What Do You Believe?

I realize we are a world of diverse beliefs; some people believe this or that or nothing at all.  I think that most people believe in God and many people believe in the bible.  Whatever our beliefs are or are not, we are all brothers and sisters trying to make it.  

I believe the bible in its original text (Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic) is true and trustworthy.  I believe Jesus Christ demonstrated His love for those He came to save openly [Col 2:15] and there is much more going on [Col 1:16] than what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears.  We’re basically all pawns in a huge display where everything ultimately works for God’s glory. 

Anyways, not trying to weird anyone out, just wanted to let everyone know what I believe in.  God’s got some great plans taking place in our day.  If you’ve never read the bible, then I invite you to click over on the links on the right sidebar of BrokenCredit.com for ‘Online Bible’ (to read) or ‘Family Radio’ (to listen to it on audio).

You may recall the story of Cain and Abel.  Cain killed his brother Abel and later asked God: “[Am] I my brother’s keeper?” [Gen 4:9].  Interestingly, the bible doesn’t record that God answered him directly, but the remainder of the entire bible answers that question and that answer is ‘yes‘ you are your brother’s keeper.

The temptation in this world is to get caught up in the anxieties of life [Luk 21:34] or to take comfort in our bank account [Luk 12:16-21].  In the end, the only thing that matters is where we stand with God. 

Before I end this post (and if you’ve even read this far?) let me make one comment about ‘salt’.  You’ve heard people say ‘salt of the earth’ or similar phrases.  This comes out of the bible.  BTW, there are so many phrases or statements that come out of the bible that we use (or misuse) in modern culture, not even realizing it.  The verse: “Let your speech [be] always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” [Col 4:6] and “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” [Mat 5:13].

God’s word is in code.  He defines His own terms.  This is something that many people do not understand.  Christ spoke in parables [Mar 4:34] and He defines His own terms throughout the bible.  In this instance, ’salt’ is not the salt we use to season food.  Salt in the bible has to do with judgment [Gen 19:26].  So when we are talking about the word of God, it’s not all great news for everyone.  God is also glorified in bringing judgment [Jos 7:19-26].  I think that’s a big part of why people don’t want to read the bible, because it talks about God’s judgment. 

On Sunday you may have noticed sometimes I put a bible verse on the blog.  A bible verse with no commentary.  The bible verse is trustworthy, my commentary may or may not be.  That’s the thing about the bible.  We should be constantly reading and praying for wisdom to grow in grace through God’s mercy.  At least that’s where my hope is.  And if you’ve read this far then you’ll see that that’s where our hope should be.  Am I my brother’s keeper?  Yes, you are.

Hope all my brothers and sisters have a blessed week!