God Says So!

Scripture:  John 8:31-32 - .. you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Today’s selected Scripture verse, though quoted by so many, begs the question:  Why are so many  fleeing and eluding the truth?  We glimpse the  time-tested universal significance  of this question  as it was posed by the Judean governor, Pilate,  in John 18:38:  ‘What IS truth?’ and he had the Word made flesh, the LIVING Truth, standing right before him! Scripture reveals that “…the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4) Yet, our Lord declares Himself to be THE way, THE truth, and THE life—that no one comes to the Father except by Him!!  Are those very people whom we confront with biblical truth and who respond with, ‘Well, I believe Jesus was a very good man, but…,’  calling God a liar? God Himself says that they are, in 1 John 5:10.  “..he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.”

It is a massive self-deception when people HABITUALLY fail to recognize that they are in bondage to sin!  Before God’s Spirit mercifully opened our eyes to personally believe on Christ for our salvation, we, too, failed to understand that we were in imminent danger of being cast after death into “outer darkness.”  We all know of many people—some of whom take comfort in being “religious”—and others who describe themselves as being “basically a good person.”  Still others contentedly assert “I believe in God!” Well, even the demons believe in God and tremble? God says so in James 2:19!   Another broadly held deception is,  ‘Oh, ALL religions teach the same thing!’ These souls  shut their ears to earnest declarations of the gospel’s “narrow way.”  (Matt. 7:13)  Apart from staking one’s eternal destiny on Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary, forsaking ALL  confidence in one’s OWN personal “goodness,” such souls will, sadly, be condemned  before the One whose “…eyes are too pure to behold evil,” says Habakkuk 1:13. By God’s grace, we’ve embraced His declaration that “there is none righteous, not even one.”  But as many as received Him, to them He gives the right to be called children of God!  (Jn. 1:12)  HALLELUIAH!!  Scripture warns against our MEASURING OURSELVES BY OURSELVES or comparing ourselves to others, or relying on mere religiosity  (2 Cor. 10:12; Prov. 14:12)!    

Dear reader, let us rejoice in the Spirit’s declaration in Jeremiah 31:34,  that a day is coming when “no longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD, ‘because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest” If you have staked your eternal destiny on this Christ, continue to abide in His truth, because, indeed His anointing teaches us about ALL things and is true!

PRAYER:   Dear Abba, thank You for calling our name and drawing us to trusting in Your beloved Son, Christ Jesus, for the remission of all our sin!  Before then, we, like so many others, truly did  love darkness rather than the light!  Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us who have by Your grace, embraced the truth as it is in Jesus; in whose name we give bountiful  and eternal thanks!  -- Amen!

(by Denise Diggs)