Tag Archives: God’s Word

What Is Biblical Faith?

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Genesis 12:1-3

I’m starting the second of Warren Wiersbe’s “BE” study series in Genesis. After completing the first book, BE BASIC, I’m looking forward to continuing studying God’s Word and considering Wiersbe’s opinions on these chapters. (Be Obedient; David C. Cook Publishers; Colorado Springs, CO; 2010). As always, I will let the Bible be the final authority.

If I am to evaluate my own faith journey, I need to look at what the Bible says about faith. Paul tells us:

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. (Romans 10:17)

Biblical faith isn’t based on how we feel. True faith comes from hearing and believing the Word of God. We in 2025 can hear God’s words as we read the Bible. We hear God’s word over the airwaves and in our churches. We hear God’s words in the testimonies of other believers. Placing our faith in God must be based on the words of God.

Abraham, an idolator, heard God’s audible words. He didn’t blow them off as a crazy dream or indigestion. Abraham believed the words he heard, and believed the One speaking was true. The proof of his faith is in the fact he obeyed the words he heard from God.

Abraham didn’t say, “God, if you bless me, I’ll believe and obey.” Wiersbe rightly says, “We are not saved by making promises to God; we are saved by believing God’s promises to us.” (Be Obedient, p 22)

You may have heard tales of salvation experiences go something like this:

“I was desperate so I prayed, ‘God, I promise if you (such and such) I’ll believe in you.'”

or “God, if you do (such and such) I’ll stop sinning and follow you.”

One popular Bible teacher has a similar salvation story. She claims that on a desperate and lonely night she prayed that God could take her sons, He could have her social life, if only He would just give her peace. She goes on to say that is when she received the “Prince of Peace.”

Friends, these are not examples of Biblical faith. You don’t bargain with God for your salvation.

None of the disciples put a condition on their faith. Jesus said, “Follow me.” They heard His words, and followed. It was Jesus they believed.

Wiersbe says “Abraham was saved by faith, lived by faith, and his obedience was the evidence of his faith.” (p22). But Abraham’s faith was built on the words He heard God speak to him. It wasn’t a shot in the dark. It wasn’t give and take. God’s words were foundational to Abraham’s faith.

And to mine.

I want to repeat what Wiersbe said on page 22:

“We are not saved by making promises to God; we are saved by believing God’s promises to us.”

So for the next few weeks I will be looking at God’s promises as I consider my faith journey. Wiersbe’s subtitle for this book is “Exhibiting Real Faith in the Real World.” My prayer is that God will speak clearly as I read His word, will challenge my faith, and equip me to exhibit real faith every day, in every situation. And may God be glorified.

Smart Enough

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Genesis 3:1-6

When you were young and your mother told you the red coil on top of the stove was hot so you shouldn’t touch it or you’d get burned, you had a choice. Some of us took our moms at her word and avoided the red coil. Some of you might be wearing the scars from the burn, or at least remember the pain you felt when you questioned the truth of what Mom said, and decided to find out for yourself.

One criticism of Christianity is that we simply believe the Bible as true without questioning it. The critics imply that we are not intellectual or just gullible or that we are missing out on the enlightenment of the universe (or some such nonsense).

Consider what questioning God’s Word did for Eve. Satan planted a seed of doubt. But instead of going back to the Word of God, she began to use her own logic. The seed of doubt grew to rejecting God’s Word, and to sin.

I will not apologize for believing the infallibility of God’s Word. I will not be intimidated by the intellectual sounding arguments of some. I will not even consider any other so-called truth.

I don’t need to touch the hot stove to see if what Mom said was true.

God, who created me, inspired His Words to be written down so that I can hear and accept the warning, so that I could hear and accept His grace. His Words are true because God is true.

I’m certainly not smarter than God. But I”m smart enough to take His Word for it.

Stay On The Ship

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Acts 27

I was talking to my pastor yesterday about how easy it can be to believe a lie. If you take time to listen to people who reject God, you being to understand their point of view. That can be a good thing, and I hope we are all investing ourselves in people we love and who are rejecting God. But when our understanding of their viewpoint becomes acceptance, we have a problem.

Paul was heading to Rome to be tried for bogus crimes the Jews made up to get rid of him. The ship he was sailing on got caught in a hurricane-force storm that pummeled them for weeks. The soldiers did everything they knew what to do to save the ship from being torn to pieces. They naturally feared for their lives, so Paul encouraged them with a word from God:

But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. (Acts 27:22-25)

In other words, stay in the ship and God has promised me you will be saved. Some of the sailors panicked, however. In their minds, and from what they believed about ships and storms, they determined the better option was to escape to land by lifeboats. They began to lower the lifeboats with the intention of abandoning the ship, in opposition to the Word of God.

When Paul saw what they were doing, he said to the centurion guarding him:

Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved. (Acts 27:31b)

So the ropes were cut, the lifeboats dropped empty into the raging sea. And although the ship was lost, not one of those men lost his life.

I think the moral of the story is the Word of God. Do you believe it or not?

We must sift everything we hear through the words God spoke. We must shape our world-view, our morality, our stand on what is right and what is wrong, our definition of sin and its punishment, our understanding of grace and mercy and love, through the lens of Scripture.

We all hear things from time to time that sound reasonable, maybe even scriptural. And maybe we think: “Ok. I can see their point. Maybe they have something there.”

BUT WAIT!

Before you go any further with that thought you better ask yourself: what does Scripture say? Not just a random verse taken out of context. What does God really say, how did it play out in the lives of the Old Testament Jews, how did Jesus embody the words spoken by the prophets?

Dear ones, there is one Truth. Anything that veers from that Truth is merely opinion and is nothing to stand on. Anything that is not Truth is a lie.

There is one salvation. There is one ship. To attempt to save yourself any other way is death.

I can confidently say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one goes to the Father without going through Jesus. I can say you must be born again. I can say that faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I can tell you that Scripture is God-breathed and it is the first and final authority.

I can say those things unapologetically, having built my life on the truth of it, because those words are in the Bible and the truth of them is demonstrated in those precious pages, and in my life.

Again I ask you concerning to the Word of God: do you believe it or not? Your life depends on your answer.

When the Question is, “Why?”

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Ezekiel 25-29

When God told the prophet about the impending doom for the nations, He not only told them what would happen, who would conquer them, and exactly the sin He was punishing them for, God was very clear about why they were being punished:

“Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”

Often when people go through hardships one of the first things they ask is, “Why?” “Why me?” “Why now?” “Why this?” The answer is the same as it was in Ezekiel’s day:

Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.

Oh, you may be experiencing discipline over a sin you’ve yet to repent of. Or you might be suffering because of a choice you have made; maybe a choice someone else has made. But in it all, God wants you to see Him.

God longs for you to come to Him. He died so you can be saved. Your suffering doesn’t go unnoticed by an absent God. He is there in the midst of it, revealing Himself, drawing you to His saving grace.

So the next time you are tempted to ask, “Why?” open your Bible. See God. Hear Him say exactly what you need to hear through the words He inspired to be written to you. Then submit to God with all your heart. Your situation might not change. But you will discover that all things will work for your good if you love Him, and are answering His call.

Just Like Me

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Genesis 32-35

The Bible doesn’t portray God’s people as saints. In fact, God is very honest to paint a picture of flawed, deceitful, prideful sinners. From Adam to Israel we see rebellious, foolish, and violent people who squander their relationship with God.

Why didn’t God cover up their disobedience when He inspired men to write out His history with His people? Why didn’t He rationalize their sin, give excuses for their sin? Why didn’t He make it look like people with a relationship with Him do no wrong, and always have everything they need and want? You don’t try to sell a used car by pointing out the bald tires and faulty transmission.

God didn’t sugar-coat what happened because God’s people are no different today than they were then. We are no less accountable for our choices than they were. And God is as patient and willing to forgive today as He was in the pages we read in His Word.

God lays it all out there so we can relate, we can recognize our own bent to sin, and we can trust Him to do what He’s always done – forgive repentant sinners just like Jacob…

and just like me.

Kindling For The Fire

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Jeremiah 36-39

Does it shock you that King Zedekiah could cut off a portion of God’s Word and throw it into the fire? He cut off one section at a time until the whole scroll was destroyed. Can you believe this man’s audacity? His blatant disrespect for God’s word is astounding.

When I was in pre-school our Sunday School teachers, Aunt Minnie and Aunt Rose taught us to never set anything on top of our Bibles. They had us practice stacking books so we would learn to place the Bible above all others. Aunt Minnie and Aunt Rose would not be happy with Zedekiah!

But, as always, God asks me to dig a little deeper. I am right to be appalled at Zedekiah’s unbelievable rejection of God’s Word. But am I as appalled at my own?

You don’t reject God’s Word, Connie. You read it every day. You write what you’ve learned about what you’ve read every day. You even throw it out into cyber-space, praying someone will be drawn closer to God through your blog. You teach Sunday School, for crying out loud. You haven’t rejected God’s Word. You proclaim it every day.

Ain’t I special?

But God doesn’t let us pat ourselves on the back very long before He slaps us in the face:

What about those thoughts you have that dishonor me? Did you cut out Philippians 4:8 and throw it into the fire? How about Matthew 10:37-39? Aren’t you more concerned about offending your family than you are about being true to Me? That’s a hard verse. Maybe it’s just easier to cut it out of Scripture and throw it into the fire.

Ouch.

I can condemn old Zedekiah all I want. But I don’t think God included this account in His Word so we could point fingers at some guy who’s been dead for thousands of years.

I hear God asking me today: How chopped up is your own Bible, Connie?

If we are cutting out portions of God’s Word because we don’t want to deal with the Truth and we don’t like what it’s telling us about ourselves, we might be preparing the kindling to start the very fire that will torture us in eternity.

How Much Clearer?

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Jeremiah 18-22

If you turn from wickedness. If you obey. If you humble yourselves. All of these “ifs” are followed by God’s promise to bless and not curse, to restore and not destroy.

If you continue to sin. If you turn your back on God and refuse to repent. If you insist on being your own god, then brace yourselves. God’s judgment will come without mercy.

How much clearer does God have to be?

Come on, Christian. What is it going to be? The choice you make today will bless or curse your life both now and in eternity. But it will also impact your family, your church, and collectively our communities, nation, and the world. Your decision, my decision, the decision of all of us who call ourselves Christians is that important.

How much clearer does God have to be?

Woke Is No Joke

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Acts 21

Man, we have not changed in 2,000 years. The parallel between what happened to Paul in Jerusalem, and what is happening today is unmistakable. Someone started a rumor using a half truth (which is a whole lie), and a mob formed; an angry mob that wanted to cancel Paul. (Ok. The wording in Scripture is actually “kill him.” But you get the picture).

I am convinced the Woke mob of the 21st Century are up in arms over lies. And that movement wants to cancel anyone who dares point that out. I couldn’t begin to list all the lies they’ve adopted as “their truth.” But it ranges from sexual identity to racism, global warming to the very definitions of love and truth.

They blindly follow the liars who tell them that when they are “woke,” they are free from the restraints of bigots, religion, white men, and capitalism. But these woke folks are walking in their sleep. Their eyes are tightly shut, even as they are told they are seeing for the first time. They join a mob of the blind leading the blind.

1 Corinthians 3:19a says:

For the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God’s sight.

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2-3)

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about fools (which I interpret as woke). Google Bible verses about fools if you want to know what God has to say about people who think they know more than He does.

Fools, how long will you love being ignorant? How long will you make fun of wisdom? How long will you hate knowledge? (Proverbs 1:22)

The mob in Paul’s day wanted to kill him. And they were wrong in their belief.

They were wrong.

And so is anyone who bases his or her belief on anything other than the authority of God’s Word.

Wokeness is foolishness whether it’s proclaimed by people wanting nothing to do with God, or by people calling themselves Christians. And, like the mob that wanted Paul dead, the woke mob is dangerous. They may want to silence the Truth, may want to silence you and I who proclaim the Truth, but they are mostly a danger to their own eternal souls.

This is serious. Woke is no joke.

The Bible Tells Me So

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Acts 18

The more I read the Bible, the more I let it speak for itself. My decades of sitting through sermons, studying Bible study materials, and searching trusted commentaries used to shape my interpretation of Scripture. I’d read a passage and something I’d heard in a past sermon would come to mind, or something I’d read in one of the many books on my shelf would remind me of what the author had said about the passage.

But every day for the past 9 1/2 years, I’ve opened my Bible and let it be the single authority in my quiet time with the Lord. Now, when I read a passage that makes me pause, God brings to mind other Scripture that speaks to the same issue. I’m learning to read the Bible through the lens of Scripture.

It’s not that I don’t read commentaries or refer to Bible study materials while I’m preparing my Sunday School lesson. I’ve been known to Google references. But now, instead of allowing the opinions of these Bible scholars to tell me what God means, I let God show me if they are truly saying what He means according to His Word.

Priscilla and Aquila knew the power of God’s Word. When Apollos was preaching only partial truth, they sat down with Him and used the Scripture to explain to him that Jesus was the Messiah. (vs 28)

Paul, in his letter to Timothy tells us:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (1 Timothy 3:16-17)

God-breathed. That’s incredible. What an amazing Book I hold in my hand.

A You Tuber (Brylan and Lisa) interviewed Andy Stanley, who has stopped referring to the Bible when he preaches. He downplays the virgin birth. He calls it a “story” about Jesus’ birth, and doesn’t think it’s all that important. He says the Bible is not how we know about the resurrection. I encourage you to watch this, “BEWARE This False Teacher/Andy Stanley” on the Brylan and Lisa You Tube channel.

I say all this to challenge you to know for yourself what God has written to you so that, no matter who is speaking or writing, you will be able to recognize what aligns with God’s point of view, and what is merely the opinion of imperfect people. Let Scripture be the authority… BECAUSE IT IS!

Andy Stanley is not the authority on Scripture, neither is your pastor, and certainly neither am I.

Prayerfully read the Bible from cover to cover. Then read it again. And again. Join a Bible study. Go to church and Sunday School. Read a trusted Bible scholar. BUT LET GOD’S WORD INTERPRET WHAT THEY SAY, RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

Sorry, Andy. Your opinion of Scripture is wrong. The Bible tells me so.

Just Asking

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Nehemiah 7

The reading of God’s Word was taken so seriously in Nehemiah’s day. When Ezra stood up and began to read, the people stood and listened closely… from early morning to noon! (verse 3)

Everyone listened, including children who were old enough to understand.

Hours.

Standing.

Listening closely.

Ezra didn’t preach. He read God’s Word.

Does your church stand for the reading of God’s Word (the whole 90 seconds it takes to read the morning passage)?

Do you read for hours, comfortably sitting in your home with a cup of coffee, listening closely to God’s Word?

Just asking.