Some things are non-negotiable for Christians. For example, devotion to God's Word:
“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” ~ Jesus, Mark 8:38(1)
It’s easy sharing Bible truths about God’s love, peace, joy, and comfort—but not as easy sharing Scriptures about self-denial, sin, Hell, sexual morality, repentance, and punishment.
But we don’t design the gospel to fit our preferences. We either accept it completely or reject it completely. If we believe in salvation, we must believe in Hell. If we believe in the indwelling Spirit, we must believe in obedience to God’s commands. If we believe in forgiveness, we must believe in our need to repent.
As the Apostle Paul so beautifully explained: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
Salvation, faith, and righteousness are inseparable and non-negotiable.
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:17
---------------------
(1) Some insincere folks try to get around certain biblical commands by claiming they don’t have to obey commands in Scripture that were written by men, only those that are actual words of Jesus. But that’s impossible because men recorded Christ’s quotes. This is another non-negotiable: either we believe all of Scripture is divinely inspired, or none of it is.
For more insights, see these 1-minute devotions:
No comments:
Post a Comment