Faithful Sayings

In offering His Son, God is both just and the justifier of those who obey Him (Rom. 3:26). God cannot sin, it is against His very nature and He cannot be reconciled to it (1 Jn. 1:5), and it is also the nature of God to love sinners and seek reconciliation with them (2 Cor. 5:20-21), yet we are powerless to cleanse our souls from sin. No one but God could resolve the problem, only God Himself could be faithful to both aspects of His being (i.e. be just and merciful), and He did so by sending His Son to the cross, thus becoming the justifier of those who submit to Him in faith (Heb. 5:9).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”1 These words comfort me now as much as when I first read them. These verses are one of six pieces of instruction contained in the first twelve verses of chapter three. Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we?

Paul takes hypocritical Jews to task just as he did hypocritical Gentiles. Herein is a warning for us also: just because we have been instructed in the will of God–the embodiment of knowledge and truth (Rom. 2:20)–and may be confident, capable instructors ourselves, doesn’t necessarily mean we have applied His teaching to our own hearts (v. 21).

Previously Lady Wisdom was pictured as one crying out, imploring the naive to come and learn in order to save themselves. Solomon will now picture wisdom as something to be sought after in this second speech beginning in chapter two. This speech–which fills all of chapter two–can be broken down into four parts: a call to pursue wisdom (vv. 1-4), the benefits of wisdom (vv. 5-11), two dangers that wisdom guards against (vv. 12-19), and a final summary of consequences (vv. 20-22). Let’s dive in.

The second half of Paul’s discourse of Romans 1 diagnoses the cause for all the evil, corruption, and social decay observed in the world: it is man’s refusal to acknowledge and worship God, the Creator of all things and source of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). That’s it. There’s more to say, but the big take away here (as Paul begins to prove that all men are guilty of sin) that people are to blame for everything wrong in the world: political, moral, social ills and corruption can all be traced to prideful humans pursuing perverted desires because they refuse to humble themselves before Almighty God and submit to His authority and laws.

Wisdom is more like a skill that the Bible is calling us to attain and use. Using wisdom and pursuing wisdom involves mental activity, but it goes beyond that, and is seen all of one’s conduct, not just in the way one thinks or what someone may say. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”1 So in the Book of Proverbs, those who live with integrity and uphold justice in the fear of the Lord are the very same ones who heed Lady Wisdom.

There are so many points to be taken from the opening of the Roman letter as Paul lays out his thesis: The Gospel is the power of God to bring salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16-17). Let's dive and see how he goes about it, and what implications there are for us.

Last week we saw a sweeping, bird’s-eye view of the Book of Proverbs. In beginning with the overall big picture of Proverbs, my hope is that we’ll not lose sight of the forest as we consider the various trees of the book. The first of those trees is a series of ten speeches from a father to a son, with four interludes thrown in from Lady Wisdom. The main thrust here is that the son should listen to wisdom and cultivate the fear of the Lord, while living a life that honors God, bringing forth success and peace.

The Book of Romans has been called the Mount Everest of the New Testament. It's difficult to discuss any biblical subject without bringing some point from Romans into the conversation. I'd like to begin a weekly study of this book with you and welcome and comments or questions you may have.

Proverbs Overview by Leon Valley Church of Christ

"What is truth?" was Pilates cynical reply to Jesus when the King of Kings revealed He came to testify to the Truth. Jesus clearly established the Word of God as Truth (Jn. 17:17), and claimed to be the embodiment of that Truth (Jn 14:6). He is the final revelator of Truth (Heb. 1:1), so why so much ballyhoo about Truth being relative, or even non-extstent? Everyone believes in some truth, but what are holding to (if anything) as the standard of Truth?

John said, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10; what did he mean by "the Lord's Day"? Was this a special occasion? Is there a way we can trace Scripture and history to answer this question? I believe there is and, more importantly, we'll discover why it matters.

What will Heaven be like? Does the Bible offer any clues? Should we all have the hope of Heaven? What conditions are necessary to go?

Scripture makes clear that God has always intended to save man from eternal condemnation (Rev. 13:8; 1 Pet. 1:20), but what are the specifics? What has He called man to do, if anything?

There's so much discussion on this topic. I want to take a fresh look at the Scriptures today and allow them to speak for themselves with regard to water baptism. What is it? Why is it in the New Testament? What did Jesus say about it? What did the Holy Spirit inspire the apostles to say about it?

One of the many New Testament descriptions of God's people is designation "children of God". What does it mean to be a child of God? How does the Bible explain this new identity, and what the implications of being a child of God? How do I become one of God's children, and how should my adoption as a son of God change my worldview?

Does the Bible have anything to say about transgenderism or transsexual behavior? How are Christians to navigate this issue with wisdom, and speak the truth in love? Let's go to the Scriptures and rediscover what God's will is for men and women made in His image.

Legalism, legalistic, pharisaical, and other similar terms get thrown around a lot in the religious world, but what do they really mean? Let;s try to nail that down, and self-diagnose ourselves biblically, asking, "Am I legalistic?"

Losing someone we love can be hard, and at times of grief, it can be difficult to trust God. Does the Bible offer anything to help us grieve the right way? How can we break free from despair and doubt?

Adultery is a destructive force that has left many broken marriages and families in its wake. What is the biblical perspective of adultery? How does God say we should deal with it? How can we prevent it?