THE VERY WORD OF GOD

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Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. --Psalm 119:89 Is the Bible just a book or is it “The” Book? Is it just another book of religion? Or can you and I claim that, in his Word, God has spoken completely and definitively as our final source of truth and authority?   When I was a young preacher, it was this question that ultimately changed the direction and brought resurgence to the Southern Baptist Convention.   I was invited to meet with a group of 40-50 pastors of churches and denominational leaders. And each of us stated in one sentence our view regarding the nature and authority of the Scriptures. As each man spoke, you could see two groups of thought emerging.   When my turn came I gave a brief, simple answer: “The Bible is the Word of God.” And then the pastor right after me said, “The Bible contains the Word of God.” In these two statements you see the argument, and it came down to a one-word difference!   Now you may say that’s just a slight difference of opinion. But it’s not; it’s a battle! There’s a battle raging for Truth, for the very Word of God! You see if the Scripture is only partly God’s Word, then it’s not the Truth at all.   So what do you say about the Bible? Answer carefully, because your answer will impact every aspect of your life now… and for all eternity.   THERE’S A BATTLE RAGING FOR TRUTH, FOR THE VERY WORD OF GOD!

The Covering of the Blood

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 12:12–13

In 2008, a major terrorist raid was launched in Mumbai, India. Teams of gunmen went into hotels, randomly shooting people. By the time military and police responded and finally ended the raid, more than two hundred people were dead. One of the few survivors told a reporter who interviewed him that he had sought shelter under a table after several of those around him were shot. He said, “I suppose because I was covered in someone else’s blood, that they took me for dead.”
As Christians we are twice covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. The first is the covering that is applied at salvation when we accept His free gift by grace through faith. The second is the covering that is applied to our daily lives when even as believers we fall short of God’s perfection: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
The blood of Jesus is the covering that allows us to enter into the presence of a perfect and holy God. It was shed on our behalf, and it grants us membership into a divine family and access to God’s presence. It is the most precious treasure, and we should never lose our gratitude toward it.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The precious blood of Jesus is the only avenue we have of God’s forgiveness, both for this world and the next.