How much do you trust the Word of God?

Psalm 119:133

“Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.”

March 3, 2020

How much do you trust the Word of God? What do you consider to be the Word of God? Throughout history, God has revealed his commands through various means. Early in the history of man, God spoke directly to people. Later, He spoke to the people through an individual.

Further still, He used judges. Then He gave divine instruction through the use of the Urim and Thummim. In the pre-Exilic and Exilic periods, He spoke through the law (written) and various prophets. In the gospels, Jesus came to earth as God incarnate. After His ascension, He spoke through the Holy Spirit (yet often used the written word that was already in place). Finally, He speaks through the written word (the Bible) that we now have. If someone says that they received a revelation or word from God that contradicts what the words of scripture say, then you can bet that it is not the Word of God.

The word used in the original Hebrew for “word” is “amar” (if my transliteration is still good). This means to utter, say, promise, or command. The idea still conveys something that is spoken. At the time of the writing of Psalm 119 (possibly by Ezra – post-Exilic) the primary means of communication was via the law and prophets.

By the psalmist using this word, he may not necessarily be saying that God is directly communicating with him (i.e. speaking verbally to him), but rather he is asking for God to bring to mind His law/commands, which if it was indeed Ezra would make a lot of sense, given that they recently had found a copy of the book of the law and were reading it openly to the people.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Confession of Faith states in 1.05, “The scriptures are the infallible rule of faith and practice, the authoritative guide for Christian living.” If we do believe this, we need to understand that this implies that there is no area of life to which scripture does not speak. It may take some effort to find it, but guidance is there… from how you eat, to how you dress, to how you interact with those around you and those in the world, to what you look at and watch, to how you vote.

As we approach this up and coming election season, I would like to challenge you not to vote according to the way you always have. I would challenge you not to vote based upon whom you like or for whom you agree. Do not base your vote upon Rs and Ds. Rather, base your vote upon scripture and whose actions and votes align most with scripture.

And if you are struggling with some items to consider here are a few:

There are plenty of others, but the point is, if your view does not align with God’s, you might want to change your view.