic, and New Covenants, which are global in scope. And here we contemplate God’s act of mercy and grace in our lives… We look at His promise of making us as if we have never sinned… that amazing reconciling love and sacrifice on the cross….the New Covenant. We do not completely understand how this works, but somehow in the mix of faith and reason. And once we recognized our sins and recognize that we have not responded to God as we should, the process begins. Once we give up our self-reliant blindness and recognized His covenant of Grace… once we acknowledge our negligence in worshipping Him… then His gracious cleansing begins. But we like Israel are as immature children when it comes to understanding His grace. We continue to rebel. Only through God’s amazing mercy and grace do we choose a reality of a God that is willing to rescue us from our sin. All we need to do is ask honestly and He will forgive and forget. The covenants teach us that to not be conquered by sin we must ask and receive God’s help. In this we need to trust.
Pray we study the Bible with a focus on the promise of grace. Pray
that we all mature in our faith…that we put away anger and greed and realize that sin can destroy us all. Pray therefor we forgive and forget. Pray that, when shown compassion, we not fail. Pray that God bring good out of our failures, and even out of our sins. Pray that those who are missing out on not being in perfect fellowship with God be restored. Pray that we be in fellowship one with another. Pray that we see how much we need the full fruit of the Spirit in the Body of Christ…how much we need each other. Pray we see our afflictions and the afflictions of others for what they can be…an opportunity to glorify God. Pray that we experience a love that never fails. Pray we understand each other’s pain. Pray we believe that God has it all planned out. Pray we trust God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 