God's Word Is Truth

The Bible should be our most prized possession; it is God’s instruction manual for living, and everything we do should be viewed “through the spectacles of Scripture.”¹ Jesus instructs us, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). God’s Word is true (Ps. 119:160); it “equips us for every good work,” (2 Tim. 3:16-17); it is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path,” (Ps. 119:105); and it will not return to God without “accomplishing its purpose” (Is. 55:10-11).

When Jesus became the Word in flesh, He taught, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). In explaining the Helper He would send to all Christians upon His resurrection, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit’s work as “guiding us into all truth” (Jn. 16:3). This is what Asaph means when he writes, “You will guide me with Your counsel” (Ps. 73:24). Seventeenth century English Pastor Richard Alleine advises:

The faithful Christian will not lean to his own understanding. He is fearful to walk in his own counsels. He knows that it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps, but withal he knows he has a better guide.²

This means that we should “set our face like a flint” as we conform our daily routines to Biblical principles, being confident that “the Lord God will help us” and “no one will be able to condemn us”(Is. 50:7-9) as long as we stay true to the principles in His Word. Because the Holy Trinity created all things, all things are understandable only in terms of the triune God. The only way, then, for any of us to be part of the solution to our culture’s problems is for us to live according to His rules and to base our actions upon His revealed Word. Only under His law can creation function as it is supposed to.

Written For Our Instruction

Christians have the most valuable self-help book ever written. It promises to make us wiser than any non-Christian and, if followed, to make our wisdom so apparent that non-Christians will come to us praising our actions and inquiring about our God.

So why aren’t we using it? Why do we proclaim that the Bible is the very Word of God, without error, applicable to all people at all times, and “thoroughly equips us for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and then neglect to apply it to our everyday situations and circumstances?

Why do we insist on living as though God’s Word is not “a lamp to our feet and a light for our path” (Ps. 119:105)? Have we been “spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col 2:8)? If so, how did we lose our trust in God to the extent that we not only fail to consider His wisdom in our day-to-day decisions, but are even ashamed (Rom. 1:16) to say we make a particular decision because we are Christians and are simply following His decrees (Ps. 25:1-3)?

Possibly the chief culprit in fostering this pietistic attitude of worshiping a god who is culturally impotent is the God-opposed public schools. There, instead of being systematically taught how to apply Biblical principles to their lives, our children are indoctrinated with the blasphemous idea that one god is just as good as another: that they should be good citizens and follow the dictates of the state. Instead of learning that they will be “blessed if they take to heart what is written in [the Bible]” (Rev. 1:3), we have learned that they will be expelled from school, and later may be passed over for a deserved promotion or even fired, for publicly elevating God’s thoughts above man’s.

Instead of being taught to count “everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord” (Phil. 3:8), we are encouraged to keep our religious beliefs to ourselves for fear of losing worldly esteem. As we continue to compartmentalize our beliefs, we wonder why our culture continues to disintegrate. After all, we contribute to a few charities, give (a little) to our churches, perform volunteer work, and are involved in “improving” the public school curriculum. But the only thing that seems to be happening is that we are becoming physically exhausted while our culture continues its downward spiral.

To refuse to repent and live by God’s perfect instructions is to attempt to become our own source of truth and wisdom. It is to “love darkness rather than light, for everyone practicing evil hates the light” (Jn. 3:19-20). Paul explains, “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Rom. 8:5-8). We should remember that we have an obligation to God’s law: not as a way to salvation, since we are justified by faith, but as a way of life.

His Holy Will on Earth

We have not been saved to follow other gods. Our exclusive calling is to do and bring about “His will on earth,” (Mt. 6:10) and the only way to achieve this is to obey His law, which describes how He calls us to live. We should strive to not commit adultery, murder, steal, covet, or to break any of God’s other laws, but to delight in doing and proclaiming God’s will (Ps. 119:92; Rom. 7:22). God gave us His law for the enrichment of our lives. In essence, God’s law:

1. Provides God’s unchanging moral standard. (Ps. 119:9-12; Dt. 28:2-7; 15-19)
2. Points us to Christ, since it is obvious that we can’t perfectly keep the law. (Gal. 3:24; Rom. 7:7-16)
3. Testifies to the nations of their need to repent. (Dt. 5:5-8; Is. 42:6-7; Dt. 26:18-19)
4. Instructs us how to live and relate to each other. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4; Josh. 1:7-8)

David might have been meditating on these four uses of God’s law when he wrote these lines:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold...they are sweeter than honey. By them is Your servant warned; in keeping them is great reward. (Ps. 19:7-11)

Obeying God’s law results in personal liberty because it prohibits evil. The laws of a non-Christian state expand to where citizens have very little personal liberty. Tight tyrannical control is the only way a non-Christian state can implement its plans and programs. But God implements His plans through a regenerated heart that voluntarily follows His laws.

Notes

1. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. I, ( Westminster, 1960), 70.

2. Richard Alliene, The World Conquered by the Faithful Christian, (Ligonier, PA: Soli Deo Gloria, [1668] 1995), 87.