Friday, February 14, 2014
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
CHIEF OF SINNERS THOUGH I BE -- GOD'S WORD PROTECTS ME
Has your Christian faith ever been discredited by others because of your sin? It's not uncommon for people to associate being a Christian with being holy or without sin. I'm sure many of you have heard the skeptic's question, "What kind of Christian is he if he's always sinning?" Those who question Christians in such a way are looking for evidence of faith, something they can see to prove that those under scrutiny really do believe.
The point missed by those who question a Christian's faith because of actions alone, is that Christians look to what God does as the basis of their faith, not what they do. As the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul and Timothy, this knowledge about God comes through the preaching of His Word. When your faith falters and you feel weak, the Word has the power to uphold you. When Satan accuses you over the wages of death that you have earned and the world declares that there's no way you can be a Christian, the Word backs up the validity of your faith.
But what's important is how the Word does this. The Spirit also reveals the procedure through this simple verse. It's through reproving, rebuking, and exhorting that the Word works in your life. These words mean that God's Word takes away but also adds, that it destroys but also builds up. God's Word is meant to strip away your sinful ignorance and pride and firmly implant the healing power of salvation. In short, the Word works as both Law and Gospel, and both are needed to help protect you in life. The Law of God reproves and rebukes you when you sin and stray from the path of God's truth. Once the Law has ripped your pride away, the Gospel exhorts and encourages you in forgiveness.
God has given you His Word to protect you from the sin that covers every area of life. But that Word must be used the right way, as both Law and Gospel. If you reject either force, you run the risk of losing God entirely. Without the Law your sins and pride will consume everything in your life. Without the Gospel you will have no solution to the problem of your sin, you will never have hope to stand before God on the final Day and live.
Let the world and Satan rage as much as they want against us because of our sins. Let them mock us and call us what they please. Let them hurl whatever they want our way; we are protected. We are covered by God's love and forgiveness, an impenetrable fortress that protects us from all doubt, accusation, insult, or persecution -- the fortress of God's Word. Lord help us to use your Word and to use it correctly!
