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NASB | Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, |
Bible Question:
"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all" (1 Chronicles 29:11) "The Sovereignty of God is an expression that once was generally understood. It was a phrase commonly used in religious literature. It was a theme frequently expounded in the pulpit. It was a truth which brought comfort to many hearts, and gave virility and stability to Christian character. But, today, to make mention of God’s sovereignty is, in many quarters, to speak in an unknown tongue. Were we to announce from the average pulpit that the subject of our discourse would be the sovereignty of God, it would sound very much as though we had borrowed a phrase from one of the dead languages. Alas! that it should be so. Alas! that the doctrine which is the key to history, the interpreter of Providence, the warp and woof of Scripture, and the foundation of Christian theology, should be so sadly neglected and so little understood." "How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern Christendom! The conception of Deity which prevails most widely today, even among those who profess to give heed to the Scriptures, is a miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty of the Truth. The God of the twentieth century (21st) is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. The God of the popular mind is the creation of a maudlin sentimentality. The God of many a present-day pulpit is an object of pity rather than of awe-inspiring reverence." [A.W Pink- The Sovereignty of God] What are your thoughts as to why this is? What can be done about it? |
Bible Answer: Hello Brother Brad! I just want to share some thoughts on this one and through out a few questions :-) Question: Does anyone think "the church" is not exactly where God wants it to be today? If the answer is no, would that not question God's Sovereignty? In my understanding it would. You ask "What are your thoughts as to why this is?" based on what A.W. Pink had written. I think that's a great question and exactly the type of questions we should be asking ourselves. What is God doing? What is His will for the church at this point in time? What do I, as His servant need to be doing for His glory and His church? I don't think we should be surprised at what mankind is doing for we know them to be corrupted and hopeless without God's intervention. For me the "why" leads to the question, what is God showing us and what are we the church suppose to do with it? There are many today and throughout history like A.W. Pink and the many examples we see throughout the pages of the bible that God has given a passion and a hunger for His word. It's these people that are able to see the contradictions between what the word of God says and what mankind teaches and twist to create their own doctrines. I think that is exactly what A.W. Pink is pointing out. So, going back to your question, why is it like this? Hummmm.... I of course don't have the answer to that. But I'm confident in that it fits God's sovereign plan. In my way of thinking, God is clearly showing us the corruption and false teachings of mankind probably more so then ever before. Why is that and what are we the church to do? "What can be done about it?" If you have been given His truth, never compromise on it, remember where it came from and share it with others as if their life depended on it (which it does!). For me, the farther I see the teachings of mankind move away from the word of God, the clearer the word of God becomes to me. The stronger my desire becomes to know it and understand it and share it with others. I for one am so thankful to God for His word and those that He has given to His church that do not and will not compromise on His word and will stand up and shout when it is trampled on. Just another thought on what we can do. This may seem like a radical idea to some. However, what about actually teaching the word of God from the word of God in our churches. I can't help but wonder what it might be like if we removed the Sunday School books, discipleship training materials and such from the church and just use the word of God to teach the word of God. I say this because I become more and more irritated by the materials that seem to insert one or two scriptures and then a page or two or three of mankind's thoughts and babblings. Well, I've babbled enough myself. I know the question was dealing more with the sovereignty of God in the church then where I drifted off to in my babblings so I'll just leave you with this thought on the church (Nehemiah 8:1-8). I think it's a beautiful picture of what it must be like to truly come together with a hunger and reverence for God's word and worship the Lord as we should and goes a long way in answering the question, "what can we do about it?". As you read Nehemiah 8:1-8 ask yourself these questions. Do we gather as one and encourage our pastors to feed us the word of God like it is written? Are we attentive as the word of God is shared with us? Does the leadership of our local church stand together as one, united and determined to teach and guide us in the word? Do we stand with those that stand on the word of God? Are we awed by the word of God and show reverence to it as they did in Nehemiah 8:5? Do we praise the Lord our Great God like we should? Do we teach the word of God to others and seek to help them understand it? Can you just imagine what it would be like to gather as they did in Nehemiah 8? What an awesome picture! God Bless, Steve Lord helps us. We long for the day you gather your church to be with you. Amen! |