Monday, February 5, 2024

Belief and Obedience - Proverbial Horse and Carriage

"And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

Based on what Jesus said, how much of the Bible should we be taught? everything that the Word (John 1:1) has said. So, how much of the Bible are we to obey? All of it. How much of the Bible do we obey? Only the part that we believe. Why would we not believe everything? Let's go back to the Garden.

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate." - Genesis 3:1-6

As Christians, our challenge is the temptation to believe the World or the god of this World over what God has made plain in His Word. The culture can present a "reasonable" argument as to why we should follow its definition of right and our own thinking and not God's commands. The temptation is attractive to our flesh - the human mind and its lusts and reject what the Spirit has made plain. 

"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." - 1 John 2:16

It is like Jesus temptation in the wilderness.  Satan spoke to the man Jesus - just like he spoke to the woman, Eve in the Garden. "the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise" and to Jesus - "Turn these stones into bread" (and satisfy yourself!) Jesus, the man, was hungry. But, Jesus' response was "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word the proceeds from the mouth of God (the Father)." - Matthew 4:4

How about you? Whose voice are you listening to? Who and what are you believing and obeying?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

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