Newsletter devotion: The Bible Tells Me So - Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7          So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Most of us remember the old children’s hymn “Jesus Loves Me” and we certainly enjoy the simplicity of the faith that its lyrics describe. When I hear it sung, I can shut my eyes and sing all of the words faultlessly. At the same time, I’m transported back to school assemblies in Scotland and see myself singing it as a child, or teaching it as a school chaplain many years later.

It’s a lovely song, and I’m glad to write that our church children are still learning its beautiful words. The first two lines are very important foundations for any beginner in the Christian faith.

“Jesus loves me this I know,

For the Bible tells me so.”

Those two simple lines express a genuine dependence upon the authority of the scriptures to tell us about Jesus. We know Who He is by accepting what the Bible states about Him. The Gospel stories, the Book of Acts, all the New Testament letters, and even the Book of Revelation paint a picture of Christ that we have embraced for twenty centuries. The First Christians used those stories and letters to build up their fledgling church communities. They flourished because they remained faithful to the holy words that they received, read, and retained.

I came to Christ first as a child singing simple hymns and then as an alcohol addict looking for Jesus to save me from myself. In both circumstances, I clung to the belief that Jesus loved me and that the Bible was true.  The roots of faith that my Sunday School teachers had planted in my heart and mind bore fruit at a critical time in my life. Through their Biblical teaching, I knew that I just needed Jesus to cover my sins with His blood and to redeem me forever to God.

The older I get, the more that I see people complicating their faith by trying to mold and reshape Jesus into their ways and understanding. They also want to know that Jesus loves them, but they try to make Him uniquely and comfortably fit their lives. Our Christian faith doesn’t work that way; it never has and it never will. Christ reshapes us when we repent. He enables us to become the human beings that God wants us to be. Anything else is just a personal delusion; anything other than Jesus leads us down a path that goes nowhere.

At Erin Christ is, and always will be, the Senior Pastor and the Head of the Church. The role that He has called me to undertake is to be the teaching elder of our congregation. That’s a ministry that has eternal consequences for you and me. That’s why I really try to base all that I teach upon what the Scriptures have told Christians for centuries. I preach the simple faith that I was taught, which was rooted and built up on Christ. I endeavor to teach what the Bible states, and not what I would like it to say. And so, with all of my heart, my mind, my strength, and my soul, I truly believe in those words from the old hymn: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I hope and pray that you can too.

May God bless you and all your loved ones.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Handling the Word

Correctly handling the word of truth is something that all preachers should remember. Omitting what we don't like from scripture only causes us to rewrite the Gospel and reject God's Word.

Podcast version here

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

I’ve been a bit remiss these past couple of weeks in writing these devotionals. It’s been really busy at the church I serve, and lately I’ve had difficulty in prioritizing my time. It makes me feel ashamed because I’m always advising people to make time for God. It seems as though the pastor hasn’t been practicing what he preaches, so I need to get back on the right track.

I’ve also been more aware of what constitutes correctly handling the word of truth. At a big meeting the other day, which was full of pastors and elders, someone preached a really good sermon on chapter three of John’s Gospel. It was a great message of hope and full of the Spirit, but the preacher only preached from John 3: 1-17. She opted to omit verses 18-21, which actually ends the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus in this chapter. It made me wonder why. Here are the verses:

John 3:18-21 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

You see those last four verses reveal how serious it is to reject believing in God through Jesus. Up until that point in the chapter, Jesus is attempting to teach Nicodemus about the love, grace, and mercy of God. But He ends His conversation with dire warnings, and so when we preach from that chapter, we need to be prepared to correctly handle the word of truth. It may be a lot easier to ignore the bad bits and just preach the good, but when we do that, we end up rewriting the Gospel and making Christ’s words suit ourselves.

Do I wish that Jesus had never spoken verses 18-21? Sometimes, but then I remember that God’s grace is never given cheaply or just casually placed before us. We are given an invitation to believe in Jesus, along with an opportunity to receive salvation. It is never thrust upon us and each person must accept or reject it. The consequences of our decision are plainly expressed by Christ; we can never complain to Him that we didn’t understand our options. Grace and judgment go hand in hand. How we finally experience them depends upon the choice each one of us makes.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Gospel gives us the greatest opportunity of a lifetime for each one of us. You offer us the hope of being forgiven for all of our mistakes, and restored to God’s favor for all of eternity. This is the greatest blessing that we can receive in our lives. But You do not force this upon us; instead You allow us to use our free will to determine whether or not we will accept Your invitation. Grant us the wisdom to respond lovingly to this everlasting gift. Remind us of the consequences which will follow our final choices. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.