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Scripture Reading:
Romans 3:30-31 (New Living Translation – NLT)
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30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfil the law.
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Thought for the day:
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Well, it’s been a tough week as we’ve grappled the difficult topics of theology contained in these verses. It will get even tougher later but for now, as we close out this week and begin the month of February, I thought that I’d make things somewhat lighter…however briefly.
Verse 30 begins with a statement that should be beyond controversy and is the bedrock on which all of our faith rests. ‘There is only one God’. Someone once said that Deuteronomy 6:4 was as well-known to a first century Jew as John 3:16 is to a modern-day Christian – ‘Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.’ This simple statement is the basis on which those early Christians formed their evangelistic message. There would be no opposition from any Jew to the phrase ‘There is only one God’.
In our culture today, this undeniable truth is being shaken to its core and we have to stand firm against the tide of a message that states ‘any god will do’ in a pursuit of your particular flavour of spirituality. If anyone seems to have an interest in anything that is not based on ‘science’ then it is regard as being spiritual. Meditation and yoga are being promoted as valid practices of spiritual well-being and are incredibly popular even among some Christians. I’d like to fire a warning shot across the bows of ships that you see carrying any such cargo. Remember that anything that purports to be spiritual begins with the word ‘spirit’. Please, please be careful about what spirit is involved in any activity in which you are a participant.
1 Timothy 4:1 says: ‘Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.’
The apostle John also gives us a warning in his first epistle – ‘Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’. There is only one God and only way to be made right with Him: we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and in His propitiatory sacrifice on the cross.
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Prayer and Application:
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My prayer at the end of this week is that we examine our hearts and look closely at our actions and motives. May they always be aligned with His Spirit and His will.
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