Thought from today’s Bible reading from James 1-5.
“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
James closed his letter with a reminder of the concern that fellow Christians were to have for one another. In these verses we learn a few lessons about sin.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 1-3.
After healing a lame man at the gate of the temple, Peter had the opportunity to preach the second gospel sermon recorded in the book of Acts. As he did with the first, he condemned his audience for their part in the death of Christ (Acts 3:14-15). However, he acknowledged that they acted in ignorance.
“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19).
Jesus’ mission was part of God’s “predetermined plan” (Acts 2:23). The Old Law, which the Jews had access to, told them about the coming Christ (John 5:46; Galatians 3:24). Yet they missed the point of these prophecies. Therefore, because they were in ignorance about what God revealed, they rejected Christ.
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Many Christians are disappointed in the outcome of the recent Presidential election in which Barack Obama was reelected for another four year term. But despite their disappointment, many have concluded that it must have been God’s will for the President to be reelected. They believe that the Lord must have some plan and a reason why He put Barack Obama back in the White House. The passage often cited by those who speak this way is in Daniel.
“This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17, NKJV).
However, it is important to note that the time in which Daniel prophesied was different than the time in which we live. While God had a direct hand in raising rulers and overthrowing governments in the time of Daniel, we should not immediately conclude that He is working in the same way today. I wrote about this in a previous article. For the sake of time, I will quote from a portion of that article here:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Luke 17:11-18:14.
Jesus told a parable of two men – a Pharisee and a tax collector – in order to teach a lesson about attitudes and how one perceived himself before God.
“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted’” (Luke 18:9-14).
The Pharisee would have been recognized by others as being righteous. The tax collector acknowledged that he was a sinner. Yet he was justified, and the Pharisee was not. Why? Notice the two problems with the Pharisee:
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As time goes on, homosexuality is increasingly becoming more accepted in our society. As it becomes more accepted, it will become more common. A recent Gallup survey found that 3.4% of adults in the United States identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
The survey also found an interesting statistic regarding the percentage of homosexuals among various age groups. The numbers are very difficult for those who wish to argue that homosexuality is a matter of inherent sexual orientation, rather than choice.
Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age – at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.
How do we explain the number of homosexuals being more than three times higher among young adults as it is among seniors? How do we account for the percentage of homosexuals declining with age? There are two possibilities:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 18.
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).
The New King James Version starts with the phrase, “If your brother sins against you.” Though the New American Standard Bible (quoted above) does not contain a similar phrase, the context certainly implies that private sins that one brother commits against another are the type of sins under consideration. Others were not aware of the sin until after the guilty brother had been approached by the brother whom he had sinned against.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 15; Mark 7.
After condemning the Pharisees for worshiping God in vain and elevating the commandments of men to the same status as the commandments of God, Jesus told them they were experts. Unfortunately, they were not experts in an area that was any good.
“He was also saying to them, ‘You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition’” (Mark 7:9).
Jesus was certainly not praising them for their expertise here. They had become highly adept at violating the commandment of God while still appearing to be religious. Sadly, many people today do the same thing. But notice how the Pharisees did this.
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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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