This is the most important question one may ask. We know that all who are of accountable age “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Many disregard sin as being an inconsequential matter. Others mock the very concept of sin. Yet the Scriptures paint a grave reality. Sin makes “a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Paul plainly affirmed, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
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Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me.The arrogant utterly deride me,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O Lord,
And comfort myself.Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked,
Who forsake Your law.Your statutes are my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.O Lord, I remember Your name in the night,
And keep Your law.This has become mine,
That I observe Your precepts.(Psalm 119:49-56)
This lesson will address the importance of remembering God’s word. His word will not do us any good if we do not know it. Furthermore, God’s word will not help us if we forget it. So let us consider what the psalmist said about remembering God’s word – why to do it and how to do it.
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“At that time the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.’ So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
“This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.
“Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day” (Joshua 5:2-9).
After crossing the Jordan river into the land of Canaan (Joshua 3), but before conquering the first city (Joshua 6), the Lord commanded Joshua to circumcise the sons of Israel. It is important that we understand the reasons why this was done because their physical circumcision is parallel to our spiritual circumcision. Let us consider some lessons that we can learn from this account.
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After crossing the Red Sea and witnessing the destruction of the Egyptian army by the power of God, Moses and the Israelites sang praises to the Lord. The song recorded mentioned several reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise. As we consider these reasons, we should also recognize that God is worthy of praise for the same reasons today.
Let us briefly consider the reasons why Moses and the Israelites praised the Lord on this occasion.
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“As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life’” (John 6:66-68).
Public opinion can quickly change. This chapter in John’s gospel began with Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand people – and this number only included the men (John 6:1-13). As a result, the people concluded, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). Believing this, they were ready “to come and take Him by force [and] make Him king” (John 6:15), even though this would require them to do battle against the powerful Roman army. But by the end of the chapter, all of them had left except for His twelve disciples (John 6:66-68).
Why did the crowd leave Jesus? There are at least two reasons for this:
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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17).
When Paul wrote to the saints in Rome, he said he was “not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). Because of the confidence he had in Christ’s message, he was “eager to preach the gospel” (Romans 1:15) and do many other things in the cause of Christ.
We need to have the same confidence as Paul so that we can also say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). Can we say this? To answer that question, we need to consider what we would be willing to do with and for the gospel.
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The Barna Group released a report on “Bible-Minded” cities. The report ranked the “Bible-mindedness” of individuals in the 100 largest media markets in the United States. According to the criteria of the Barna Group, an individual is “Bible-minded” based on two qualifications:
It is interesting to read reports like this one. Regardless of how “Bible-minded” the cities are in which we live, there are some points we should consider.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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