Don't Take God's Word Lightly

(All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible)
When the Lord Jesus told Pilate in John 18:37-38  that He was come into the world to "...bear witness unto the truth...," Pilate asked the question, "what is truth...?" This question has been asked throughout the ages and is asked by many today. What is truth? Which is the right church, etc.? The Lord Jesus gave the answer when He said in John 17:17b, "...Thy word is truth." The Word of God was truth then and it is truth today! Whatever we may call ourselves, the word of God is truth.

I remember before I became a Christian while living in southern California that a man by the name of Nikita Khrushchev (the then Premier of the Soviet Union) visited America. During his visit he, as I recall, not only pounded his shoe on the desk at the United Nations, but he also visited a farm in the Midwest that grew corn and stated that in the Soviet Union they only fed corn to their pigs. He also visited Hollywood and hobnobbed with some of the so-called celebrities. And He made this statement about the good old USA, "we will bury you!" At the time I remember thinking the truth is the truth no matter who says it is a lie! Mr. Khrushchev said they would bury us, but they were buried instead. The Bible says in Psalm 119:89, that the Word of God is "For ever... settled in heaven." God's word is out of reach of man's ability to change it. The truth is the truth whoever may say it is a lie! That is why we will meet the word of God at judgment. It is Truth!

In John 12:48 the Lord Jesus said, "...He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." It really makes no difference whether we believe God's word or not. Our belief or unbelief will not change what God has said in His word. Understand, it will make a difference to our salvation, whether or not we believe the word of God but it will make no difference to the word of God.

The Bible says in 2nd Timothy 3:16-17,  "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 perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." All scripture? I am glad we have the New Testament for it not only tells us the story of Jesus but also of the early church and how we should live as Christians. But when it says all scripture is inspired of God, it is speaking of the Old Testament as well as the New!

Psalm 138:2 says, "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." How we love the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter said to the Jewish leaders in Acts 4:8a-12,  both in defense and in declaration, "Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." The name of Jesus, is not optional for salvation but God has magnified His word above all of his name. 

As stated previously, we will meet God's Word at judgment. The Bible says in Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works..." and then in verse 15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." "The books...  and another book...?" It has been my understanding that the books refer to the 66 Books of the Bible while the Book of Life refers to, well, the Book of Life! You and I may take the word of God lightly but we do so at our peril. If the books refers to the 66 books of the Bible, and we will be "judged out of those things which were written in the books," let us then take what God has written in His word seriously. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 2:1 that we who God has made alive in Jesus Christ, "were dead in trespasses and sins..." This tells me that whoever is not made alive in Christ Jesus is dead while they are alive. (See 1st Timothy 5:6) If you are alive to this world but dead to God, let me encourage you to put away your sinful ways and turn to God with all your heart. Believe His word, or as Jehoshaphat encouraged ancient Israel in 2nd Chronicles 20:20, "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."  In Ephesians 2:20 the Bible says the church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone..." God's word is Truth, don't take it lightly.