More than 200 years ago, a revival was
launched in our country called the Restoration Movement. The men and women who were involved in this
endeavor had one goal and one purpose firmly in mind; to preach Christ and to
use only the Bible in order to do so.
Their motto was, “Where the Bible speaks, we will speak and where it is
silent, we will be silent.” They no
doubt realized the power of the word of God.
They believed, like the apostle Paul, that it had the power of dynamite
to “blow away” sin (Romans 1:16). God
brought them great success because of their willingness to follow only His Word;
spoken and written (the Bible) and its human embodiment (Jesus Christ – John 1:1-3).
For some reason, the Bible doesn’t seem to have the same
effect on people today. I often wonder
why. It says the same things that it did
back then. It still offers the same plan
of salvation. The examples of the people
of faith have not changed. Its
principles of godly living are all the same.
Jesus the living, breathing Word of God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever (Hebrews 13:8). So what has made the difference? Well, if the problem isn’t with the Bible,
then it must lie with those who are using it without the proper amount of faith
in it.
The writer of Hebrews was trying to encourage the
Christians of his day to consider the importance of remaining faithful to God
and his Word (written – the Bible, and living – Jesus). He used the example of their ancestors who
wandered and died in the wilderness without receiving the promise from God
because of their lack of faith in His Word.
He reminds them of the power of God’s Word which he describes as a
double-edged sword; it can divide between the soul and the spirit, the joints
and the marrow and can even determine what our thoughts and intentions
are! Wow! Nothing escapes the notice of God or the
judgments of His word. Everything in
creation is naked before God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12-13)! This impresses upon all readers the
importance of listening to and obeying God’s true revelation. For just as God promises rewards, His word
also threatens punishment for unfaithfulness.
Christians today can only be successful if they know how
to use His Word (Bible & Jesus) in their own lives. Those who have made a difference for God’s
kingdom have done so by relying on the power of the Word rather than on what
they have been taught, or on what someone else has told them. Their faith in God and His Word was
personal. They were Bible students,
imitators of Christ. You can do the
same.
Doug
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