The second article of our covenant states, "We agree to accept the Holy Scriptures as our rule of faith and practice." All that means is that, when it comes to what we believe and how we live out what we believe, the Bible is what we use as our only guide. When we have questions about what is true about God or how to live out our faith we use the Bible to teach us those things. When we take a stand regarding some matter of faith or practice, it must be based upon what the Bible teaches. That is why it is so important that, as members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Berlin, we are consistent about reading God's Word.
questions are good - not questions of doubt, but to learn. Question and dig deeper. I've found the truths I have been searching for many times by taking the rabbit trails God gives me. (I just need to test the direction I am taking - that it rings true with His Word.) After all, He is our Rabbi, our teacher.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
One of the reasons we rely upon the Bible to inform our faith and guide our actions is because it is eternal. We are fleeting, and by extension so are our thoughts about God. We may presume to know God's will regarding how we should think or live on our own, and even go so far as to share what we believe with others, perhaps even convincing them to follow along. But our thoughts are not God's thoughts. Our circumstances change. Our minds change. But God does not change, and neither does His Word. As we make decisions regarding what we believe and how we will act on that belief, both as individuals and through the teaching of others, we must be sure that the Bible is our "touchstone" because our choices have eternal consequences.
and through it all...God does not change. Jeremiah prays in Jeremiah 17:14, "O Lord, You alone...." As Jeremiah writes in verse 13, He is our "Spring of Living Water"... here IS our base, here IS our guide and strength.
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:129-130)
Another reason we rely upon the Bible to inform our faith and guide our actions is because it brings understanding. The world is a "noisy" place, with many things all clamoring for our attention by promising to change our lives in some way. Those things are "guaranteed" to make your work "easier" or make you smell better or help you become thinner. But often the only thing you receive from such offers is wisdom gained from experience. You end up sadder and wiser (and probably poorer) but you have done so the hard way. The Bible doesn't fail in its promise to make provide us with understanding and, through that understanding, to give us wisdom. If you would be wise, read God's Word.
Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. (Psalm 119:133)
The Bible is also a reliable way to inform our faith and guide our actions because it provides us with direction. When we are not sure which way we should go in life, when it is unclear which of two or more paths we should take, God's Word is an effective means for helping us choose the right path. We have been freed from the power of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, but even though those chains have been broke we are still tempted by sin and must lean on God to be of sin. The Word is one of the ways in which God provides for that and if we will lean on it, He will direct our footsteps and let no sin rule over us.
The second article of our covenant states, "We agree to accept the Holy Scriptures as our rule of faith and practice." All that means is that, when it comes to what we believe and how we live out what we believe, the Bible is what we use as our only guide. When we have questions about what is true about God or how to live out our faith we use the Bible to teach us those things. When we take a stand regarding some matter of faith or practice, it must be based upon what the Bible teaches. That is why it is so important that, as members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Berlin, we are consistent about reading God's Word.
ReplyDeletequestions are good - not questions of doubt, but to learn. Question and dig deeper. I've found the truths I have been searching for many times by taking the rabbit trails God gives me. (I just need to test the direction I am taking - that it rings true with His Word.) After all, He is our Rabbi, our teacher.
DeleteThe grass withers and the flowers fall,
ReplyDeletebut the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
One of the reasons we rely upon the Bible to inform our faith and guide our actions is because it is eternal. We are fleeting, and by extension so are our thoughts about God. We may presume to know God's will regarding how we should think or live on our own, and even go so far as to share what we believe with others, perhaps even convincing them to follow along. But our thoughts are not God's thoughts. Our circumstances change. Our minds change. But God does not change, and neither does His Word. As we make decisions regarding what we believe and how we will act on that belief, both as individuals and through the teaching of others, we must be sure that the Bible is our "touchstone" because our choices have eternal consequences.
and through it all...God does not change. Jeremiah prays in Jeremiah 17:14, "O Lord, You alone...." As Jeremiah writes in verse 13, He is our "Spring of Living Water"... here IS our base, here IS our guide and strength.
DeleteYour statutes are wonderful;
ReplyDeletetherefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
(Psalm 119:129-130)
Another reason we rely upon the Bible to inform our faith and guide our actions is because it brings understanding. The world is a "noisy" place, with many things all clamoring for our attention by promising to change our lives in some way. Those things are "guaranteed" to make your work "easier" or make you smell better or help you become thinner. But often the only thing you receive from such offers is wisdom gained from experience. You end up sadder and wiser (and probably poorer) but you have done so the hard way. The Bible doesn't fail in its promise to make provide us with understanding and, through that understanding, to give us wisdom. If you would be wise, read God's Word.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
ReplyDeletelet no sin rule over me. (Psalm 119:133)
The Bible is also a reliable way to inform our faith and guide our actions because it provides us with direction. When we are not sure which way we should go in life, when it is unclear which of two or more paths we should take, God's Word is an effective means for helping us choose the right path. We have been freed from the power of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, but even though those chains have been broke we are still tempted by sin and must lean on God to be of sin. The Word is one of the ways in which God provides for that and if we will lean on it, He will direct our footsteps and let no sin rule over us.