"Let Me Remind You"

There are some things in life of which we need to be reminded.  Jesus tells us that we have an enemy that works to steal away Truth.  The parable of the sower is an example of that.  Jesus said that the enemy would come after truth is sown and try to steal that newly planted seed in an effort to keep it from becoming rooted and grounded in our lives.  Today there are a lot of thieves all around that would like to move us from the foundation of our true Faith.  It is only the Truth that can save us and set us free.  No one can be saved and set free apart from the Truth of the Gospel.  There may be programs that might give people some relief but nothing other than the Gospel can bring total deliverance from the old and radical transformation into the new.  As hard as it might be to believe, we need to be reminded of that fact.  We need to regularly inspect what we are teaching, preaching and talking to make sure we aren't offering a Gospel that is less than truth.  

The Apostle Paul writes the church at Corinth and brings them just such a reminder and a call back to the basics.

 I Corinthians 15:1"Let me now remind you, dear brothers and

sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.

3I passed on to you what was most important and what had also

 been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the 

Scriptures said. 4He was buried, and he was raised from the dead 

on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.  

Paul reminds the church of the Good News and a definition of what that good news entails at its root level.  That foundational message is that Christ died for our sins, He was buried and he was raised from the dead on the third day.  The last phrase is also important, "just as the Scripture said."  We must remain true to our immovable belief that the Scripture is true, the very bedrock of our salvation and the salvation of all who hear us declare salvation.  We must regularly and unashamedly preach in our churches that Jesus died for our sins, he was crucified and put to death and he was raised from the dead.  It is a spiritual and historical fact.  If we ever relegate this to fiction even in a passive way, our Gospel ceases to have the power to save the lost.  We must be reminded as Paul reminds us that this Gospel is the very "power of God leading to salvation."

The Word Above Conscience

Our conscience is a powerful help in life. The conscience sets guidelines for living and acts as an alarm when we begin to stray from the right path.  To delve into a discussion regarding conscience would be an almost endless debate.  For example, where does a persons conscience originate.  Is it derived from nature or nurture? The Bible tells us that there is a knowledge of God within all of us when we are born.  Even nature declares his glory.  Then as we develop we are taught from an early age what our parents feel is right and wrong.  Then, if and when we become Believers in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes within and becomes the greatest influence upon our conscience.  It becomes difficult to distinguish between the inner voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of our conscience.  

As we grow in our walk with the Lord our conscience can change.  It changes in differing ways.  It may change by becoming more strict in some areas of living and more flexible in others based upon the Light of the Scripture and the working of the Holy Spirit within us.  The Bible tells us that some people can't eat meat or drink wine because their conscience is weak and that we shouldn't try to lead a person beyond the sphere of their conscience.  That stance could change in them through time.  How then can we trust our conscience?  Generally speaking, our Holy Spirit led conscience is accurate and can be trusted.  However, our conscience is not fool proof.  Only the Scripture and the Holy Spirit are infallible.  For example, if you are around people who practice things that are against your conscience, in time you may embrace what you formerly felt was wrong.  The change could be correct and it could be wrong.  How are we to know?  An old saying tells us to "let your conscience be your guide."  That is not an absolute truth.  We must know and choose the Word of God above our conscience.  The Word is the Word of God and it "changes not".  The Word and the Spirit are in fact God.  If there is a conflict between your conscience and the Scripture,  ALWAYS CHOOSE THE SCRIPTURE.   Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
No matter how right if may seem or feel, The Word always must triumph over feelings. 

He Is Faithful

I am thankful that God's faithfulness is not contingent upon my faithfulness! While you and I as believers are committed to faithfulness, God is Himself faithful.  There is a difference between a commitment to faithfulness and the essence of faithfulness.  With a commitment, though well intended and truly meant in the heart, there is a breaking point in most of us.  If enough pressure is placed upon us and the cost becomes so great, humanity will usually break.  Like Peter who loudly proclaimed that he would never deny Jesus, when the pressure became great enough he retreated from his commitment like a frightened child.   Yet, I am convinced he was as serious as he knew how to be.  It would be easy to say here, "Oh, that was before he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit!"  True, but even in the power of the Holy Spirit, there is great temptation.  Where then is our confidence if not in our faith and faithfulness?  Faith in human faithfulness is a fragile foundation, sinking sand.  Our confidence is not in human commitment, faith or faithfulness but in the Faithful One.  It is difficult for us to comprehend the faithfulness of God because we think in terms of human abilities to "act" in a faithful way.  God is not acting, He Is Faithfulness.  It is a part of not only his nature but his Very Being.  For you and me, faithfulness is a commitment we will hopefully follow while for God it is as much a part of Him as the color of our eyes.  As we can't change our biological composition, nothing can change the faithfulness of God.  

That means that we must continue to walk out our commitment to the Lord in daily life while never believing that our faithfulness is all on our human shoulders.  I love the New Living Translation of
 I Corinthians 1:8-9.  "He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  That is exciting news!  He will keep you and me strong to the end…"FOR HE IS FAITHFUL TO DO WHAT HE SAYS…"  There is the confidence in our faithfulness.  I know that I will be faithful until the very end, no matter the cost, no matter the pressure, not because of my great commitment but because of His great faithfulness to keep me strong.  It is his Word and He says that He will keep us to the very end!  That strength is made possible daily for us because we are in "partnership with Jesus Christ our Lord. "

May we take these verses and save them onto the hard drive of our spirit man and live out all the days of our lives with this confidence.