This past month the 112th Congress of the United States was sworn into office and publicly read The Constitution of the United States. “We the People of the United States,” the newly elected Speaker of the House, John Boehner began, “in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Every American should know and appreciate this historic document.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was tragically shot and wounded in Tuscan last week end read the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Note: This does not prohibit God’s people from being active participants in our democracy. It does prohibit the Government from establishing a national church and from legally interfering with religious institutions.) Let’s all continue to pray for the Congreesswoman and all who are suffering from that wicked attacker.
Critics charged that it was a waste of time to read the Constitution. They said that the U. S. Constitution was flawed, and really not relevant to our times. Truth be told, every liberty, right, and privilege of the American citizenship is granted and secured by our Constitution. Without this foundation, our government would devolve into a cruel form of tyranny or anarchy. Those with either the gold and/or the guns would arbitrarily force their will upon us!
But Congress is restrained and governed by the Constitution. The Courts are required to to preserve and interpret the Constitution. And the President, the Executive Branch of our Government, is sworn to defend and enforce the Constitution. We are a nation of laws, whose first and foremost law is that enshrined in the Constitution.
We are anxious to defend our nation’s Constitution from those who would depreciate, desecrate, and destroy this foundation of our democracy. But it occurs to us that there is an even greater threat to the nation, and the souls of our nation: That is the pernicious attack on the Constitution of the Christian Church—God’s Word, the Bible.
Without the Virtues, the Verities, and the Values of Scripture, life is chaos and we have no hope in eternity. That’s why we are contending for GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD--OUR UNFAILING GUIDE!
We are sure that the Bible is inerrant—without error.
We are sure that we have an accurate text—what was written by God’s holy men. No other ancient text is as well-documented and preserved as the Bible. The Holy Spirit guarantees that we have “a sure word” (2 Peter 1:19) that “endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
And we are sure that our text is accurate—that it perfectly reveals God’s will, and that there are no historical, factual, scientific, philosophical, or theological errors in its pages. We have taken holy glee in watching Darwin’s theory of evolution falter under the weight of new-found evidence. Hold to God’s Infallible Word!
The truth is, it is not men who judge God’s Word, rather it is God’s Word that judges men. The sooner we see that truth, repent of our sins, and humbly walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the better off we all will be.
THE WORD OF GOD PERFECTLY REVEALS GOD’S WILL
The Bible is rich in spiritual truth. It reveals God’s plan of redemption for sinful man. It tells of God’s saving grace, teaching grace, keeping grace, and sanctifying grace. It teaches us how we are to order our relationship with God—“He’s first”, and how we should relate with others. It tells us how we are to act and react towards our family, our friends, and our enemies. It directs how we should use our money and what we should be giving. And it specifically teaches us how to live a holy and separated-from-the-world lifestyle. (For example men are not to wear clothing that pertains to women, and women are not to wear clothing that pertains to men, Deuteronomy 22:5; Modesty is not optional, 1st Timothy 2:9; and we are to refrain from tattoos and markings on our bodies, Leviticus 19:28). How would any of us know these things except that God’s Word teaches us?
THE WORD OF GOD PERFECTLY REVEALS MY WILL
The Apostle Paul testified, “The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” (Galatians 3:24ff). Indeed seeing what God requires hits us hard! We know that we have disobeyed God. We also know that our pride resists the idea that God should be able to tell us how to think, what to do, and who we should be. That’s why the writer to the Hebrews says, “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). God’s Word reveals what is in us. And Praise God! it also teaches us of saving and sanctifying grace that washes away all our guilt and purifies our hearts!
THE WORD OF GOD REVEALS OUR ONLY HOPE
The Prophet Jeremiah was direct:
Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord…(but) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. (Jeremiah 17:5-7)
The Apostle John plainly revealed the way of salvation through Jesus Christ.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:7)
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. (1 John 1:6)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2,3)
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