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| Vol. 16 No. 10 October 2014 | Page 7 |
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| Vol. 16 No. 10 October 2014 | Page 7 |
Editor's Note
Marilyn LaStrape
God deals with us according to His Word, not according to what we want or even what we think we need. In all that He does and in all that He allows, God is always pursuing our salvation! David understood that. He said in Psalm 119:65, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.”
We must read and study God’s Word, seeking spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding. When we are striving to be diligent students of God’s Word and servants of His will, we are frequently faced with the need to understand His meaning of numerous words in Scripture.
There are many definitions in God’s Word, and this article will call attention to only a few, wherein the emphasis pertains to the repeated use of the being verb “is” in the meaning. Any definition given in Scripture is always the right one because all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
To develop spiritual discernment, we must seek to understand what God has revealed to us and why. Since God is infallible to infinity, this gives us superlative confidence in the accuracy of the meaning of any word found in the Bible. The following passages of Scripture all speak to that unalterable fact.
Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Psalm 119 is a discourse on the supremacy, reliability and significance of God’s Word. If we want to know who God is, we must read the Psalms.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the definition of Scripture and its eternal purpose says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God has not told us everything we might want to know. Everything that we need to know and understand about God is in the Bible. Everything that God wants us to have in this life to live according to His direction is in the Bible. Everything that God wants us to know, believe and obey to make heaven our eternal home is in the Bible.
Proverbs 31:10 says, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” A wife who is moral and honorable, her value is priceless. She does her husband good and not evil all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” God’s Word discredits charm and beauty because they are superficial, external and temporary. Reverence for God is the crucial virtue to be exemplified.
John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Knowing who God is, as Scripture reveals Him, and how He deals with us, leads to eternal life.
John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” God cannot be discerned through our five senses. Everything we know about God is spiritually discerned. He is worthy of all reverence, glory and honor because He is the Creator of all.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary to save us from our sins.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin does pay the lowest wages! With Satan as the employer, how could it be otherwise? God’s gift of eternal life cannot be matched with all the wealth of the universe!
Galatians 5:22-24 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” We must nurture these qualities in our spiritual development.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (NASB). Faith and its necessity are defined in Hebrews 11. Faith is the foundation of all obedience to God. Faith is a way of life. We walk by faith, not by sight. There is no faith where God has not spoken.
Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” God ordained marriage. Any sexual conduct outside of His divine arrangement is condemned.
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The One who was sacrificed for us is unchanging. By Himself He purged our sins. He ever lives to make intercession for us. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is alive forevermore!
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Religion that pleases God is free of the contamination of self-serving, self-seeking, self-promoting and self-pleasing motives. This religion is service that brings us in personal contact to meet the needs of widows and orphans. It is also worship to God as He has directed in His Word.
James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Heavenly wisdom is incomparable. Wisdom is the principle thing; if we want heavenly wisdom, we must ask God for it.
First John 3:4 says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” The wickedness of sin is disregard for and disobedience to the commandments of God. Any and all sin is a violation of God’s law.
Second John 6 says, “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” We love because God first loved us. Obedience to Him is the proof of our love.
We will be challenged by the unfathomable riches of God’s Word as long as we live! Years ago, this writer read that the Bible is written in such a way that a person with a primary education can understand it, and at the same time, it challenges the deepest thinking educated mind that this world has ever produced. Only God could do that!