4 Big Reasons to Read Your Bible(Reasons 1 & 2)

2. The Law

Romans 7:7 What then shall we say?  That the law is sin? By no means!  Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.  For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

                              

The Law is important for three reasons. 1. It reveals to us what sin is. 2. It leaves us guilty before God. 3. It teaches us how to live.

1 John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Since sin is going against the Law then shouldn’t we know what the Law is?  How can you know what the Law is if you don't read your Bible.  You want to know what the Law says?  Then read Exodus 20 for a start.  I guarantee that you are guilty of breaking at least a few of these laws.  Once you realize that you are guilty before God for violating his laws then that leads us to reason number 2.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Now that the law has been made known to you, you will no longer be able to justify your sins because now you know that they are wrong beyond doubt. This leaves the door open for the Gospel because you realize that without some help you are going to be condemned.  This is why the Law is such an important part of evangelizing, because it is only through the Law that people realize their deep need for the grace of Jesus Christ. How can we make them realize their need of grace if we as Christians do not even know the Law?  It also ties into an earlier point I made about how the Bible teaches us to live.

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the Law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

This is a very important passage because it shows that while we should take delight in the Law it is impossible for us to keep it.  It also shows that it is very important for us to TRY to follow the Law in a pursuit of righteousness.  Just because we are Christians and freed from the Law does not give us license to disobey it.  On the Contrary.

1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep sinning because he has been born of God. 

Notice that it says that, "no one born of God makes a PRACTICE of sinning." It does not say that one who is born of God does not sin, just that they do not willfully sin.  So therefore it is important for us Christians to study the Law of God so the sins that we are not yet conscious of may be revealed to us in order that we might correct them in our pursuit of righteousness.

1. The Gospel Message

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jews first and also to the Greek . 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

This passage gives a definition for what the Gospel is.  It is the power of salvation for anyone who believes.  Well, believes in what exactly?

Romans 10:9 - because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

It is important to realize that Jesus came and was the fulfillment of the Law.  Because God must be just and cannot let sin go unpunished He sent His one and only Son to bear the punishment for our sins (death) so that we can be safe from His wrath.  This is the gospel message.  That we who are guilty sinners are saved from God's just wrath by the blood that was shed by Jesus (who was guiltless before the Law) when He was crucified on the cross.  God further showed His power over death and thus showed us His power to save us from death when He raised Jesus from the dead after three days.

Romans 5:8 but God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned alread , because he has not believed in the name of the Son of God.

We have seen how the Law keeps people from justifying their sin.  So it is important that after we have stopped their own justifications that we let them know the Gospel so that they might truly be justified before God. 

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through  the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

How can we hope to spread the Gospel without knowing exactly what it is?  These are just a few clarified verses that help explain exactly what the Gospel is, but I cannot describe to you the feeling of awe that will fill you when you are reading the Bible on your own and you come to the realization that the Gospel isn't one of the many themes in the Bible.  It IS the theme of the Bible.  The more you read, the more you will begin to realize that the whole Bible tells of the Gospel and that all of its passages are tied to the Gospel.

The Bible does not need to be modernized or revamped or spiced up in order to get people interested.  The Bible simply needs to be taught so that people can realize on their own just how wonderful it is. You won't realize this if you think of the Bible as a textbook.  Its wonder and majesty can only be realized when you have that eureka moment when you realize that it is God's Word to you.   Every time I read from it I am left in awe and wonder and I want more.  The Bible is fascinating.  The more you read, the more you understand how it all ties together and you just can't get enough of it.  

4 Big Reasons to Read Your Bible (Reasons 3 & 4)

These next two posts are going to be slightly different than my others.  If you have read my other posts then you know how important the Bible is and why every professing Christian should devote time to studying it.  In these two posts I am simply going to put this into a list and expand on why the Bible is important and the importance of knowing what it says.

4. Sword of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17- and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,

Hebrews 4:12- For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the hearts.

The Bible is the ultimate weapon in any spiritual battle.  The Bible is what Christians need to turn to for any need.  Need help evangelizing? Read your Bible (For more on this see number 2).  Feel like you are under attack by the enemy? Read your Bible.  It is important to know the Bible so that you can fully utilize it as the Sword of the Spirit.  If a soldier is under trained with a sword then it is likely that someone could take it away and use it against him.  The same can be said of the Bible.  If you do not know scripture well enough, then the enemy will try to use it against you. This is shown very clearly during Jesus's temptation in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11) If you are familiar with this then please take note of how Jesus countered.  He countered with MORE scripture and the devil left with his tail between his legs.  Because of Jesus's intense knowledge of scripture (He is the Son of God after all) He knew how to use the weapon at His disposal when the devil tried to use it to trip Him up.  Now we don't have the inherent and perfect knowledge that is at Jesus's disposal, but we can certainly enhance our understanding of scripture by constant study of it.

3. God’s Voice

Luke 11:28 But he said, "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

If people want to hear the Word of God it is really a simple thing to accomplish.  All that you have to do is open the Bible and you will have 66 books of the Word of God, and in it God talks addresses any question that you might have.  I'm not saying that if you are reading the Gospel of John you are literally going to read, "You need to be a doctor."  No, I am merely saying that if you want to know God, and how He wants you to make your choices, then reading the Bible is the best way to accomplish this.

You may have been praying once and felt like you audibly received a word from God.  I am not going to refute that this is impossible because I believe that it is.  However, you shouldn't just accept it as God's voice without first checking what was said through scripture.  Here are a couple of reasons for this.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Yes there are some bad things in this world.  They want to derail you from your pursuit of righteousness.  Just because you have a feeling, heard a voice, or have some other inclination, it does not necessarily mean that it is God-sent.  That is why you must put everything to the test even what other people tell you; it is your responsibility to test its accuracy.  The Bible is the measure in which to test it.  Whether it is from another person, by supernatural experience, or by some feeling that you have, it must be verified through scripture.  The Bible is God's word.  God does not change.  He will not contradict Himself.

Understanding & Appreciating Grace

Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for who we all believe.  For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God , 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The concept of God's gift of grace is very strange to most people who are not Christian, and there are several Christians who do not truly appreciate what a magnificent gift grace is or who miss it all together.  In order to properly understand grace you must first understand why you need it in the first place.  The reason that you need grace is because without it you stand zero chance of getting into heaven.  This is because heaven cannot be earned by anyone  therefore we need to have grace given to us in order to have eternal life.  Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why can't we earn heaven?  You may be thinking that you are pretty much a good person and do not need grace because God will see that on your Judgment Day and overlook the "small" crimes that you are guilty of.  Let's look at a modern courtroom and see how this defense would hold up.  For the sake of argument let's say that you are texting and driving.  While you are doing this you do not see that the light has turned red and you drive straight through the intersection slamming into another vehicle and killing the driver.  You are arrested, you are taken to trial, and you are found guilty.  The judge asks if you would like to say anything before you are sentenced and you reply, "Yes Judge, I would like to point out that I know what I did was wrong, but I am really a good person.  I don't drink. I donate money and time to all of these charities.  This is the only time I have ever broken the law.  Because of this and because I know that you are a good man, I know that you will commute my sentence." After your answer the Judge pauses a moment before replying, "All that you said it true. This is the only time you have broken the law. However, I am a good man and because of that I must see that justice is served." He then proceeds to punish you to the fullest extent of the law.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Well that's a bad example. I would never do something that bad."  Wouldn't you? Matthew 5:21 You have heard it said to those of old, "You shall not murder; whoever murders will be liable to judgment." 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to council; and whoever says, "You Fool!" will be liable to the hell of fire.  Now are you guilty of that?  I have yet to meet anybody who isn't.  And that isn't the only crime you are going to be held accountable for.  Matthew 5:27 You have heard it said, "You shall not commit adultery." 28 But I say to you that everyone who has looked at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  So now you may realize that you are a murdering adulterer.  Well I'm sorry to say that we are not done yet.  Have you ever lied or stolen something? (Exodus 20:15-16)  Have you ever used God's name in vain? (Exodus 20:7, Matthew 12:36) I don't know of anyone who has not done all of these things.  If you are honest with yourself then you should know that you are guilty of all these crimes against God.  My dear friends, this why heaven cannot be earned.  We have been given the standard for entering heaven but we cannot maintain it because we are sinful by our very nature.  Romans 3:20 For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through knowledge of the law comes knowledge of sin.

Now this is where grace comes into play.  God wants us to be in heaven with Him.  Just because He might have to send us to Hell because of our sin does not mean He takes any joy in it.  So what did God do to save us?  He took on a mortal body in the form of Jesus.  He lived a sinless life.  And because He loved us He gave Himself over to death so that He might bear the punishment for our sins.  Then to further show His power over death, Jesus rose from the dead after three days.  This is the gift of grace.  Jesus died so that you might be saved from your just and deserved sentence of Hell.  We didn't do anything to earn this.  The only thing in this life that we earn is Hell.  That is why grace is a gift.  God has given it to us although we didn't deserve it.  All we have to do is accept it and that is a very easy thing to do.  You have to acknowledge the fact that you are a lawbreaker (sinner).  You have to willfully turn your back on sinful things.  This won't stop you from sinning because you are a sinful creature, but it is an important mindset to have.  Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  The process of turning your back on sin, (no longer willfully sinning) is called repentance.  Now you are ready to receive the gift of grace.  Romans 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  There you have it.  After you have repented all you have to do is believe and confess that you know Jesus is God and was raised from the dead.  It is that simple.  It's like accepting a million dollar gift because someone showed you the receipt proving it was legally paid for.  Why wouldn't you take it?  Especially now that you know you need it.  I hope grace makes more sense to you now. It's us being given a gift that wasn't earned, and cannot be repaid.  If you haven't accepted it then I sincerely pray that you do.  If you have, then I hope this has helped you to understand just how wonderful a gift grace is and that you never stop giving thanks and praises to our loving God.

No Excuses

Ezekiel 3-  17 “Son of man I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth you shall give them warning from me.  18 If I say to the wicked ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require by your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and the righteous deeds he has done will not be remembered, but his blood I will require by your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, then he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

                As a Christian the first time I read these verses just a couple of weeks ago I was greatly troubled.  It bothered me so much that I am still losing sleep over it.  The reason that this passage bothers me so much and should bother you too, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, should be quite clear but I will spell it out.  God has given us the charge of spreading the gospel all over the world.  As a matter of fact that is exactly the last thing Jesus commanded us to do before his departure to heaven (Matthew 28:18-20).

                So Jesus has commanded us to go spread the Gospel around the world and has entrusted us with his Holy word as a means to do that.  This was God giving us the warning to spread among the wicked so that they might acknowledge their sins and turn from them.  Who is the wicked? Everyone is wicked.  Romans 3:23- “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  No one in the world can be considered righteous on his/her own merits because we have all broken God’s law in some way.

                What does Ezekiel 3:17-21 have to do with this?  My friends, what God told Ezekiel is that if God told him to warn a wicked man to turn from his sins or die and Ezekiel did not do it then when that person reaped the fruit of his sin (as stated in Romans 6:23) then God will hold Ezekiel accountable for that man’s death.  It is the same with you and me, if we know someone who is living in sin and we don’t try to reach them with the Gospel of Christ even though we know we should.  When we stand before God on our Judgment Day, then God is going to hold us responsible for that person’s fate.

                Can you imagine that? God is the Creator, Father, King, and Judge.  His goodness is perfect in every way and because of that He is going to sentence unrepentant sinners to Hell because that is what is required.  He is going to do that even though He created those sinners in his image because he is a Just Judge who always does what is right even though it might break His heart.  How would you like to stand before God and have Him question you as to why you didn’t do as He commanded you and share the Gospel with one of His children therefore forcing God to sentence His  own creation to an eternity in Hell.  Can you imagine the anger and the pain? It’s making me sick just thinking about it.

                We can make up all sorts of excuses to put off sharing the Gospel with someone.  “I’m scared of what they will think?” “I’m too young.” “I haven’t been a believer long enough.” “I just don’t know enough yet.” All of these excuses sound very good in our own ears.  I am guilty of it too, especially that last excuse.  But after I finished reading the book of Ezekiel I went on to read the book of Jeremiah and God had an answer for me there in the first chapter.

Jeremiah 1: 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord LORD! Behold I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

                You want that simplified? No excuses accepted.  God has given us the Bible as his Holy Word and with it we are supposed to proclaim the Gospel to everyone.  Whether we are young or old, as long as we keep striving to further the Gospel, God will give us the words and wisdom to use His Word to reach his lost, rebellious children. 

                So here I am writing this.  If you are a Christian reading this then I hope what God told Ezekiel and Jeremiah affects  you like it did me and that it motivates you to do what you can to spread the Gospel.  That is why am writing this.  This will be the first of hopefully many writings that are meant to strengthen and encourage my Brothers and Sisters in Christ , and at the same time, teach those who do not know Christ more  him so that they might understand the extent of his sacrifice for them.  For the Gospel is good news indeed.

                Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

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