Right With God

"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."" (Galatians 2:21)

Paul makes a very powerful statement here using a negative comparison. If righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain. The obvious implication is that righteousness doesn't come through the law, in other words, we are not made right with God by keeping rules. And yet, that's what so many believers base their whole walk and concept of God upon -- keeping rules. God wants me to do this or He doesn't want me to do that. The problem is that there is truth in that belief, it's just misplaced.

Sin is very real and still hurts us. There are very definitely things that God would have us do and things we are not to do. The issue is why. Motivation does matter. I cannot earn my salvation by good works. In Galatians 3:11 Paul goes on to say that "no one is justified by the law in the sight of God."

Jesus didn't die so that we could keep a bunch of rules. He died to bring us into fellowship with God. Using the marriage relationship as a comparison -- there's a very real difference between the man who doesn't cheat on his wife because he's afraid of getting caught and the man who would never do such a thing because he loves his wife. Neither man is cheating on his wife but the first man's attitude is wrong. The law may constrain sin but it doesn't fix the heart. Grace can fix the heart.

God calls us to a love relationship. Ticking off our checklist of do's and don'ts is a poor substitute for the real thing.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith,and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, that no man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Quotes on Christianuty and the Bible

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.
George Washington

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
Patrick Henry

"In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book."
Abraham Lincoln

I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.
Harry S. Truman

The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.
John Quincy Adams

The secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible.
George Washington Carver

The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty...students' perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."
Thomas Jefferson

My advice to Sunday Schools no matter what their denomination is: Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your heart, and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future. 'Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people’ (Proverbs 14:34).
Ulysses S. Grant

The Word of God

God's Word is so good! In the information age there are a lot of lies and speculation floating around. How do you know what to trust? In a topsy-turvy world God's Word is the level against which we judge. God's Word is true. He is faithful and does not lie!

Following is a selection of Bible verses concerning God's Word. Enjoy! Let them speak to your heart.

Every word of God [is] pure; He [is] a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Proverbs 30:5

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
Psalm 119:89

Your word [is] a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
James 1:22-24

But the word of the LORD endures forever.
1st Peter 1:25

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:17

For the word of the LORD [is] right, And all His work [is done] in truth.
Psalm 33:4

For they [are] life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:22

Establish Your word to Your servant, Who [is devoted] to fearing You.
Psalm 119:38

So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.
Psalm 119:42

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:14

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16

New Wineskins

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins." (Mark 9:22)

In Biblical times wineskins were made from whole tanned goat skins with the head, legs and tails removed. New wineskins were used because the skin was still flexible. Wine put in an old stiff wineskin would cause it to burst as carbon dioxide was given off in the fermentation process. Think of a balloon. If you keep blowing on a balloon eventually it will burst. New wineskins were flexible enough to expand and strong enough not to burst.

The example Jesus gives us here is a poignant one concerning our need for humility and a teachable heart. One of the worst places we can be is when we think we already know everything --when we judge the sermon we just heard or the Bible verse we just read through our own lens. If the pastor agrees with me it was a good sermon. If he doesn’t it was obviously a bad sermon. If the Bible verse doesn't line up with my theology there must be a way to explain it away.

That’s one of the things I love about the Word of God. The Word of God will keep you humble if you let it. Years ago I made up my mind that I was not going to argue against God’s Word or try to make it line up with what I believe. That was one of the best decisions of my life.

Receiving the Word with joy will help you to be a new wineskin. Some people look at passages that Jesus said about prayer, or the Holy Spirit, or the power of God and then go into tortured logic to try to explain why they’re not for today. I want to read those verses and be challenged. I want to be inspired in my personal walk with the Lord. If Jesus said we would do greater works than He did then I want to embrace that – not fight against it.

When you read Bible passages that challenge your belief system does your heart leap with joy and expectation or do you quickly run to try to find a way around it?

Maintain a humble and teachable heart. Living the Christian life with wonder and excitement makes it a precious and rewarding journey. Don't try to submit the Word of God to your beliefs and circumstances. Submit your beliefs and circumstances to the Word of God. You'll be glad you did.

Can We Trust The Bible

Here's an excellent article by Dave Welch. Copy the link into your browser.

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83707