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Righteousness in My Account

06 Jan
Righteousness in My Account

We’ve been looking at Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  He’s been using Abraham as the example of how we’re to look to God in faith.  We’re to fully trust in His power to accomplish anything that He speaks to us.

Abraham heard from God and believed what he was told.  We’re shown the result of this type of faith.

This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:22

It was because of his faith that God inventoried righteousness into Abraham’s heavenly account.  That was great for Abraham, but what does that mean for us?

The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Romans 4:23-24

So, when Scripture talks about the Lord crediting Abraham with righteousness, it’s for our benefit.  It’s so that we can understand the process.  God wants to put His righteousness in our accounts as well.

The good news is that having this righteousness in my account is not based upon how good I am.  It’s not how well I read the Bible or pray.  It’s solely based upon my trust in the One who raised Christ from the dead.

Anything else is worthless legalism.  There’s nothing I can do to earn this great blessing.  Paul makes this clear by explaining the process to us.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Romans 4:25

Two things are happening in this verse to win our accounting of righteousness.  The first, being that Jesus was delivered over.

That literally means the He was surrendered.  The word, “death”, is not in this verse.  Actually, He surrendered himself to more than just death.

He surrendered himself to being born as one of us.  He lived a life as one of us, feeling the same pains, hunger, frustrations, and everything else that life on this planet throws at you.

Why did the Lord do this?  Paul tells us that it was for our sins that He surrendered himself.  The word Paul uses for sin is not the normal one.  This one means a side-slip – it could be something that’s either intentional or unintentional.

It was my sin that brought Him here.  Because of my mistakes, the Lord lived a human life and died a cruel death on the cross.

But, Praise God, that wasn’t the end of it.  He didn’t stay dead.  He was raised back to life again for our justification.

That’s a big word.  Many people don’t understand all of its implications.  Justification means that because of what Jesus Christ did, I’m now declared “Not Guilty.”  And that’s even before I go to trial!

In God’s eyes, because I’m now found in Christ, I’m innocent of all wrongdoing.  Is that fair?  Absolutely not!  But God found a way to save me (and you) through the surrendering of Jesus Christ to all that He went through.

Don’t let it be in vain.  Trust the Lord for the righteousness that only He can give you.

Question: How has the work of Christ changed your life?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2021 in Faith, Legalism, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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Trusting God’s Word

04 Jan
Trusting God’s Word

As we continue our study of the book of Romans, we’re seeing Abraham as the father and example of our faith.  It’s because of this faith that we receive blessing and righteousness from the Lord.

In my last post, we saw how he trusted God even though all the facts of his situation pointed in the wrong direction.

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Romans 4:20-21

The Scripture says that Abraham did not waver through unbelief.  That word, waver, is important for us to understand.

Taken literally, it’s a word that means judgment.  Abraham didn’t try to judge, based upon all of the facts, whether he should believe God or not.

This is something that we, as believers, need to get a grasp on.  God is beyond our finite judgment.  His Word is true no matter what any other facts look like.  It’s not up to me whether God should be believed or not.

Like Abraham, we need to be fully persuaded that God has the power to do whatever He says He’s going to do.  We need to constantly be checking ourselves with these questions.

Do I believe God has the power to do what He said?  Am I fully persuaded that He will accomplish it?  And what exactly does it mean to be fully persuaded?

That phrase has a double meaning in the Greek language.  Yes, it means to be fully persuaded.  But, it also means to be fully carried out.  This explains a lot about Abraham’s walk with God.

Some say that having Ishmael was a lack of faith on Abraham’s part.  Actually, God didn’t see it that way.

Abraham was fully persuaded that God was going to give him a large family.  So, in his limited ability, he was trying to fully carry out God’s plan.

He had been faithful to his wife, Sarah, for 80 years.  It took what he thought was a Word from God to do otherwise.

The Lord did not see that as a weakening of his faith.  God simply came to him again and said, “That’s not how I want to accomplish it.  I’m going to give you a family through Sarah.”

So often we get worried that we’re going to “miss God” if we make a wrong decision.  I’m so grateful that He’s bigger than that.  God is fully able to work in, around, or through our mistakes.

It’s my job to simply be convinced that He’s well able to do what He says he’ll do.  Then I need to walk in any instructions He gives me.  That’s being fully persuaded and ready to carry out God’s plan.

That’s why the reading of Scripture is so important.  The more we know God’s Word, the more persuaded we become of His ability to fulfill it.

I encourage you to make that a daily habit in this New Year.  Read the Scripture each day.

Let me give you a gift to help you accomplish this.  Recently, the Lord took me on a journey through the New Testament.  As a result, I came up with a daily reading plan that takes you through the New Testament in the order that the Holy Spirit revealed it to the church.

If you want a free download of this plan, click here…Download

It’s my prayer that you have a blessed, prosperous, and healthy New Year!

Question: How is your life affected by your Bible reading?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2021 in Faith, Power of God, Word of God

 

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Weak vs. Strong Faith

01 Jan
Weak vs. Strong Faith

We’re continuing to look at the example of Abraham.  He’s Paul’s illustration of how we should walk in faith.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Romans 4:18

This is one of those amazing verses in the Scripture.  To fully grasp it, we need to understand what the meaning of hope is in the Bible.

When we use the word, hope, it usually means that we’re wishing for something good to happen.  “I hope I win the lottery.”

That’s not what this word means in the context of Scripture.  It actually means to look forward to with expectation.  “I place my hope in the fact that the sun will come up tomorrow.”

With this knowledge, we can see how Abraham operated.  He was in a situation where, logically, there was nothing to expect.  Yet, by placing his faith in God’s Word, he fully expected to have a multitude of offspring.

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.

Romans 4:19

This is the tough part.  I talked about not walking in denial in my last post.  That’s the key to this kind of faith.

The verse literally says that Abraham fully observed the facts of his situation.  He was almost 100 years old and considered himself already dead.  He understood that under no circumstances could his wife, Sarah, have any children.

As a matter of fact, he had already picked out an heir for his estate.  He chose one of his most trusted servants (Genesis 15:2-3).

What amazes me is that even though he had all of these facts before him, he didn’t weaken his faith.  But that brings up an interesting question.  He already had an heir picked out that was not in his family.  How can you say that he didn’t weaken his faith?

We need to understand exactly what is meant by weak faith.  There’s a clear verse about it.

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.  One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.

Romans 14:1-2

What is weak faith?  It means that you don’t trust God to complete His work in you.  You feel that you have to establish rules to follow so that you won’t accidentally sin.  Weak faith has the idea that if I follow these rules, then I’ll please God and receive His blessing.

Abraham picked out an heir without weakening his faith.  That tells me that I do what I need to do as if nothing special will happen.  But, at the same time, I fully expect the Lord to intervene on my behalf.

I can see my doctor, take my pills, and pay my bills.  At the same time I trust God for my health and provision.

Some people think that they’re operating in faith by never seeing a doctor.  It’s actually a sign of weak faith because they can’t trust God to manage what the doctor might tell them.

Weak faith has to set rules and boundaries so that we can deny any problems.  Strong faith can look straight at the problems and trust God for the solution.

Question: What are you facing right now that requires faith in God?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2021 in Faith, God's Provision, Healing, Word of God

 

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The Promise

28 Dec
The Promise

In our journey through the book of Romans, we’ve been seeing that we can’t work for righteousness.  It can only come as we put our faith in Christ.

Paul uses the life of Abraham as an example to us.  He is aptly called the father of our faith.  Now Paul brings us another step further along this path.

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Romans 4:13

The apostle now uses a new word.  This is the first time, in the book of Romans, that Paul mentions the promise.

This is an important word.  It literally means an announcement.  However, a promise from God is not like a promise we’re used to receiving.

For us, a promise is based upon mistrust.  You don’t believe me so I try to gain your trust by saying, “I promise.”

God, on the other hand, makes an announcement of His intentions (We call it a “promise”).  It is absolute truth.  It’s now up to you whether you believe His Word or not.

The good news is that now, all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:29

Because of His work on the cross, Christ has fulfilled the requirements for the promises.  This teaching is carried on throughout the New Testament.  It’s not just a verse pulled out of context, but a scriptural theme that has been all but ignored by the church.

Paul continues with this thought.

For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath.  And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.

Romans 4:14-16

This is a foundational passage in our knowledge of how the promises are obtained in Christ.  The blessing is received, not by my working to do the requirements, but by faith in the One who has already fulfilled them.

This truth is not only given to us by Paul, but also by Peter as well.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:3-4

The phrase, through these, obviously refers to the glory and goodness of God, not our works of righteousness.  According to this verse, the reason God blesses us is so that we might actually be participants, sharers, in His divine nature.  You will not find the call for us to fulfill the requirements of the promises anywhere in the New Covenant.

If that’s true, then what are the promises for?  We can look at it this way; each promise has two halves.  There are the requirements and the blessing.

According to the New Testament, Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the promises.  Because of His finished work on the cross, we receive the blessing of the promise because we’re in Him.

Question: Why is it so hard for us to accept that Christ has finished this work on the cross?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 28, 2020 in Faith, God's Provision, Sonship, Spiritual Walk

 

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Follow the Footsteps of Faith

21 Dec
Follow the Footsteps of Faith

In my last post, I talked about receiving God’s righteousness by faith and then walking it out as a sign of a changed life.  That’s an important concept for us to understand.  So many believers try to serve God by their own good works.

Hopefully, by this point in the book of Romans, you know the fallacy of this kind of spiritual journey.  We must trust the Lord to impart His righteousness to us.

But there’s another problem many face on the other side of the road.  They trust God to make them righteous, but then they begin to struggle to make themselves better.  We have to realize that faith is not a one-time thing.  It’s a way of living.

I want to take us back to the verse we left off with in my last post.

And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Romans 4:12

We need to really follow the example of Abraham.  His life is a pattern for how we should serve God even in our generation.

The word, footsteps, in this passage actually means a path that was created by many people walking the same way over time.

Abraham wasn’t the only one to ever walk this way before God.  Over and over again there were men and women who followed the same path of faith that Abraham used.

God is not a respecter of persons.  He doesn’t ask everybody to do something different.  He requires the same from all of us – faith.  We must learn to trust God in all things, just like Abraham had to.  Each new generation of believers can see where others have walked before.

Sure, the technology changes.  We use new words and have new concerns to deal with.  But our God doesn’t change.

The same God, who took care of Abraham in the wilderness, is the God who will see us through the challenges of the times we live in.  Only He knows the end from the beginning and can safely take us through to an abundant life.

Think about it!  This path of faith that we’re walking is the same path that Abraham trod thousands of years ago.  Over time, with each new believer adding their steps, the path has become clearer and clearer.  It led them to see the glory of God and it will take us to the same location.

It’s very unfortunate that so many believers don’t look at the path in that way.  They think it’s too narrow and constrictive.  They want to see more than just the view from this trail.

We must keep reminding ourselves that this path is the one that can truly lead us to the abundant life.  If it brought Abraham there, then with God’s help, I can reach that destination as well.

By exercising my faith towards the Lord, I can see lasting change in my life.  It may not come about as quickly as I would like, but it’s there none the less.

As I said previously, faith is not a one-time thing.  It is a continual walk of trust in God’s ability to bring you to that place of maturity and victory in Him.  We just need to keep holding on to His Word.

Question: What changes are you trusting God for right now?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2020 in Faith, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Which Came First?

18 Dec
Which Came First?

As we continue to look at the book of Romans, Paul asks another important question about the righteousness God imparts to us by faith.  He has already pointed out how blessed we are to receive it.

Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?  We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:9

The apostle asks us who, exactly, is blessed by this righteousness.  He’s been using Abraham as an example for us.  But, what was it about Abraham that put him in a position to receive this righteousness?

Was it because he followed all the religious rules that he’d been given?

Under what circumstances was it credited?  Was it after he was circumcised, or before?  It was not after, but before!

Romans 4:10

Paul answers the question for us.  God credited Abraham with righteousness before he ever started following any religious observances.  All he needed to do was believe that God’s Word was truth.

That’s good news.  There’s no indication that Abraham had to continually try harder and harder until he was finally good enough to please God.  He was declared righteous in his uncircumcised condition.

If that’s the case, then why are there so many religious things that people do?  Is there a place for them?  Or are all religious observances to be done away with?

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.  So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.  And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Romans 4:11-12

Here Paul explains the place of religious observances.  They come after faith has been given and righteousness is received.

According to Paul, circumcision – the religious act is a sign.  This means that the outward observance is an indication of the change that took place on the inside.

What we do on the outside, is a seal of the righteousness received by faith.  A seal is the official stamp that confirms the genuineness of the item in question.

If I really believe that God’s Word is truth, then it will show up in my actions.  I don’t live right to obtain God’s blessing.  I live right because I’ve already received it.

There are many so called “religious” things that Christians do.  What we need to realize is that we don’t do them to get God to accept us.  These observances only serve to support the fact that we are accepted already by faith in Jesus Christ.

Don’t get it backwards.  That only brings frustration, guilt, and condemnation.  Come to the Lord in faith, trusting Him for His righteousness.

Then allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to walk in obedience to God’s Word.  That will be the outward sign of the inner transformation that’s taken place within you.

Question: How do you yield to the Holy Spirit’s life-changing work?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2020 in Faith, Legalism, Spiritual Walk

 

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Gifts and Wages

16 Dec
Gifts and Wages

We’re continuing our walk through the book of Romans.  Paul is using Abraham as an example of the faith that brings righteousness.

Paul explains…

Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.  However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Romans 4:4-5

This is something that we need to come to grips with as believers.  We need to understand the difference between wages and gifts.

As Paul says, wages are obligations.  I do some sort of work and the person I do it for is obligated to pay me.  It’s a very simple concept.

However, the blessings of God, righteousness included, are not wages.  They’re gifts of God’s grace.

Wages are earned.  Before I even start, I know exactly how many hours I need to work to make $1000.  Then, if they don’t pay me, I can take legal action and demand my wages.

This is something that was very hard for me to learn.  I remember an incident that happened very early in my marriage.  I’ll try to shorten the story.

After we had been married a few years, the Lord called my wife and I to move from Boston, the area we grew up in, to Baltimore.  There was a ministry there that the Lord was using to train us.

While living down there, we experienced some financial hardships.  At one point, both our cars had broken down and we had no money to fix them.  We had to borrow a car that was not ours, just to get to work each day.

One Sunday, during that time, someone got up at church to give a praise report.  He explained how he had just learned about tithing a few weeks ago.  He then started to tithe 10% each week.

Since then, a few weeks, he had been amazingly blessed.  Someone gave him a car (he already had two).  Someone else decided to give him a huge sum of money.  He exclaimed, “See what tithing does.  Now I’m Faith Man!!”

You have to understand my thought process listening to him.  My parents had taught me to tithe when I was a teenager.  I had been tithing faithfully for my entire life since then.

When you look at the blessings of God as wages, life can get very frustrating.  I got mad at God.  “What gives?  He’s only been tithing a few weeks.  Where’s my blessing?”

I’ve since learned the mature view of God’s New Covenant grace.  The blessings of God are based upon a combination of faith, obedience, and the lessons God is currently teaching me.

Once we understand that the Lord purchased these gifts on the cross, it’s easier to receive them.  I don’t get mad and frustrated looking at what others are doing and receiving.  I can actually rejoice when other people are blessed, even if I need the same thing they just received.

David understood it.

David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Romans 4:6-8

Righteousness is simply one of the many gifts that God has for His children.  I can’t work for it or earn it.  So, don’t frustrate yourself trying to be good enough.  Let the Holy Spirit do His work in you.

Question: How have you been frustrated trying to earn God’s gifts?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2020 in Encouragement, Faith, Legalism, Spiritual Walk

 

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Abraham’s Example

14 Dec
Abraham’s Example

We’re continuing to go through Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  He’s laid a foundation by explaining the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ.  He now gives us an example of how this works.

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?  If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about — but not before God.

Romans 4:1-2

Paul brings us back to the start of a legacy of faith.  Even though people like Noah believed and obeyed God, Abraham was considered the father of God’s family on earth.

It seems clear that Abraham was the first to trust God and walk that faith out in a way to bring others along with him.  In that sense you could say that Abraham discovered the faith-walk.  Each new day seemed to bring him a new discovery about walking with God as a friend.

So, in his walk with the Lord, how was Abraham justified before God?  Was it because he worked hard at being good?  Not according to Scripture.

He did have some incredible works.  By faith, he left his ancestral home.  He even offered up his firstborn son.  But, even in all of that, he would have only been able to boast about it to other human beings.  God would not have been impressed.

What was it about Abraham that got God’s attention?

What does the Scripture say?  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:3

To explain it, Paul quotes a verse from Genesis 15:6.  This should be the foundation for all that we understand about walking with the Lord.  Everything else is further along the path.

In Genesis, the Hebrew word used for credited means to think about or regard.  Immediately, when Abraham decided to trust what God spoke to him, God regarded that as righteousness.  That happened even before Abraham did anything to walk in it.

I like the way Paul translates that word (credited) for us in the Greek.  He uses a word that means to estimate or take an inventory.

I see it like this.  When we have faith, it’s directed towards God.  So Abraham sent his faith off in God’s direction.  When He received it, God listed it, in Abraham’s heavenly inventory, as righteousness.

This is an awesome truth.  When we have faith towards the Lord, He takes it and converts it into righteousness which He then places in our account.

Too many believers spend their lives trying very hard to purchase righteousness to send to God.  The unfortunate thing is that God will never accept that kind of righteousness.  We’re only spinning our wheels trying to please God in that way.

The only righteousness that God accepts is that which is found in Him.  The only way to purchase this righteousness is to direct our faith toward Jesus Christ.  There’s no other way.

Our good works are only a basis for boasting toward each other.  They hold no attraction with God.  We need the righteousness that can only come by faith.

Don’t spend all of your time chasing a losing cause.  Place your hope fully in the completed work of Christ on the cross.

Question: Why is righteousness by faith the best road to change in your life?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 14, 2020 in Faith, Legalism, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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The Gift of Righteousness

07 Dec
The Gift of Righteousness

As we continue through the book of Romans, we’ve seen the frustration of trying to be righteous by following a set of religious rules.  It should be clear that our own self-righteousness is not enough to please God.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

Romans 3:21

This verse makes it clear that it cannot be by my works.  It’s apart, separate from the law.  This means that I have to access the power of God in order to live righteously.  Anything else is trying to put the cart before the horse.  If my goal is to live righteously in order to walk in the power of God, then I’ve chosen a path of weakness and frustration.

And yet, so many people are trying to walk this very way.  The Bible is clear on the outcome.  So let me ask, what if I try to obtain righteousness through obedience to the law?  What if I try my hardest to live up to what I’m told is right?

I can read my Bible daily, go to church on time every week, pray every day, and tithe.  On top of that, I can make sure that I don’t lie, cheat, steal, walk in anger, gossip, or envy.  What’s wrong with trying to live up to a godly standard with my own strength?

The problem is that self-righteousness will never gain access to the blessings found only in Christ.  For that, I’ll need a righteousness that’s far greater than I could ever accomplish on my own.  It could only be provided by God Himself.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:22-24

The righteousness that pleases the Lord can only be obtained by faith.  I know that this goes against what many people assume.  They think that pleasing God is a hard, back-breaking burden.  On the contrary, it’s something that God wants to bestow upon you freely.

The second sentence of this passage is very important.  I know that we only like to quote the middle of it.  In its entirety, it shows us a beautiful picture of God’s grace.

Paul is referring to what he talked about in the two previous chapters of Romans.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re an ungodly sinner or a highly religious person.  Through faith in Jesus Christ you can access this grace and receive His free work of justification.

This passage of Scripture makes it very plain.  All of the sin in your past doesn’t make you too far away from this grace.  In the same way, all of your religious works doesn’t put you any closer.  We all start at the same level.  We fall short of God’s glory.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Ephesians 1:7-8

If I want a righteousness that grants me access to God’s presence, it’s only found one way.  I can’t earn it or work hard enough to achieve it.  I must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, be found in Him.

This is the only path to true righteousness.  It was God’s desire, in His great wisdom, to make it as easy as possible for mankind to be saved.

Question: Why do we find it so hard to accept God’s free gift of righteousness?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 7, 2020 in Faith, Legalism, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Religious Advantage

27 Nov
The Religious Advantage

We’re continuing our study through the book of Romans.  Paul has been talking about religious people without Christ.  He makes the point that there’s a problem of pride involved in this group.

He now moves on to another point.  Is there some advantage to being religious?

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?  Much in every way!  First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

Romans 3:1-2

If you remember, the apostle started by saying that there’s no advantage to being a sinner apart from God.  He then started talking about religion and the fact that all of your good works can’t save you.

Now, however, he says that there’s an advantage that religion brings.  According to Paul, the greatest plus is the fact that they have access to the Word of God.  Religious people have the Bible available to them and they’re somewhat familiar with it.

I can see this exemplified in our society.  Right now, people aren’t as religious as they used to be.  A hundred years ago, even many unsaved people would attend a church service.  A lot of them would even read the Bible.

When you would try to evangelize, they knew some of the Scriptures you referred to.  Many of them would even hold the Bible in high esteem.

In our present society, most unchurched people have no clue what the Bible says.  The fact that you quote a Scripture means nothing to them.  Now, the best evangelism is a testimony of how God changed your life.

So the advantage of religion is a basic understanding of who God is.  It at least has a foundation in the fact that there’s a God.

Now the issue is faith.

What if some did not have faith?  Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?  Not at all!  Let God be true, and every man a liar.  As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

Romans 3:3-4

Paul’s next question is; what if they have access to this Word and don’t believe it?  Does that make it worthless?

The resounding answer is “NO!”.  God doesn’t need me to believe Him for Him to be right.  God’s Word stands whether I believe it or not.

The phrase, prevail when you judge, literally means God is victorious in His decisions.  God is going to perform His Word no matter what the circumstances look like.  He doesn’t need my input to be victorious.  The Lord is perfectly capable in and of Himself.

My agreement with the Word of God simply puts me in position to walk with Him in His victory.  That’s something we all need to learn.

There’s a phrase I used to hear a lot when I was younger.  “God said it…I believe it…that settles it.”

Now that I’m older (and maybe a bit wiser), I’ve grown very uncomfortable with that saying.  I believe that it should be revised.  For it to truly reflect the Scripture it should be, “God said it…that settles it!”

The advantage of religion is that is gives you a basic knowledge of God.  But we need to go beyond that.  We need to know the Word and, by faith, trust it and walk in it.  That’s how we can receive the full blessings of our victory in Christ.

Question: What kind of religious foundation, if any, did you have before receiving Christ as your Lord?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 27, 2020 in Faith, The Gospel, Word of God

 

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