Week 11/4-11/10 - Redeemed Response: Submitting to the God Who Speaks

Day Three: Heb. 4:13 “No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”

Also read 2 Kings 22:14-20 in your Bible.

I HAVE AN INTERESTING RELATIONSHIP with snakes. I am absolutely terrified of them, yet am incredibly fascinated by them all at the same time. In the real world, that means if I encounter a snake, I run in the other direction as fast as humanly possible. But, if I’m protected by plexiglass at the zoo or stumble upon a snake show on Animal Planet, I’m enthralled.

This fascination has led to the watching of many television programs of people getting bitten by venomous snakes. Once bitten, the need for anti-venom quickly becomes apparent. Once the person can get to the hospital and the anti-venom is injected, the person begins down the road to recovery.

Compare this to the human condition. We’ve all been bitten by the poison of sin. Sin has entered our hearts at birth and colors everything we do. It moves throughout our body and soul, destroying everything in its path. Fortunately, God has provided the ultimate combatant to sin: His only begotten Son. Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose again in order to forgive us of our sins. In other words, He is the perfect treatment to all the sin in the world.

But notice a key element in the process of recovering from a snakebite. The existence of anti-venom is not sufficient for recovery. The anti-venom must be injected into the person. In this instance, the syringe is the instrument that enables the anti-venom to enter the bloodstream and begin its healing properties. The syringe itself doesn’t heal the person, but it makes it possible for the anti-venom to do its job.

In many ways, this scenario parallels with the Bible. Christ alone is the solution to man’s problem of sin. But the Bible is the tool that enables us to see both our sinful condition and point us to the ultimate healer and redeemer, Jesus Christ.

That is the main thrust of the entire Bible. Yes it is entirely true. Yes it points out our sinful condition. Yes it tells us about the world, morality, history, and a multitude of other things. But above everything else, it allows us to encounter the life-changing truth of the gospel.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why is the Bible important?

▷▷Does owning a Bible do anything for you?

▷▷How does the Bible communicate the gospel to the world around us?