From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening ...
Matthew 9:6
The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.
Behold one of the great Physician's mightiest arts: He has power to forgive
sin! While here He lived below, before the ransom had been paid, before the
blood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had power to forgive
sin. Hath He not power to do it now that He hath died? What power must dwell in
Him who to the utmost farthing has faithfully discharged the debts of His
people! He has boundless power now that He has finished transgression and made
an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see Him rising from the dead! behold Him in
ascending splendour raised to the right hand of God! Hear Him pleading before
the eternal Father, pointing to His wounds, urging the merit of His sacred
passion! What power to forgive is here! "He hath ascended on high, and received
gifts for men." "He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of
sins." The most crimson sins are removed by the crimson of His blood. At this
moment, dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to pardon, power
to pardon thee, and millions such as thou art. A word will speak it. He has
nothing more to do to win thy pardon; all the atoning work is done. He can, in
answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins today, and make thee know it. He can
breathe into thy soul at this very moment a peace with God which passeth all
understanding, which shall spring from perfect remission of thy manifold
iniquities. Dost thou believe that? I trust thou believest it. Mayst thou
experience now the power of Jesus to forgive sin! Waste no time in applying to
the Physician of souls, but hasten to Him with words like these:-
"Jesus! Master! hear my cry;
Save me, heal me with a word;
Fainting at Thy feet I lie,
Thou my whisper'd plaint hast heard."
Morning ...
Job 29:2
Oh that I were as in months past.
Numbers of Christians can view the past with pleasure, but regard the present
with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days which they have passed in
communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever
known, but as to the present, it is clad in a sable garb of gloom and
dreariness. Once they lived near to Jesus, but now they feel that they have
wandered from Him, and they say, "O that I were as in months past!" They
complain that they have lost their evidences, or that they have not present
peace of mind, or that they have no enjoyment in the means of grace, or that
conscience is not so tender, or that they have not so much zeal for God's
glory. The causes of this mournful state of things are manifold. It may arise
through a comparative neglect of prayer, for a neglected closet is the
beginning of all spiritual decline. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The
heart has been occupied with something else, more than with God; the affections
have been set on the things of earth, instead of the things of heaven. A
jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first
and best. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering
heart. Or the cause may be found in self-confidence and self-righteousness.
Pride is busy in the heart, and self is exalted instead of lying low at the
foot of the cross. Christian, if you are not now as you "were in months past,"
do not rest satisfied with wishing for a return of former happiness, but go at
once to seek your Master, and tell Him your sad state. Ask His grace and
strength to help you to walk more closely with Him; humble yourself before Him,
and He will lift you up, and give you yet again to enjoy the light of His
countenance. Do not sit down to sigh and lament; while the beloved Physician
lives there is hope, nay there is a certainty of recovery for the worst cases
Genesis 3:1
(1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
In this first message to mankind, Satan introduces sows seeds of
doubt as to whether God can be trusted. Satan's very first words were, "Has God
indeed said. . . ?" Spoken or not, this sentiment that God is untrustworthy,
and that His Word is suspect, has been a regular feature in mankind's
relationship with God ever since.
The Gnostics were no exception—in fact, they are a prime
example. In its most basic sense, Gnosticism is knowing, but its knowledge,
while sometimes including the Word of God, does not have it as its foundation.
Instead, more than what was contained in Scripture, Gnostics valued what they
experienced, what elders told them, or what they learned from "angels,"
astrology, or chemistry (alchemy). Thus, we see elements of Gnosticism in
Galatians: a mixture of "lucky days," to which they ascribed spiritual
significance (part of their worship prior to conversion) and a belief, brought
in by Judaizers or perhaps even an "angel" (Galatians 1:8), that justification
could come by works of the law.
Judaism, though it has its roots in the Old Testament, sees
God's Word through the lens of Hellenism (Greek thought) and the traditions of
Jewish scholars and teachers through the centuries. The Galatian Christians
gave God's Word lip service, but did not depend on it as the source of their
beliefs and practices. If they had, they would not have returned to pagan
"days, months, seasons, and years," nor believed that justification could ever
result from good works—a concept that is read into the Old Testament, but not
actually found there.
Similarly, the Colossian Christians were affected by an ascetic
form of Gnosticism that included "ordinances" (KJV) or "regulations" (NKJV)
that are not found in God's Word but were the commandments and doctrines of men
(Colossians 2:20-23), as well as demons, the "basic principles of the world"
(Colossians 2:8).
This same distrust of God's Word is readily seen in today's
Catholicism and Protestantism. The Catholic Church holds that Scripture is only
one of three sources from which its dogma is derived—the other two being divine
revelation and the writings and traditions of previous Catholic saints. The
Bible, while generally utilized as the source of doctrine, can be easily
overridden by the words of a Pope or other theologian, living or dead. Once
again, human words and traditions are considered more trustworthy than God's.
In some respects, Protestantism has a higher regard for
Scripture. However, it, too, accepts the traditions of men in such beliefs as
the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, going to heaven, observing Christmas
and Easter, and venerating the first day of the week (which the Catholic Church
rightly points out makes sense only if one accepts Rome's authority, for there
is no scriptural authority for keeping any day holy but the Sabbaths).
Modern Gnostics who believe in "progressive revelation" have
also succumbed to this first of Satan's ploys. While God does reveal things to
us, the critical point is that what is revealed—if it truly comes from Him—will
never contradict what He has already revealed in His Word. "God is not a man,
that He should lie" (Numbers 23:19). Yet progressive revelation advocates
believe that their revelations are more authoritative than the Bible, rather
than complementing and harmonizing with it, making them ripe for satanic
influence under the guise of God revealing something new to them. They may
sincerely believe that God speaks to them, yet they simultaneously mistrust
what He has already said in inspired Scripture. They tend to shy away from
Bible study, concluding that they do not need it since God speaks directly to
them, and if there is anything important, God will let them know.
Romans 10:17 tells us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God." But Satan knows this too and believes that, if he can
undermine the trustworthiness of God and the validity of His Word, he can
destroy the faith necessary for salvation. Currently, the Bible's legitimacy is
undergoing an intense assault. Due to popular Gnostic writings like the Gospel
of Judas and the Gospel of Thomas, as well as The Da Vinci Code book and movie,
many people are questioning why we have the Bible that we do and wondering if
something in the ancient apocryphal writings, if it were known, would change
Christianity as we know it. Rather than quibbling about this or that point of
doctrine, Satan seems to be gunning for the whole package by asserting that the
Word of God is subject to the whims of men and thus cannot be trusted. At every
turn, faith founded in God's Word is being undermined.
David C. Grabbe
From Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's
Three Heresies
.
====================================================
daily devotional
Evening ...
Matthew 9:6
The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.
Behold one of the great Physician's mightiest arts: He has power to forgive
sin! While here He lived below, before the ransom had been paid, before the
blood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had power to forgive
sin. Hath He not power to do it now that He hath died? What power must dwell in
Him who to the utmost farthing has faithfully discharged the debts of His
people! He has boundless power now that He has finished transgression and made
an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see Him rising from the dead! behold Him in
ascending splendour raised to the right hand of God! Hear Him pleading before
the eternal Father, pointing to His wounds, urging the merit of His sacred
passion! What power to forgive is here! "He hath ascended on high, and received
gifts for men." "He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of
sins." The most crimson sins are removed by the crimson of His blood. At this
moment, dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to pardon, power
to pardon thee, and millions such as thou art. A word will speak it. He has
nothing more to do to win thy pardon; all the atoning work is done. He can, in
answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins today, and make thee know it. He can
breathe into thy soul at this very moment a peace with God which passeth all
understanding, which shall spring from perfect remission of thy manifold
iniquities. Dost thou believe that? I trust thou believest it. Mayst thou
experience now the power of Jesus to forgive sin! Waste no time in applying to
the Physician of souls, but hasten to Him with words like these:-
"Jesus! Master! hear my cry;
Save me, heal me with a word;
Fainting at Thy feet I lie,
Thou my whisper'd plaint hast heard."
Morning ...
Job 29:2
Oh that I were as in months past.
Numbers of Christians can view the past with pleasure, but regard the present
with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days which they have passed in
communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever
known, but as to the present, it is clad in a sable garb of gloom and
dreariness. Once they lived near to Jesus, but now they feel that they have
wandered from Him, and they say, "O that I were as in months past!" They
complain that they have lost their evidences, or that they have not present
peace of mind, or that they have no enjoyment in the means of grace, or that
conscience is not so tender, or that they have not so much zeal for God's
glory. The causes of this mournful state of things are manifold. It may arise
through a comparative neglect of prayer, for a neglected closet is the
beginning of all spiritual decline. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The
heart has been occupied with something else, more than with God; the affections
have been set on the things of earth, instead of the things of heaven. A
jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first
and best. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering
heart. Or the cause may be found in self-confidence and self-righteousness.
Pride is busy in the heart, and self is exalted instead of lying low at the
foot of the cross. Christian, if you are not now as you "were in months past,"
do not rest satisfied with wishing for a return of former happiness, but go at
once to seek your Master, and tell Him your sad state. Ask His grace and
strength to help you to walk more closely with Him; humble yourself before Him,
and He will lift you up, and give you yet again to enjoy the light of His
countenance. Do not sit down to sigh and lament; while the beloved Physician
lives there is hope, nay there is a certainty of recovery for the worst cases
Genesis 3:1
(1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
In this first message to mankind, Satan introduces sows seeds of
doubt as to whether God can be trusted. Satan's very first words were, "Has God
indeed said. . . ?" Spoken or not, this sentiment that God is untrustworthy,
and that His Word is suspect, has been a regular feature in mankind's
relationship with God ever since.
The Gnostics were no exception—in fact, they are a prime
example. In its most basic sense, Gnosticism is knowing, but its knowledge,
while sometimes including the Word of God, does not have it as its foundation.
Instead, more than what was contained in Scripture, Gnostics valued what they
experienced, what elders told them, or what they learned from "angels,"
astrology, or chemistry (alchemy). Thus, we see elements of Gnosticism in
Galatians: a mixture of "lucky days," to which they ascribed spiritual
significance (part of their worship prior to conversion) and a belief, brought
in by Judaizers or perhaps even an "angel" (Galatians 1:8), that justification
could come by works of the law.
Judaism, though it has its roots in the Old Testament, sees
God's Word through the lens of Hellenism (Greek thought) and the traditions of
Jewish scholars and teachers through the centuries. The Galatian Christians
gave God's Word lip service, but did not depend on it as the source of their
beliefs and practices. If they had, they would not have returned to pagan
"days, months, seasons, and years," nor believed that justification could ever
result from good works—a concept that is read into the Old Testament, but not
actually found there.
Similarly, the Colossian Christians were affected by an ascetic
form of Gnosticism that included "ordinances" (KJV) or "regulations" (NKJV)
that are not found in God's Word but were the commandments and doctrines of men
(Colossians 2:20-23), as well as demons, the "basic principles of the world"
(Colossians 2:8).
This same distrust of God's Word is readily seen in today's
Catholicism and Protestantism. The Catholic Church holds that Scripture is only
one of three sources from which its dogma is derived—the other two being divine
revelation and the writings and traditions of previous Catholic saints. The
Bible, while generally utilized as the source of doctrine, can be easily
overridden by the words of a Pope or other theologian, living or dead. Once
again, human words and traditions are considered more trustworthy than God's.
In some respects, Protestantism has a higher regard for
Scripture. However, it, too, accepts the traditions of men in such beliefs as
the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, going to heaven, observing Christmas
and Easter, and venerating the first day of the week (which the Catholic Church
rightly points out makes sense only if one accepts Rome's authority, for there
is no scriptural authority for keeping any day holy but the Sabbaths).
Modern Gnostics who believe in "progressive revelation" have
also succumbed to this first of Satan's ploys. While God does reveal things to
us, the critical point is that what is revealed—if it truly comes from Him—will
never contradict what He has already revealed in His Word. "God is not a man,
that He should lie" (Numbers 23:19). Yet progressive revelation advocates
believe that their revelations are more authoritative than the Bible, rather
than complementing and harmonizing with it, making them ripe for satanic
influence under the guise of God revealing something new to them. They may
sincerely believe that God speaks to them, yet they simultaneously mistrust
what He has already said in inspired Scripture. They tend to shy away from
Bible study, concluding that they do not need it since God speaks directly to
them, and if there is anything important, God will let them know.
Romans 10:17 tells us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God." But Satan knows this too and believes that, if he can
undermine the trustworthiness of God and the validity of His Word, he can
destroy the faith necessary for salvation. Currently, the Bible's legitimacy is
undergoing an intense assault. Due to popular Gnostic writings like the Gospel
of Judas and the Gospel of Thomas, as well as The Da Vinci Code book and movie,
many people are questioning why we have the Bible that we do and wondering if
something in the ancient apocryphal writings, if it were known, would change
Christianity as we know it. Rather than quibbling about this or that point of
doctrine, Satan seems to be gunning for the whole package by asserting that the
Word of God is subject to the whims of men and thus cannot be trusted. At every
turn, faith founded in God's Word is being undermined.
David C. Grabbe
From Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's
Three Heresies
.
