By Gerald Cowan & Ron Thomas
God is – always was, and always will be – eternal and unchanging (Ps. 90:1-2, Mal. 3:6). RT: In practical terms this means there is no time in human existence when He was not present, and neither is there going to be any time in the future to one’s existence when He is not present. If He is unchanging, then let us learn that as He dealt with sin in old times, He will deal with it the same now.
God created, established, set in order and ar ranged the world and man (Gen. 1:1, Is. 45:18). RT: With God there is no room for the General Theory of Evolution. Each person must make a decision. Decisions have consequences.
God provided and maintains a way of salvation and fellowship with Him (John 3:16, Heb. 10:12-18). RT: Salvation is the work of God, He originated it and calls on people to repent in order to be saved. With Him, no other way of salvation from sin. In God’s work of salvation, He wants to see no one perish (loose their soul) in a devil’s hell.
God has spoken. The essential message of God is preserved and available in the Bible (Matt. 4:4, 1 Peter 1:25). RT: The faith has been once and for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 3) and we have all things that pertain to life and godliness through Him that called us (2 Peter. 1:3). Since this is the case, in one’s response to God, what more is needed? There is nothing more except to respond to His holy will as revealed in the pages of the New Testament.
God will not speak again – there will be no new message and no additional mes sage before and until the end of world (Gal. 1:6-9, Rev. 22:18-19). RT: Those religiously devoted people who frequently declare God spoke to him or her—they are deceived and are con trolled by the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4; 2:11). See the remark above.
God works, is still working (John 5:17, Col. 1:16-17). RT: The Lord’s word works in them that believe (1 Thess. 2:13); He works in the affairs of man (Dan. 4:17); He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think (Eph. 3:20-21). He will not, however, say more than He has already said.
God is still loving and blessing (James 1:17, 21). RT: What would we know about love if not from God? We would only guess. As it is, a large portion of the population does guess and defines love in such a cavalier way they know nothing (or next to nothing) about what it means. Let the Lord tell you what it means by taking note of what He did.
God still hears and answers prayer (1 Peter 3:12). RT: The Lord will hear the pray ers of those who love and obey Him; He will not hear the prayers of those in rebellion to Him. Those who are searching or are perplexed and confused about matters in life and the ways of the Lord, these the Lord addresses however He chooses to do so.
God still saves (1 Tim. 1:15). RT: If God can save a man who called himself the chief of sinners, He can and will save you if submit to the authority of His name. It is not within man that walks to direct his steps (Jer. 10:23); to direct your own steps means you can determine your own way; this is the way of death (Prov. 14:12). The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9). It is deceitful because each person tells himself continually that his motives are good even if his direction is not.
God has judged, is judging, and will judge all (Gen. 18:25, Heb. 4:12-13, Acts 17:30-31). RT: There is coming a day of judgment wherein all who live will stand before the Lord and be judged by the things done in this life. If one does not begin with Jesus, then all else, no matter how good it might have been, fails. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son” (1 John 5:10, ASV).
- Ron Thomas preacher for the Sunrush Church of Christ, Chillicothe, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. http://sunrushchurchofchrist.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment