1040. Is the Bible God's Word and Our Final Authority?

In our culture today, the collection of writings commonly referred to as The Bible has often been called God's Word. Some call it our final authority. Yet we see within the pages where it is Jesus who is specifically defined as the Word who was with God from the beginning—and was God—and He became flesh. In Him was life and light. Jesus never promised an addendum to the writings of the old, holy, Jewish scriptures ... but did indeed promise to send His Spirit as a helper and guide.

This is not to minimize the Bible or anything in it, whether it be Old or New Testament. The pages are a reliable source of truth that point us to the Life-giver. But there is much confusion amongst thousands of corporate Christian church denominations with a multitude of different opinions that do not align ... and yet they pretty much all consider the Bible as the source for their beliefs. God is not the author of that confusion. Considering the phrase, "the word" ... it can be defined in multiple ways when looking through the pages of the Bible. For example, there was a word of law for the Jews and there was something better that came along that Paul preached, which he called the word of faith. One was given for the Jews "to do" under what is now an obsolete covenant, while the other was given for anyone to believe in a new and better covenant.

But we are not on a divine path to become perfect interpreters of the Bible. This is not our destination. It's all about keeping our eyes on the person of Jesus with the help of His Spirit while getting to know Him. He is our final authority and the Author of faith, life, and salvation.



   
Get the book

957. Not One Command From the Law Brings Life

Stop and think about the emphasis that is placed on the topic of faith within our churches and even within multiple religions. Those who believe in a supreme being may often identify themselves as "people of faith." The Apostle Paul stated that the commandments contained within the Mosaic law are not of faith—and yet we find a tremendous emphasis being placed on small portions of that law within the Christian church.

For those who were attempting to be doers of the law, God required the Jewish people under that law to obey all of it (which no one ever did). On the flip side ... Paul told believers in Christ that if they were going to attempt to cling to even one commandment from the law (such as circumcision), they would be obligated to keep the whole law package (containing 613 line items). The result would be a falling away or distancing from grace. He also articulated that if a single law could give life and righteousness, then those things would have been provided by such a law. But life comes by faith in a living Christ—not a religious system of works that seeks to establish phony self-righteousness.



   
Get the book

913. How Works Fit Into the Message of Grace

The majority of us who chose to believe in Jesus were encouraged within religious circles to work at making ourselves better, more holy, more righteous, more sanctified ... and the list goes on. We've gotten it backwards with that approach. The better way is to grow in the knowledge of God with the understanding that He has already declared us to be all of these things and more.

So instead of trying to work at becoming what we think we are not, we realize God has already equipped the believer in Christ with all things that pertain to life and godliness. This is our starting point as we run this race and it's called the finish line. Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus will completely change our perspective and motivation in many ways—including works.



   
Get the book

874. Jesus Is Not a Religion

Who could forget the famous quote from Jesus: “I have come to give you religion, and to give it more abundantly.” Whoops. That doesn’t sound quite like what Jesus said—because it’s not. He came to give life. He came to bring truth. He came to show the way. He came to bring peace. And these are all contained within Him. He is all of these! Religious rule-keeping isn’t based upon faith and doesn’t result into life eternal.

Only God’s Spirit can reveal the depth of God’s love and guide us into the supernatural life we have received from belief in the risen Christ. Christianity is not meant to be a religion or the “right religion.” But sadly, we have taken many of the concepts that thousands of lifeless religions have used. And it revolves around this: Trying to DO something to get a response from God, instead of resting in His response to us.



   
Get the book

820. "How Can I Know That God Has Forgiven Me?"

Imagine realizing that God isn’t angry with you, is not disappointed with you, is not counting sins against you, and loves you perfectly and unconditionally. Finally, peace and rest, without fear of wondering if you’re okay with God or that God is okay with you. And then it happens. Religious, legalistic, and yes, even Bible-verse-quoting folks from the land of self-righteousness invade your territory, seeking to take away the seeds of grace God planted within you.

They’ll come up with all kinds of different ways to convince you (from the Bible!) that you’ll need to repeatedly keep seeking more forgiveness from God. They somehow think there are methods and formulas which are more effective than the blood of Jesus—which was shed one time. It’s time to stop and ask ourselves a question … why do you think Jesus’ blood only needed to be shed once, and not over and over again?

   
Get the book

792. Paul’s Proclamation: Dead to the Law - No Condemnation

In Romans 7 and 8, Paul explains how the Jews had formerly been in a marriage relationship with the law of commandments, where Moses served as the best man at the ceremony. But they were made to die to the law through the body of Christ and became free to marry another (Jesus). The law of works never brought a reduction of sin, but resulted in the arousal of sinful passions, bearing fruit to death. Now having been freed from the law, they could begin serving in the newness of the Spirit and not through the old way of writings and letters. The end result would be no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

And yet, many Jewish believers struggled with grasping these truths, wrestling with letting go of a law which couldn’t bring life or righteousness, tempted to pursue the fleshly way of works through a stone tablet ministry which left them in condemnation. And what about Gentiles? How would these (formerly) unclean people fit into the message of Jesus … and would they be required to apply the law? Paul explains the Gentiles would receive righteousness without even pursuing it—because of faith. Whereas the Jews would fall short of righteousness because they were seeking it not by faith, but by works.

   
Get the book

786. Christmas: Just Exactly What Are We Celebrating?

The birth of Jesus is perhaps the most celebrated event in the history of the world. When we think of the Christmas holiday, we probably picture the baby Jesus and a manger scene with angels communicating with shepherds. And yet the birth would mean nothing without the death that would occur a few decades later. Jesus was born at a time when the Mosaic law and Old Covenant with Israel was still in place. It would be with His death and the shedding of blood that would bring a better covenant to replace the first one … for all of mankind.

The real celebration with God entering the world as a human is that He would do a work resulting in justification, forgiveness, redemption, righteousness and so much more—which He extended through perfect love by grace. This is why believers have peace with God. The Savior brought faith and life—and it’s much more excellent than a religious system of works which falls short. When it comes to your celebration this year, don’t keep hanging out at the manger, but remember the ultimate result of what it brought.

   
Get the book

767. "Delight in the Law of the Lord"

In the first Psalm, we see one of many writings referring to the law that the writers were under. They make a declaration that one who avoids wickedness finds delight in the law of the Lord, while meditating on it "every once in a while in their free time." Actually no, it states they needed to meditate day and night … and by doing so, they would prosper.

On this side of the cross, we now know that law which Israel was under couldn’t deliver the right-standing with God that they were seeking. Prosperity came only by an element of grace because nobody ever met the requirement of the law. Today, we don’t meditate on that law which has been declared obsolete, weak and useless when it comes to attaining life or sanctification. We aren’t under it and Israel was freed from it! They’ll even try to interchange the word “Word” by substituting it for what the Scripture calls “law.” So be on the lookout when the pulpit tries to twist the context.



   
Get the book

762. Stone Tablet Commandments Can’t Bring Life or Righteousness

David thought life could be found in the law which was introduced to the nation of Israel through Moses. Before he came to faith in Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul said he thought the same thing and then came to find out “the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.” So how is it the church culture has gotten this so backwards?

Why have religious institutions lured Gentiles into a ministry referred to as one that brings bondage while being unable to bring life or righteousness? The Ten Commandments were part of a law containing 603 other commands, rules and statutes. This is the very bundled requirement that Jesus came to deliver the Jewish people from … not to bring Gentiles into.



   
Get the book

760. Contrasting the Ten Commandments With the Gospel

Church-goers and believers have frequently been disoriented and in a place of confusion by being exposed to a combination of two very different covenants, resulting in “the Christian religion.” Often we’ve been taught to cling to a ministry that Jesus came to deliver people from.

The Ten Commandments is our starting point on this week’s program, with more to come in the weeks ahead. The Apostle Paul called those stone tablets from the Old Covenant the ministry of death and condemnation—hardly a recipe for life and peace.



   
Get the book