The Answer to Doubt - By Greg Laurie -
True Believers - By Greg Laurie -
"I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life." -John 5:24
One question that I'm often asked is, can Christians lose their salvation? People are afraid of this, and I think it's for good reason. New believers often experience moments of doubt, and so do Christians who have known the Lord for many years. In fact, the first temptation the serpent presented in the Garden of Eden was to doubt God. He said to Eve, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" (Genesis 3:1). In other words, "Did God really say what you thought He said?"
When you have thoughts like, Maybe I'm not saved; maybe Christ really isn't living inside of me, you need to stand on the Word of God, not on your emotions, because emotions will fluctuate. When they do, here are some Scriptures to remind you of God's faithfulness:
All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. (1 John 5:10)
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. (Romans 8:16)
"I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life." (John 5:24)
I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
During His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus responded to each challenge with the words, "It is written," and then He quoted the Scriptures. Jesus stood on ground that we, too, can occupy. As we quote the Scriptures, it will bolster our faith. That is why we need to know the Word of God.
The Problem with Complaining - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. -Philippians 2:14-15
A man who decided to join a monastery and become a monk had to take a vow of silence. But at the end of each year, he was allowed to appear before the abbot and say two words. After being silent for an entire year, he finally was allowed to speak.
So he said, "Bed's hard."
Another year went by, and he appeared before the abbot again.
"What would you like to say?" the abbot asked him.
"Food's cold," the man answered.
Another year went by, and the man again appeared before the abbot. As before, the abbot asked him, "What do you want to say?"
"I quit," he told him.
"It is no wonder!" the abbot replied. "All you have done is complain since you got here!"
The Bible tells us, "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people" (Philippians 2:14-15).
Complaining and bickering hinder us in following Jesus. There are times when we have to confront one another, and it is never pleasant. But if you enjoy confrontation, then something is wrong. Some people just want to fight. They are always upset with someone or something. The problem with people like this is they can't keep it to themselves. They are always stirring up others. That is not the way to live as a Christian.
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." We can choose to believe the best of others. Of course, we can't see another person's heart. But what a difference it would make if we started blessing others instead of blasting them.
Our Convictions Our Defense Romans 14:20-23
A person of conviction has become convinced, by either evidence or argument, that his beliefs are true. Today, most men and women would rather live by preference than conviction. They choose to believe something based on certain conditions and circumstances. When the situation changes, so does their loyalty. In other words, a lot of people vacillate on issues that require a firm resolve.
Contrast this wishy-washy approach with the mindset of the great men and women of Scripture. Despite many years of unfair treatment, Joseph never wavered in his commitment to godly principles . As a result, he was in the right place at the right time to ensure Israel�s survival (Gen. 50:20). Daniel, another righteous man in an idolatrous land, earned the trust of foreign kings by standing firm in his beliefs (Dan. 1:20). When his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also refused to compromise their beliefs, they influenced a king to recognize Jehovah as the one true God (3:29).
As these biblical heroes show, godly convictions can withstand the changing winds of opinion and the persuasive arguments of opponents. If we are grounded in the Word and trust what God has said, we can stand firm in our beliefs. Confidence breeds the courage to remain strong amid conflict.
Instead of following your own preferences, choose to live by godly conviction. The Bible has much to say about the most important aspects of your life. See if God�s principles and promises hold true. Through prayer and study, allow Him to firmly root you in solid biblical convictions.
A person of conviction has become convinced, by either evidence or argument, that his beliefs are true. Today, most men and women would rather live by preference than conviction. They choose to believe something based on certain conditions and circumstances. When the situation changes, so does their loyalty. In other words, a lot of people vacillate on issues that require a firm resolve.
Contrast this wishy-washy approach with the mindset of the great men and women of Scripture. Despite many years of unfair treatment, Joseph never wavered in his commitment to godly principles . As a result, he was in the right place at the right time to ensure Israel�s survival (Gen. 50:20). Daniel, another righteous man in an idolatrous land, earned the trust of foreign kings by standing firm in his beliefs (Dan. 1:20). When his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also refused to compromise their beliefs, they influenced a king to recognize Jehovah as the one true God (3:29).
As these biblical heroes show, godly convictions can withstand the changing winds of opinion and the persuasive arguments of opponents. If we are grounded in the Word and trust what God has said, we can stand firm in our beliefs. Confidence breeds the courage to remain strong amid conflict.
Instead of following your own preferences, choose to live by godly conviction. The Bible has much to say about the most important aspects of your life. See if God�s principles and promises hold true. Through prayer and study, allow Him to firmly root you in solid biblical convictions.
Let Them Alone
�Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.� (Hosea 4:17)
�Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.� (Hosea 4:17)
The Lord is long-suffering, and those who speak in His name should be also. There do come times, however, when further witness becomes useless or even harmful, or when continued interaction merely invites contamination with ungodliness. In such cases, we must simply leave such people alone, following them with prayer and trusting God alone to deal with them.
Such was the 10-tribe nation of Israel, led by the tribe of Ephraim, just before God sent them into Assyrian captivity. God, through the prophet Hosea, told Judah henceforth to let them alone�they were hopelessly given over to pagan evolutionist idolatry. The words �joined to� in today�s verse mean literally �under the spell of.�
The Lord Jesus used similarly harsh language in reference to the hypocritical Pharisees of His own day: �Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch� (Matthew 15:14).
There are other similar warnings. Of those who come �having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof,� Paul says, �From such turn away� (2 Timothy 3:5). He has also warned us to �shun profane and vain babblings [that is, the empty philosophizing of those who reject God]: for they will increase unto more ungodliness� (2 Timothy 2:16). �And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them� (Ephesians 5:11).
Most, if not all, such warnings seem in context to apply especially to people who once knew and understood the truth, perhaps even professing to accept it for a time and then knowingly rejected it. When such men oppose our testimony, God says to let them alone; He can deal with them better than we. HMM
True Believers - By Greg Laurie -
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. -1 John 2:19
When someone who has made a profession of faith suddenly walks away from it (seemingly out of nowhere), the question is often asked, "Did he lose his salvation?"
But the question I would ask is, "Did he ever have it to begin with?" Really, the only way to tell if a person is a genuine Christian is whether that commitment stands the test of time. So how can you tell if you are really saved? Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Is Jesus Christ Lord? (See 1 John 4:15.) Christianity is Jesus. And if you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then I don't know what you are. You may be religious, but you're not a real Christian.
Do I obey Christ's commands? (See 1 John 5:3.) This doesn't mean that if you are a Christian, you will be sinless. But it does mean that if you are a Christian, you will sin less . . . and less . . . and less.
Am I unhappy or miserable when I'm sinning? (See 1 John 3:9.) If you continue in a pattern of sin without remorse, without conviction, then one would have to ask whether you really are a Christian.
Do you keep yourself from the devil? (See 1 John 5:18.) Or, are you sort of going as close to the edge as you can get? A really bad question to ask is, "How much can I get away with and still be a Christian?"
Do I love other Christians? (See 1 John 5:1.) When you love God, you will love His children. If you find yourself not wanting to be around other Christians, it's an indication that something isn't right.
The true test is where a person winds up. And a true believer always will come home.
The Treasure that Turns Other Treasures to GarbageJohn Piper
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.Paul has a way of playing your game, winning, and then saying the game is bunk. He does it, for example, in 2 Corinthians 11:21-12:11 where he lists his "superior" achievements and then says, "I have been a fool! You forced me to it" (2 Corinthians 12:11). In other words, I can play your game of measuring myself by your standards, win, and then call it all worthless. It is fool's play.
He does it again here in Philippians 3. He warns the church to watch out for the evildoing dogs who mutilate the flesh (people who insist on circumcision as a way of getting right with God). The problem with these people is that they "put confidence in the flesh"-that is, they bank on their works for justification (vv. 2-3, cf. v. 9).
So Paul says, OK let's play that game for a moment. And then he lists his works of the flesh and knocks his opponents out of the ring with legal achievements. "If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more." Indeed he does.
Then come three of the best verses in all the Bible. In essence: the victory I just won in the contest of the flesh is a pile of garbage (the Greek is sku,bala, v. 8). And the reason he uses such a strong word (refuse!) is that the alternative is Christ. Compared to Christ being the greatest Pharisee of his time was foul garbage.
But that is too vague. He is not vague. He does not say simply that compared to Christ legal achievements are garbage; he is more specific. He says that what is superior to moral and religious achievements is 1) knowing Christ, 2) gaining Christ, and 3) being found in Christ.
1. Knowing Christ. "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (v. 8). "Knowing" here is not just knowing the fact that Jesus is Lord. It is the kind of knowing that prompts the phrase, "my Lord"! He knows the supreme Lord of the universe (see 2:9-11) as his Lord. So there are two aspects to Paul's passion for Christ here. One is the rational and relational knowledge of the greatest person in the universe. Paul's mind and heart are full of Christ. The other is that he belongs to Christ as subject to the all-ruling, all-protecting Lord. This is better than being at the top of any human heap.
2. Gaining Christ. "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (v. 8). "Gain" means get all that Christ is for us in heaven, not just on earth. Paul has already said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (v. 21), because "to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (1:23). And he is about to say, "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (3:12). So it is clear that part of what makes human achievement a pile of garbage compared to Christ is that soon (and very soon!) he is going to meet the king-in a way far more full and intimate and stunning and satisfying than anything he has known here. And he has known so much of Christ here that the garbage verdict has been rendered on that alone.
3. Being found in Christ. ". . . and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (v. 9). Paul was overwhelmed by the fact that "in Christ"-that is, united to Christ by faith alone-he possessed a righteousness that was infinitely better than all his legal achievements could ever be. Paul knew he needed a righteous life in order to be accepted by God and in order to enjoy all the glories of Christ forever. He did not have such a righteousness in himself. He needed the free gift of righteousness from God himself. God gave it to him in Christ.
Therefore Jesus Christ was both the treasure he cherished and the one who provided the right to have the treasure. In Christ alone Paul had a right to know and gain Christ. And that is all he wanted. That is the gospel. This is what we mean by treasuring Christ together. Christ alone is the ground of our acceptance with God and the goal of our heart's desire. He is our righteousness and our reward. Compared to him (knowing him, gaining him, being found in him) all else is garbage.
Treasuring Christ together with you,
Pastor John
God Has a Plan
In the famous lace shops of Brussels, Belgium, certain rooms are dedicated to the spinning of the finest lace with the most delicate of patterns. These rooms are completely dark except for a shaft of natural light from a solitary window. Only one spinner sits in the room and the light falls on the pattern while the worker remains in the dark.
Has God permitted a time of darkness in your world? You look but you cannot see him. You see only the fabric of circumstances woven and interlaced. You might question the purpose behind this thread or that. But be assured, God has a pattern. He has a plan. The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” He is not finished. But when he is, the lace will be beautiful!
Godliness
Matthew 9:11-13
There is a common misconception that believers should be perfect. Pretending to have our lives in order, many of us wear happy faces and speak words that sound acceptable. At times we’re ashamed to admit our shortcomings, as if they should not exist. Salvation through Jesus, however, doesn’t change the fact that sin is present in our life. When we’re born again, God forgives us and sees us as righteous. Yet our battle with sin continues till we arrive in heaven.
In fact, striving for perfection actually can be a trap that pulls us away from living a godly life. Functioning in this way is a form of relying on our own capability. Jesus said that He came to heal the spiritually sick because they recognized their weakness. With an awareness of our inadequacy comes the realization of our need for Him.
The world sees successful individuals as powerful and self-sufficient, but Jesus didn’t care about these qualities. Instead, He wants people to be aware of their own brokenness. This is the foundation for godliness.
We should accept our neediness and seek God passionately. Doing so allows the following attributes to develop: a hunger for God’s Word, faithful service, deepening trust, and decision-making based upon principle rather than preference. Patiently and mercifully, God matures us.
Be careful not to cover up your sins in order to look like a “good Christian.” Without recognition and confession of our sinfulness, we are unable to rely fully on God. It is only with this awareness that we can passionately seek Him, obey in His strength, and confess with repentance when we miss the mark.
Developing a Vibrant Faith
Acts 9:1-16
The apostle Paul had a strong commitment to know and serve Jesus Christ. His passion and love for the Lord was obvious--Jesus was always central in his thinking, whether he was working as a tent maker, preaching to the crowd, or even sitting in chains at prison. What fueled his love for the Lord?
Paul's conversion experience on the Damascus Road was a motivating force in his life. Grateful for the gift of grace he had received at salvation, the apostle told many people about his encounter with the resurrected Christ and its impact on him. We, too, have a story to tell of God's mercy in saving us and of the new life we have in Him.
Paul's zeal also came from his firm conviction that the gospel message was true and available to everyone (John 3:16). On the cross, Jesus took all our sins--past, present, and future--upon Himself (1 Pet. 2:24). He suffered our punishment so that we might receive forgiveness and be brought into a right relationship with God. Through faith in Christ, we've been born again, and the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us every day (John 14:26). The more we understand what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, the greater will be our passion to share the gospel.
Developing a vibrant faith requires time and energy plus a commitment to obey God. Regularly studying the Bible will strengthen your beliefs and give you courage to speak. Caring about the spiritual welfare of others will move you into action. Do you have a passion to serve Jesus wherever He leads?
Go to the Ant
Proverbs 6:6-8
God is a masterful Creator. He has integrated many of His principles into the fabric of nature so that we can see His handiwork and learn of Him (Ps. 19:1-6). If you desire to acquire wisdom, do not neglect to look outdoors for His lessons.
Now, of course, the outdoors sometimes comes inside. If you�ve ever battled ants in your kitchen or pantry, wisdom probably isn�t the first trait you would attribute to them--you probably would choose a description more like determination. But to the lazy person, God points out these tiny creatures as an example of wise living. Simply consider how many characteristics of the ant people would be smart to adopt: preparation, cooperation, perseverance, diligence, unity, and the list goes on. So interacting with righteous men isn�t the only way to acquire wisdom. God also wants us to observe the lowly ant that He created to work in community.
There�s much to learn from the created world. By directing attention to the birds, Jesus challenges His followers to consider the folly of anxiety (Matt. 6:26). Birds do not reap or gather grain but rather assume their food will be supplied as it always has been. The lesson in this observation of nature is that the Lord who provides for birds can be trusted to meet His people�s needs as well.
Our quest for wisdom is to be rooted in Scripture and covered in prayer. But don�t overlook the many lessons unfolding right outside the front door. Ask God for �eyes to see� (Mark 8:18). Then take every chance to grow in understanding so your capacity to live by His principles will be strengthened.
Godly Living in an Ungodly Age
Titus 1
Our Founding Fathers created a governing framework based upon biblical principles. Slowly, we have changed from “one nation under God” to a group of people who no longer want Him to be involved.
Tragically, we’ve become, in numerous ways, an ungodly nation: many are driven by materialism and power; immorality and rebellion are prevalent; empty philosophy and false doctrine are widely acceptable. Underlying it all is a vocal decision to take God out of the nation’s “official business.”
Yet even in an unbelieving society, people can, as individuals, follow Jesus. But the world will continually disseminate faulty teachings, so believers must be discerning. Otherwise, erroneous messages can lead Christians to compromise their convictions. Then affections and priorities may change. Don’t let the world’s clamor make the Spirit’s voice less audible. Without His guidance, our minds become vulnerable to lies.
The Word of God is a compass that keeps us headed in the right direction--even in the midst of confusing messages all around. We need to be consistently filled with truth by reading, believing, meditating upon, and applying Scripture. God also tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). If our minds are focused upon Him, unholy beliefs will not be able to take root.
The Word is our guidebook. We will still face difficulty as we live in this imperfect world--it is a confusing, dark place that entices us but never fulfills our true longings. Yet God’s truth will bring confidence and boldness, and His Spirit will direct and strengthen, enabling us to live victoriously.
Work It Out - By Greg Laurie -
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. -Philippians 2:12
During the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, people came to California from all around the world because they had heard there was "gold in them thar hills." Apparently some people imagined they would arrive and find chunks of gold just lying around in the streets. Well, there was a lot of gold in California back then, but people quickly discovered that the gold wasn't as plentiful as they'd hoped. Yes, a lot of gold was in the mines, but it was necessary to work hard and stay with it in order to find that mother lode.
This is the idea the apostle Paul was conveying to the saints in Philippi when he wrote, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). We need to work out what God has worked in. We need to discover what God has done for us.
However, we don't work for our salvation; we work it out. Salvation is a gift from God. We are told in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So we don't work for it; we work it out.
Remember, Paul was directing this statement to believers. The idea of working out one's salvation is referring to living out one's faith-carrying it out correctly. In fact, the term work out carries the meaning of working to full completion. So we need to carry it to the goal.
As believers, the work of God is in our hearts, but we need to live it out. Like the gold seekers in California's early days, we need to mine it. That means carrying to the goal and fully completing our own salvation with fear and trembling.
Heavenly Calling
“As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:48)
What Jesus Said about Hell
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29)
The Honest Use of Scripture
“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:13)
The Mighty Hand of God
“That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.” (Joshua 4:24)
Seeking God's Will
1 John 5:14-15
Parents train their children to do many tasks--from knowing which clothes match to handling money. Perhaps the most important skill we can teach is how to follow God’s direction.
We are blessed that our omniscient and mighty Father is willing to make His way known to us. He wants to reveal exactly what to do in every situation. In fact, He promises this: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Ps. 32:8). Let’s explore how to discern God’s will at each crossroad of life.
The first step is to make sure that we have repented of all sin. Listening to God while holding onto iniquity in our heart is like using a foggy and unreadable compass. After confessing and repenting, we can ask for direction.
Next, we should read Scripture regularly with a seeking, open heart. The Bible is like a lamp on a dark path (Ps. 119:105). The last step involves God’s indwelling Holy Spirit--the wonderful gift that the heavenly Father has given each of His children. The Spirit provides truth and guidance as we read the Word and pray. We should listen patiently for His leading, which is often communicated quietly to our hearts as we spend time with Him.
When asking the Lord to reveal His will, we shouldn’t expect instant answers. The discipline of waiting builds character, and besides, rushing the process may lead to a path that misses God’s best. Take the time to seek Jesus’ plan for your life, remembering He'll provide all you need to follow Him.
The Hope of Peace
Romans 15:4-13
Despite man's best efforts, the world's longing for peace remains unfulfilled. Each new generation has high hopes for reconciliation among people and nations but in the end faces disappointment.
One day Christ will return and make everything right. Until then, believers are called to be His ambassadors of peace. However, becoming a Christian does not automatically change us into people who pursue kindness and unity.
At times we're quick-tempered and impatient and find it hard to live in harmony with others. We may have trouble letting go of attitudes or habits that hurt those around us--and occasionally we don't even want to. God knows our true character and has provided the Holy Spirit to transform us into Jesus' likeness. The Spirit opens our minds to understand and apply Scripture. He gives us the power to say no to ungodliness and to replace me-centered thinking with a Christ-centered viewpoint. He patiently produces His fruit in us, which includes love, joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22-23). With His help, we can become peacemakers who work to bring about reconciliation between God and others (Matt. 5:9).
While our world keeps hoping for peace through man's solutions, we know the only source of lasting unity is Jesus Christ.
The Lord wants our hearts to be ruled by His peace (Col. 3:15) and our relationships to be marked by a spirit of oneness. How encouraged other people will be when they realize it's the transforming power of God in our lives that brings about reconciliation in our marriages, families, and churches.
Build on Your Own Foundation - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
-Philippians 2:13
Some people are really into exercise. They love to work up a sweat, go on a run, or lift weights. I hate all of it. And I know I'm not alone in that. But the fact of the matter is that we really need to exercise. We can't hire someone to work out for us. It's something we have to do for ourselves.
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13). Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle. He was writing it from Rome and was experiencing anxiety over the fact that he was separated from these believers.
Effectively Paul was saying, "Look, guys, I can't be with you right now. I wish I were there to offer you guidance and to be a good example for you, but I can't do it. But check it out. It is God who works in you, not Paul."
They may have thought, We can't live the Christian life without Paul around. Well, actually they could. And if pastors and spiritual leaders are doing their jobs properly, they will get you up on your own feet spiritually so that you are not dependent on them.
Paul was saying, "Guys, keep things in perspective. It is God who is doing the work. Maybe He worked through me, but it's still God who did the work."
We can put people on pedestals and think they can do no wrong. And sometimes people will base their relationship with God on someone else's relationship with God. That isn't good. We need to get our own faith. We need to build on our own foundation.
Teaching Stones
�Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.� (Habakkuk 2:19)
�Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.� (Habakkuk 2:19)
How foolish are those who worship idols�objects of wood and stone with no life in them, not even when they are adorned in silver and gold. Can inanimate objects come to life and even become teachers? A child knows better.
But not college professors! All over the land, these proud purveyors of �science falsely so called� are indoctrinating young minds with the absurd belief that inorganic substances can somehow first become simple living substances and then eventually organize themselves all the way up to being people. They would not, of course, suggest that sticks and stones could suddenly become human (neither did the ancient idolaters, for that matter). They just believe that time�lots of it�can magically develop people out of much simpler substances than even these ancient philosophers ever imagined. �In the beginning, hydrogen� is their arrogant notion.
But God will not be mocked in this way forever. Life can only come from life�ultimately from the living God! The wooden idol of the pagan is every bit as scientific as the evolutionary models of the modern intellectual; neither one can create life. �Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men�s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: . . . They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them� (Psalm 115:4-5, 8).
Only God can create life, and He can even cause stones to teach. �Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: . . . Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?� (Job 12:8-9). HMM
Walk by Faith
�For we walk by faith, not by sight.� (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Although today�s verse appears in parentheses in the King James Bible, it is a most important concept in Scripture and is the summary of an extensive passage that precedes it. Beginning with 2 Corinthians 4:8, Paul continually contrasts the seen and the unseen, finishing up with the admonition to �walk by faith.�
�We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed� (vv. 8-9). Though we have trials on the outside, through faith we have inward triumph.
�Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus . . . that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh� (vv. 10-11). Even though �death worketh in us,� that same persecution results in �life in you� (v. 12). Through faith we know �that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus� (v. 14).
�Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory� (vv. 16-17).
�If our earthly house [i.e., body] of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens� (5:1) �that mortality might be swallowed up of life� (v. 4). The death and decay of this life will ultimately be eradicated. We know this to be fact, for He �hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit� (v. 5) as a guarantee of our resurrection, if indeed we have been born again by faith, the same faith by which we walk.
�While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal� (2 Corinthians 4:18). JDM
�For we walk by faith, not by sight.� (2 Corinthians 5:7)
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