Saturday, January 24, 2009
2 Peter 1:16, 19-21 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty . . . we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
GOD IS MADE KNOWN THROUGH HIS WORD
The most important way the true God has made Himself known to us is through His Son, Jesus, who is the Savior of the world.
Before Jesus came, He was known to Old Testament believers through the prophecies in Scripture about Him. At His coming, Jesus fulfilled these prophecies and spoke the very word of God Himself to those of this world. After Jesus triumphantly rose from the dead and visibly left this world at His ascension, He commissioned His apostles and disciples who lived and worked with Him here in this world to continue His ministry. He even used them to write His word after He ascended to the right hand of His Father in heaven.
It is by His word that we continue to learn about the true God and His plan of salvation in Jesus to this very day. Throughout all time, God has revealed Himself to His people by His word. Throughout all time God has revealed His Savior and salvation to His people through His word. Throughout all time, those who truly know God know Him by His word.
Especially in our day, there are many who want to dismiss the Bible as nothing more than a far-fetched collection of moralizing fables. In reality the Bible is complete truth and stands alone as the very words of the Holy Spirit by which sinners come to know God and His salvation. For this reason, we do well to heed the words of Scripture "as a light that shines in a dark place" by which "the morning star rises in [our] hearts."
