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| Salvation/Word of God |
Salvation and the Word Of God
By David J. Stewart
Salvation begins with the Word of God! Apart from God’s Holy Word, we would be up a creek without a paddle. “Being born again, not of corruptible SEED, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD OF GOD, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1st Peter 1:23). The Word of God is NOT merely a book, the Word of God is alive! Notice the words, “...which liveth and abideth forever.” It is alive because Christ is alive. The Bible is the “seed” in our heart that can sprout into new spiritual life. This can only happen by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Whether or not the seed dies or lives is dependent upon you. The seed is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you believe upon Christ, then the seed of God’s Word has sprung new life in you through the Holy Spirit—God’s Holy Spirit born in you. You will have been born-again. The bottom line is that you CANNOT be saved without the Word of God for it is the very seed which brings new life into your heart. If you refuse to accept the Bible as God’s Word, then you are well nigh hopeless my friend. I have witnessed to many people who say they do NOT recognize the Bible as God’s Word. Perhaps this is the greatest challenge of all for the soul-winner—trying to convince a person that the Bible is God’s Word. Once a person accepts the Bible as God’s Holy Word, then they are more likely to listen to what you have to say from the Bible. I have even heard people curse and say horrible things about the Bible. When a person tells me they don’t believe the Bible is God’s Word, I realize that our conversation is nearly over because we are thinking on two different wave lengths. We have nothing in common on the matter. Everything I have to say as a Believer is based upon THE BIBLE. To search for salvation apart from God’s Word is futile. That’s like telling a doctor you want to be healed without medicine or telling a mechanic you want your car repaired without tools. I’ve never met a Bible-rejecter who was willing to accept Christ as Savior. You simply cannot be saved without believing the Bible is God’s inspired Holy Word. If you reject God’s Word, you are rejecting the light. There are many people who will call themselves Christians but their faith is NOT based upon the Word of God. Their faith is based upon a false religion, a personal philosophy, an organization, etc. Your faith MUST be based upon the Word of God and the truths it teaches concerning Christ and salvation. If a man will NOT accept the Written Word, neither will he accept the Living Word. Do you accept the Bible as God’s Word? You must examine the Bible and make this decision for yourself, no one else can do it for you. Pray and ask God to open the eyes of your understanding. Salvation is a matter of the heart, let God’s Holy Word speak to your heart. It’s been said, “If you want God to comb the kinks out of your head, you must give Him your heart.”
The Word of God is eternal! The last Word of Revelation already existed in heaven before the first verse in Genesis was ever written. The Bible is eternal, without beginning or end. “FOR EVER, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). “Forever” means without beginning or end. God is forever eternal and so is His Word. His Word is “settled.” God has not revised, rewritten, paraphrased or changed His Word. Men have NO RIGHT to alter and change God’s Word. There are hundreds of bibles on the market that are counterfeits of the truth.
God magnifies His Word above His very name! “...for thou hast MAGNIFIED THY WORD ABOVE ALL THY NAME” (Psalm 138:2). How dare any man or woman make light of the Word of God. To make light of the Word of God is to make light of God Almighty. God’s Word is more important than God’s name. Why? Because God would be a liar if His Word was not truth. God’s name would mean nothing if His Word was unreliable! Do you see how important the Bible is? It is a dangerous thing to tamper with the Bible. You CANNOT love God and hate the Bible. You CANNOT neglect your Bible and stay in fellowship with the Lord. The Bible means everything to the serious-minded Believer. And by the way—I don’t care how much Bible knowledge you may posses, If you don’t spend time daily walking with your God, you will be carnal. How sad it is to hear of Christian people who mistreat and injure others. They have a surplus of Scriptural knowledge but somewhere along the way got away from walking with God. This is the danger of success.
We learn from various Scriptures that the Bible is more than just a book, it is a person. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD” (John 1:1). “And THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is the LIVING WORD, the Bible is the WRITTEN WORD. Jesus is the Word of God. “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD” (Revelation 19:13). Let me say, to spend time with God’s Word is to spend time with God. If we obey the Bible, we are obeying God. If we don’t believe the Bible, we are spitting on God.
The Word of God is a book of power! “For the WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). There is NO book in the universe that can compare to the power of the Word of God. It was the very Word of God that created the universe. It was the Word of God that became flesh and dwelt among men and they beheld His glory as of the only Begotten Son of God. It’s been said, “If man could write the Bible, he wouldn’t and if he would, he couldn’t.” There is no way possible that such a book could have been written by mortal men. The Bible is the only Book in the world that shows men their sinfulness and offers a plan of redemption. The Bible is alive because the Holy Spirit (God) speaks to us while we read it. God has promised to guide His Children into the truth through His Holy Spirit. God is the Author of the Bible, not man. The Author will guide us if we will allow Him.
Many people are scared of the Bible. The Bible scares many people because it demands an answer. Everyone must decide whether or not there is a hell, a heaven, a God, a devil, eternal damnation, life beyond the grave, etc. Every single human being must decide these things. The Bible is a constant reminder that time is running out. You cannot read and familiarize yourself with the Bible without being convicted by the Holy Spirit of God for He is the Divine Author. John 3:20 tells us why many people avoid the Bible, “For every one that DOETH EVIL hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, LEST HIS DEEDS SHOULD BE REPROVED. The Bible is a book of conviction. Many people miss out on salvation because of their love for sin, because they refuse to admit that they’re ways are sinful. You see my friend, you can’t get saved until you admit that you’re a sinner, deserving of hell. If your not willing to confess your sins by admitting your wicked ways to yourself first and then to God, then you don’t need a Savior. Many people will not be honest with themselves. If there’s no crime, then there’s no punishment. Do you see your need for Christ?
Perhaps you do not accept the Bible as God’s Word. I once heard a man say that he would never accept the Bible as God’s Word until God Himself handed it to him. This man is living dangerously! That’s like saying he won’t be careful around electricity unless he can see it or like saying he won’t look before crossing the street unless he can hear the cars. Faith requires us to believe in spite of the doubts which we may have. No one has an excuse not to follow after God. If you do not believe in God or fail to acknowledge His Word as being inspired, I encourage you to read Romans chapter one (the entire chapter). If you still do not accept the Bible as God’s Word after reading Romans Chapter one, it’s only because you have not glorified God in your life. One of the chapters in this book is entitled “When They Knew God.” It’s a brief Bible study from Romans chapter one. This is a practical lesson but to the point. There is not a clearer passage in the entire Bible concerning those who run from God.
The Word of God is precious to the Believer because of all the thousands of promises which God has given us. Our very hope of salvation is based upon our faith in God’s Word. The Bible is not merely a book, It is THE BOOK. Our attitude towards the Bible is a direct indication of our attitude towards God Almighty. Sometimes Christians are called “narrow-minded.” All Believers ought to be as narrow-minded as the Bible. Too many people are experts on evil and dirty thinking. God wants us to be naive concerning evil and knowledgeable concerning good. “...I would have you WISE unto that which is good, and SIMPLE concerning evil” (Romans 16:19). This means we need to spend more time reading our Bible than we do reading the newspaper. We should hear from God before we hear from man. We should avoid listening to gossip. Learn to say, “I really don’t need to hear this.” It is good for us to get into the Word, but it is MUCH BETTER for the Word to get into us. The Spirit of Christ comes into our heart at the moment we accept Christ as our Savior. As we read and study the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ will reveal to us the true meaning of His Word. The Word of God is inseparable to our salvation and our Christian growth. We must prioritize the Bible as the center of our thoughts and meditate upon the Scriptures throughout our daily lives.
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