Faith is absolutely essential if one wants to be saved. The Hebrew writer said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Paul wrote about being “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1). But while faith is essential, it is important to understand that we must have the right kind of faith as it is described in the New Testament. If we do not, then whatever faith we do have will be worthless or in vain. How can faith become of no value to us?
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Micah 1-7.
After condemning the rulers for oppressive taxation of the people (Micah 3:1-3), the Lord addressed the prophets who had the same “love of money” (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10) as the rulers. Money, rather than simply proclaiming the word of God, was the primary motivation for these prophets.
“Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord saying, ‘Is not the Lord in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us’” (Micah 3:11).
Since their motivation was money and not truth (their claim that the Lord was with them and would protect them was false), these prophets adjusted their message depending on whether or not their audience would support them.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 1-4.
When Ahaziah fell sick, his decision to seek help from a false god instead of the true, living God cost him his life.
“And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.’ But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?” Now therefore thus says the Lord, “You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.”‘ Then Elijah departed” (1 Kings 1:2-4).
Ahaziah later died “according to the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 1:17).
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18.
When Ahab wished to go up and fight against Ramoth-gilead, he asked the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, if he would join him. Before committing to this, Jehoshaphat wanted to first consult one of the Lord’s prophets.
“Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Please inquire first for the word of the Lord.’ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?’ And they said, ‘Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.’
“But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?’ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla’” (2 Chronicles 18:4-7).
Thought from today’s Bible reading from Proverbs 27-29.
Civil authorities have a role to play in handing down justice to men. Justice is one of the key components necessary to having stability and peace in a country.
“The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man who takes bribes overthrows it” (Proverbs 29:4).
But what is the basis of this justice? How should we (or the rulers) determine what is just in a given situation?
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 1-4.
After the death of Saul, “a man who came out of the camp of Saul” (2 Samuel 1:2), yet identified himself as an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:8), came to David to report to him of Saul’s death. Yet he was not completely honest in his report.
“The young man who told him said, ‘By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, “Here I am.” He said to me, “Who are you?” And I answered him, “I am an Amalekite.” Then he said to me, “Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.” So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord’” (2 Samuel 1:6-10).
This man had Saul’s crown and bracelet, so he had obtained them somehow. Yet his story was not accurate. Saul fell on his own sword, killing himself (1 Samuel 31:4). When the Philistines found him, “They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons” (1 Samuel 31:9), yet nothing is said of his crown and bracelet. What likely happened was that this man found the dead king before the Philistines did, took these two items, and was now bringing them to David.
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In the Scriptures, the term walk is often used to describe the way in which we conduct our lives. God expects His people to conduct their lives in a certain way. Paul wrote to the brethren in Colossae about this: “So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects” (Colossians 1:10). How do we walk in a worthy manner?
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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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